Site Reliability Engineer (Application Edge)
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Join Proton and build a better internet where privacy is the default.
At Proton, we believe that privacy is a fundamental human right and the cornerstone of democracy. Since our inception in 2014, founded by a team of scientists from CERN, we have dedicated ourselves to providing free and open-source technology to millions worldwide, ensuring access to privacy, security, and freedom online. Our journey began with Proton Mail, the largest secure email service globally, and has since expanded to include Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass. These tools empower individuals and organizations to take control of their personal data, break away from Big Tech’s invasive practices, and defeat censorship. Our work impacts hundreds of millions of lives, from activists on the front lines defending freedom to leaders in governments protecting sensitive information. In some cases, Proton’s services have even been instrumental in saving lives by enabling secure and private communications in high-risk situations.
Proton is a profitable company that does not rely upon VC funding, supporting over 100 million user accounts with a growing team of over 500 people from over 50 different countries, from the world's top companies and universities. We value intelligence, learning potential, and ambition in our hiring process. Adaptability is key as we navigate uncharted territories and redefine how business is conducted online. Hiring at Proton is highly selective, with less than 1% of candidates hired. We believe smaller teams of exceptional talent will always prevail over larger teams with lower talent density. You will have the opportunity to work with many of the world's top minds in their fields, ranging from former international math and science olympiad winners to chess champions.
We have a global mindset and big ambitions but remain a start-up at heart. We value empowerment and flexibility and keep our structure flat to keep moving fast and avoid unnecessary politics. Tired of blending into the crowd? Join us and do work you can truly be proud of. Check our open-source projects here!
Purpose of the Role:
As a Site Reliability Engineer on the Application Edge team at Proton, you will help build, maintain, and scale the critical infrastructure that powers our privacy-focused services. We manage user-facing production infrastructure across both on-premises and cloud environments, ensuring the reliable, secure, and high-performance delivery of Proton’s most critical traffic. Our team is at the forefront of private infrastructure technology, tackling global challenges in traffic flow management, load balancing, and application service control at scale. We embrace SRE principles—automation, reliability, and performance—to develop and operate infrastructure that scales with Proton’s growing user base. If you want to thrive in a high-impact role where infrastructure meets privacy, this is an opportunity to contribute to one of the most security-conscious and performance-critical environments in the industry.
What You Will Do:
* Design, build, and operate resilient application and traffic management systems for Proton’s most critical production services.
* Develop and maintain automation tools to enhance deployment processes, configuration management, and service reliability.
* Ensure availability and performance of production services through load balancing, network optimization, and failure recovery strategies.
* Improve monitoring, alerting, and incident response to maintain high availability and rapid issue resolution.
* Optimize and scale Proton’s hybrid infrastructure, spanning on-premises and cloud-based deployments.
* Collaborate with product and security teams to implement best practices for privacy and data protection at every layer of the stack.
* Document and share knowledge to foster a culture of learning and continuous improvement within the team and beyond.
We Need You to Have:
* Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, a similar field, or the equivalent practical experience.
* Strong knowledge of networking, including TCP/IP, DNS, and HTTP/HTTPS traffic management.
* Experience deploying, tuning, and maintaining high-performance load balancing solutions (e.g., HAProxy, Envoy, Traefik).
* Familiarity with Kubernetes and container orchestration in production environments.
* Experience with software development and automation in one or more programming languages (e.g., Python, Rust, Go).
* Ability to troubleshoot complex production issues across network, application, and system layers.
* A strong security mindset, with an understanding of secure infrastructure practices.
Bonus Points For:
* Hands-on experience with traffic shaping, rate limiting, and DDoS mitigation strategies.
* Deep expertise in Kubernetes service optimization and management.
* Experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible, or similar).
* Familiarity with privacy-focused infrastructure challenges and solutions.
Even if you don’t meet all the requirements listed above, but feel you could still be a great fit, please still apply.
What We Offer
* Office First: Collaboration is easier and more effective in person, with offices in Geneva, Zurich, Prague, Barcelona, Paris, London, Vilnius, Skopje, and Taipei. You can also work from home up to 30% of the time.
* Technology: We provide all the devices and software you need to excel in your role.
* Food: Lunch and snacks are provided by Proton every day at our offices.
* Transport: Subsidized public transport, bike allowances, or parking depending on location.
* Stock Options: You get stock options when you join Proton.
* Flexible Working: Define your own working hours, aligned with team meetings.
* Learning and Development: Various learning opportunities, including training programs and conferences.
* Employee Benefits: Comprehensive health insurance, retirement options, vacation policies, and wellness programs.
* Work that Matters: Proton is a community-first organization funded by user subscriptions; we put users and community first.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
We believe diversity drives innovation and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals feel valued and empowered. We strive for equal opportunities, open dialogue, and continuous learning to ensure every voice is heard and respected.
If you need any extra support or reasonable adjustments during the hiring process, please let your talent partner know.
Candidate Privacy Notice
When you apply for a position at Proton Technologies AG, your information is stored in Greenhouse in accordance with their Service Privacy Policy. This information is used to evaluate your suitability for the posted position and may be retained for future roles. If you have questions about how we manage your data, contact our privacy team at careers@proton.ch.
Proton does not accept unsolicited resumes from any sources other than directly from candidates. We will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from an unsolicited offer. To learn more, please visit our privacy policy page.
Seniority level: Associate
Employment type: Full-time
Job function: Engineering and Information Technology
Industries: Software Development
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