Job Description: QA Engineer – Networking (Switches & Routers)

Required exp - ( 4 - 8 years )

Location: Gurgaon (preferred), Bangalore

Job Summary

We are looking for a skilled QA Engineer with strong expertise in Python, Linux, and IP Networking to validate networking products, including switches and routers.

The candidate will be responsible for functional, system, integration, regression, and automation testing of networking features and services in Linux-based networking platforms.

The role requires a strong understanding of Layer 2/Layer 3 networking, packet forwarding, routing, bridging, VLANs, firewalling, NAT, and IP networking protocols.

The candidate will develop and maintain Python-based test automation, troubleshoot complex networking issues, analyze packet captures and system logs, and collaborate with development teams to ensure product quality and reliability.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, execute, and maintain Python-based test automation frameworks and test scripts for networking products.
• Perform validation and verification of switches, routers, and Linux-based networking platforms.
• Validate Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality, including packet forwarding, bridging, VLANs, IP addressing, routing tables, static routing, policy routing, and NAT.
• Test and troubleshoot networking protocols, firewall rules, connection tracking, tunneling, access control, and network services.
• Validate device configuration, provisioning, service initialization, firmware upgrades, reboot recovery, configuration persistence, and system stability.
• Perform packet-level troubleshooting using Wireshark, tcpdump, and other network diagnostic tools.
• Analyze Linux system logs, application logs, kernel messages, and protocol traces to isolate defects and identify root causes.
• Maintain test plans, test cases, automation scripts, defect reports, and technical documentation.

Mandatory Skills

1. Python Programming and Test Automation

• Strong Python programming skills for test automation and application-level validation.
• Ability to automate configuration, traffic generation, result verification, log collection, and failure analysis.
• Familiarity with test automation frameworks such as pytest or unittest.

2. Linux

• Strong hands-on experience with Linux operating systems, command-line tools, shell scripting, processes, services, filesystems, permissions, and system logs.
• Experience troubleshooting Linux networking, interface configuration, routes, sockets, and service failures.
• Good knowledge of Networking Services including exposure to dnsmasq for DNS and DHCP services, chrony for NTP synchronization etc
• Understanding of Linux networking architecture, including kernel networking, packet processing, and user-space networking services.
• Familiarity with tools such as `ip`, `ss`, `tcpdump`, `ping`, `traceroute`, `journalctl`, and `dmesg`.

3. IP Networking Fundamentals

• Strong understanding of TCP/IP, IPv4, IPv6, subnetting, CIDR, ARP, ICMP, TCP, and UDP.
• Good understanding of routing software & protocols including FRRouting (FRR) and routing protocols such as BGP and OSPF.
• In-depth understanding of Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding, Ethernet bridging, VLANs, tagging, and inter-VLAN routing.
• Understanding of routing tables, static routing, default routes, policy-based routing, and next-hop selection.
• Knowledge of NAT, firewall behavior, packet processing, DPI, packet filtering, connection tracking, and end-to-end packet flow, including iptables, ebtables, arptables, ipset, and conntrack-tools.
• Familiarity with VPN technologies and tunneling protocols, including IPsec, GRE, and OpenVPN.
• Familiarity with IEEE 802.1X, RADIUS, RadSecProxy, and MAC Authentication Bypass (MAB).
• Experience with packet analysis and network troubleshooting tools such as Wireshark and tcpdump.

Good-to-Have Skills

1. Embedded Linux and Cross-Compilation

• Understanding of Embedded Linux architecture, boot processes, root filesystems, and service initialization.
• Familiarity with cross-compilation toolchains, target architectures, sysroots, shared libraries, and embedded firmware builds.
• Basic knowledge of embedded system debugging and resource constraints.