What is a DevOps Engineer at Infoblox?

At Infoblox, the role of a DevOps Engineer (often operating at the Architect level) is pivotal to the company’s mission of securing and automating core network services. Infoblox is not just a standard SaaS provider; it is the industry leader in DDI (DNS, DHCP, and IP Address Management) and cloud-first networking security. Your work here directly impacts the reliability and security of critical infrastructure for 70% of the Fortune 500. You are not merely maintaining servers; you are building the automated backbone that allows global innovation to scale securely.

You will join a team that bridges the gap between complex networking protocols and modern cloud-native architectures. The role demands a shift from manual operations to fully automated, self-healing systems. You will champion the "what if" mindset—integrating cutting-edge technologies like Kubernetes, Flux, and even GenAI-enabled operational tooling to reduce toil. This is a high-impact position where your architectural decisions will define how Infoblox delivers its world-class security solutions to customers across multi-cloud environments.

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparation for Infoblox requires a shift in mindset. You need to demonstrate not only deep technical expertise in cloud orchestration but also a fundamental understanding of networking. The interview team looks for engineers who can design resilient systems and mentor others in best practices.

Core Networking Fundamentals – Because Infoblox is a networking company, you cannot treat the network as a "black box." You will be evaluated on your understanding of TCP/IP, routing, and specifically DNS. Expect questions that probe how your DevOps practices interact with underlying network protocols.

Cloud-Native Architecture & Automation – You must demonstrate mastery of the modern CI/CD toolchain. Evaluation focuses on your ability to architect fully automated pipelines using tools like Kubernetes and Flux. Interviewers want to see how you design for scalability, self-healing, and security (DevSecOps) from day one.

Operational Efficiency & GenAI – A unique aspect of the current evaluation criteria at Infoblox is the focus on "reducing toil" through advanced tooling. You should be prepared to discuss how you use monitoring (Prometheus, Grafana) and emerging tech (GenAI agents) to improve Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) and streamline operations.

Cultural Alignment & Mentorship – Infoblox prides itself on a "No Jerks" policy and a culture of "Blox Buddies." You will be assessed on your ability to collaborate, mentor junior engineers, and drive a culture of psychological safety and continuous learning.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process at Infoblox is thorough and designed to assess both your cognitive aptitude and your technical depth. It typically begins with a recruiter screening to align on your background and interest. This is often followed by a phone interview with a Hiring Manager, which serves as a technical screen to verify your experience with key technologies like AWS, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines.

A distinct feature of the Infoblox process is the inclusion of standardized testing. Many candidates are asked to complete the CCAT (Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test), which evaluates problem-solving speed, critical thinking, and personality traits. This step is often a gatekeeper before moving to the final rounds. It is essential to approach this test seriously, as it weighs heavily in the decision-making process regarding your ability to learn and adapt quickly.

The final stage is usually a comprehensive onsite (or virtual onsite) panel. This involves multiple rounds with different stakeholders, including peer DevOps engineers, architects, and management. You will face deep-dive technical sessions covering system design, coding/scripting, and situational behavioral questions. The team focuses on how you approach complex architectural problems and how you fit into their collaborative ecosystem.

The timeline above illustrates the typical flow from initial contact to offer. Note the distinct "Assessment" phase for the CCAT, which often occurs early in the process. Candidates should plan for a timeline that can span 3 to 5 weeks depending on scheduling and team availability.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

The following sections outline the specific technical and behavioral competencies you will be tested on. These are derived from the role's architectural requirements and the specific tech stack used at Infoblox.

Cloud Architecture & Kubernetes Orchestration

This is the cornerstone of the technical evaluation. Infoblox is a cloud-first company, and you must demonstrate deep expertise in managing large-scale environments. You will be expected to architect solutions that are resilient and self-scaling.

Be ready to go over:

• Kubernetes & Flux: Deep knowledge of container orchestration, GitOps workflows, and managing stateful sets vs. stateless applications.
• Multi-Cloud Strategy: While AWS is primary (EC2, Lambda, CloudFormation), knowledge of GCP, Azure, or OCI is highly valued for hybrid deployments.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): demonstrating how you manage infrastructure state and drift.
• Advanced concepts: Service Mesh implementation, Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) in K8s, and cost optimization strategies in the cloud.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How would you design a Kubernetes cluster that spans multiple availability zones to ensure high availability for a DNS service?"
• "Describe a time you migrated a monolithic application to a microservices architecture using Flux for delivery. What challenges did you face?"
• "How do you handle secrets management in a multi-cloud environment?"

