Network & Security Engineer (80-100% - all identities and backgrounds)

Switch is the digital partner of Swiss universities and a non-profit foundation. With around 180 employees, we develop digital solutions for teaching and research and strengthen Switzerland’s digital sovereignty. Our collaboration is based on trust, personal responsibility, and professional exchange across different roles and disciplines. We focus on sustainable solutions, transparent decision-making, and a way of working in which active thinking and co-creation are encouraged.

What you should know about us

- You will help build and shape Switch's internal network and security platforms

- You will collaborate with multiple internal engineering teams across Switch

- The position includes occasional participation in conferences or community exchange

- An attractive work model with flexible working hours, remote work options, overtime compensation, and more

- Company language is German and English, team language is mainly English, and we provide support to help employees achieve a comfortable level of proficiency in German or English

- Offices in the heart of Zurich or in Lausanne at the EPFL Innovation Park

- Does that sound exciting to you? Then find out more about what it's like to work at Switch and get an overview of the benefits.

Switch is made up of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and lifestyles. We embrace diversity and invite applications from people of all walks of life. We do not discriminate based on gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, pregnancy status, or any other differences. Also, if you have a disability, please let us know how we can make the interview process better for you; we're happy to accommodate!

Requirements

What you bring

- Completed apprenticeship or degree in IT (e.g. system engineering, network engineering, or equivalent)

- At least 5 years of experience in network engineering and security engineering

- Strong experience with firewall and VPN technologies

- Hands-on experience with technologies such as Fortinet, Cisco, Arista, OpenStack or OpenVPN

- Strong understanding of IP networking (TCP/IP, BGP, Anycast, IPv6)

- Experience operating Linux-based systems

- Experience with monitoring and logging systems

- Professional proficiency in English (must-have) and ideally German

Responsibilities

You will join a newly formed team within the ITEM Circle (Internal Tenant Management). The team currently consists of around four engineers and is in a growth phase. You will work closely with a Senior Security Network Engineer, acting as a sparring partner and key contributor to the team’s development. The team works in a highly collaborative hybrid setup across Zurich and Lausanne, with English as the primary team language. You will primarily support internal technical teams across Switch and play a key role in ensuring the stability, security, and continuous evolution of our network and security infrastructure.

Your main tasks are

As a Network & Security Engineer, you are responsible for the operation and continuous improvement of network and security solutions within the Switch Cloud infrastructure.

Cloud Network & Security Infrastructure

- Build, design, implement and maintain internal, cloud and on-premise network infrastructure

- Operate firewall, network and network services (DNS, DHCP, IPAM)

- Develop IP networking environments at offices and across infrastructure domains

- Manage VPN technologies and remote access solutions

Security Operations, Monitoring & Incident Handling

- Monitor and secure the network infrastructure to ensure high availability and resilience

- Participate in the internal coordination unit for security incidents and preventive measures

- Contribute to incident analysis, response and remediation activities

- Operate and enhance security infrastructure (e.g. firewalls, proxies, WAF, remote access)

- Support continuous improvement of security posture and preventive controls

Infrastructure Services & Collaboration

- Operate and further develop internal core and office network

- Operate and further develop network services such as DNS and DHCP

- Support additional infrastructure domains such as email services (including contribution to a future email competence center)

- Collaborate with internal engineering teams across Switch on infrastructure topics

- Contribute to automation, documentation, and knowledge sharing initiatives

- Optional: Support team leadership and apprenticeship training activities