CI/CD & Engineering Efficiency

You will be evaluated on your ability to build "paved roads" for developers. The goal is to reduce manual toil and human error. Interviewers will dig into how you construct pipelines that are both fast and secure.

Be ready to go over:

• Pipeline Architecture: Designing pipelines in Jenkins or modern equivalents that integrate automated testing and security scans.
• DevSecOps: Integrating security controls (SAST/DAST) early in the development lifecycle.
• Tooling Development: Writing custom tools in Python, Go, or C++ to automate repetitive operational tasks.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk me through a CI/CD pipeline you architected. How did you handle rollbacks in the event of a failed deployment?"
• "How do you measure the efficiency of your engineering team? What metrics (DORA) do you track?"
• "If a deployment fails only in production but works in staging, how do you debug it?"

Networking & Security (The Infoblox Core)

Unlike generic DevOps roles, you cannot abstract away the network layer here. You must show competence in the fundamental protocols that Infoblox products manage.

Be ready to go over:

• Core Protocols: Deep understanding of DNS (records, zones, propagation), TCP/IP handshakes, and routing.
• Network Security: Firewalls, load balancing, and securing network traffic within a VPC.
• Troubleshooting: Using tools like dig, tcpdump, or wireshark to diagnose connectivity issues.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Explain what happens at the DNS level when a user types a URL into their browser."
• "How would you troubleshoot a latency issue that appears to be network-related in a distributed microservices environment?"
• "Differentiate between a Layer 4 and Layer 7 load balancer and when you would use each."

Observability & AI Operations

Infoblox is pushing towards AI-enabled operations. You need to show how you maintain visibility into complex systems and how you are adopting new tech to solve old problems.

Be ready to go over:

• Monitoring Stack: Prometheus, Grafana, and PagerDuty configuration and alert management.
• GenAI in Ops: Concepts around using AI agents for troubleshooting, log analysis, or generating infrastructure code.
• Log Management: Aggregating and analyzing logs at scale (Elasticsearch/ELK stack).

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How do you distinguish between a system anomaly and a genuine incident using Prometheus metrics?"
• "Describe how you have used (or would use) GenAI tools to improve Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR)."

Key Responsibilities

As a DevOps Engineer/Architect at Infoblox, your day-to-day work moves beyond ticket closing and into strategic ecosystem building. You are responsible for architecting the fully automated provisioning, deployment, and management of highly scalable SaaS services. You will spend a significant portion of your time designing CI/CD patterns using Kubernetes and Flux, ensuring that code moves from commit to production with minimal human intervention.

Collaboration is central to this role. You will work as part of an extended architecture team, partnering with application developers to standardize how logs, service elements, and monitoring are handled across the organization. You are expected to be a force multiplier—building tools that reduce manual toil for other engineers and improving the overall "developer experience."

Additionally, you will lead the charge on innovation within operations. This includes incorporating AI-enabled tooling for observability and troubleshooting. You will also serve as a mentor to junior team members, guiding them through tactical automation projects and helping them grow into the "Blox Buddies" culture. Your ultimate goal is to build resilient systems that minimize customer impact while creating a healthy, efficient work environment for operators.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

To succeed in this position, you need a blend of senior-level architectural experience and hands-on engineering skills. Infoblox looks for veterans who can lead but are still willing to dig into the code.

Technical Skills

• Cloud & Containers: Extensive hands-on experience with AWS (EC2, Lambda, CloudFormation) is required. Proficiency with Kubernetes and Flux for GitOps is critical.
• Coding & Scripting: You must be proficient in at least one major language such as Python, GoLang, C/C++, or Java. This is for building tooling, not just scripting.
• Observability: Hands-on experience with Prometheus, Grafana, PagerDuty, and the ELK stack (Elasticsearch).
• Networking: Solid grounding in TCP/IP, routing, and DNS. This is a non-negotiable requirement given the company's domain.

Experience Level

• 15+ years of total experience in software development, DevOps, or SRE is preferred for the Architect level.
• 5+ years specifically architecting CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps automation in large-scale cloud environments.
• US Citizenship or Green Card is required for this specific North America-based role.

Soft Skills

• Mentorship: Proven ability to mentor junior engineers and promote best practices.
• Innovation: A track record of introducing new technologies (like GenAI) to solve operational problems.
• Collaboration: A "No Jerks" attitude; you must thrive in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.

Common Interview Questions

The following questions are representative of what you might face. They cover technical depth, architectural thinking, and behavioral alignment. Infoblox interviewers often use these to test your thought process rather than just looking for a single "correct" answer.

Technical & Architecture

• "How would you architect a CI/CD pipeline for a microservices application to ensure zero downtime during deployment?"
• "Explain the difference between a stateful set and a deployment in Kubernetes. When would you use one over the other?"
• "We have a high-traffic DNS service. How do you design the infrastructure to handle a sudden 10x spike in traffic?"
• "Describe how you would implement 'Infrastructure as Code' for a multi-region AWS deployment using CloudFormation or Terraform."
• "How do you secure a Kubernetes cluster? Walk us through your DevSecOps checklist."

Networking & Troubleshooting

• "A customer reports that their application is unreachable. Walk me through your troubleshooting steps from the network layer up."
• "Explain the DNS resolution process in detail. What role does TTL play?"
• "How do you troubleshoot a TCP connection timeout versus a connection refused error?"

Behavioral & Culture

• "Tell me about a time you introduced a new tool or technology to your team. How did you handle the resistance to change?"
• "Describe a situation where you made a mistake that caused a production outage. How did you handle it and what did you learn?"
• "Infoblox values 'bold ideas.' Tell me about a time you challenged the status quo to improve a process."
• "How do you handle a disagreement with a developer regarding a deployment or security policy?"

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How technical is the initial phone screen? The initial screen with the Hiring Manager is fairly technical. Unlike a generic recruiter chat, you should be prepared to discuss your resume details, specific tools (AWS, K8s), and your philosophy on DevOps. It is a filter to ensure you have the architectural depth required.

Q: What is the CCAT and how should I prepare for it? The Criteria Cognitive Aptitude Test (CCAT) is a timed test that measures your ability to solve problems, digest information, and think critically. It is a speed test—you are not expected to answer every question. Practice sample cognitive aptitude tests online to get comfortable with the pace and format.

Q: Is this a remote role? The role is often listed with a specific location (e.g., Tacoma, WA), but Infoblox supports flexible work options. However, for the "DevOps Architect" role, there may be expectations for hybrid work or periodic onsite collaboration. Clarify this with your recruiter early on.

Q: What is the "Blox Buddies" culture? This refers to Infoblox's mentorship and onboarding program. It reflects a culture of support where senior engineers are expected to actively guide new hires. During the interview, highlighting your experience in mentoring or peer programming will be a strong positive signal.

Q: How much coding is involved in the interview? While this is an Ops-heavy role, you are expected to know how to code. You may not face a LeetCode-style algorithm grind, but you should be comfortable writing scripts in Python or Go to solve automation tasks or parse logs.

Other General Tips

Brush up on DNS:

Prepare for the CCAT:

Highlight "GenAI" Experience: The job description explicitly mentions experience with GenAI in an operations environment. If you have used ChatGPT, Copilot, or other LLMs to write scripts, debug code, or summarize logs, mention it. It shows you are forward-thinking and aligned with their roadmap.

Showcase "Toil Reduction": Frame your past experience in terms of efficiency. Don't just say "I managed Jenkins." Say "I automated the release process, reducing deployment time from 2 hours to 10 minutes." Infoblox values engineers who remove friction.

Summary & Next Steps

Becoming a DevOps Engineer or Architect at Infoblox is an opportunity to work at the intersection of massive scale, critical security, and modern cloud innovation. You will be challenged to modernize legacy concepts using the latest containerization and AI technologies. The role demands a high level of technical rigor, particularly in networking and automation, but offers the chance to influence the security posture of the world's largest companies.

To succeed, focus your preparation on the "Why" and "How" of your architectural choices. Be ready to defend your decisions on Kubernetes strategies, CI/CD patterns, and cloud security. Don't neglect the fundamentals of how the internet works (DNS/TCP), and approach the cognitive assessment with focus. With the right mix of technical depth and collaborative spirit, you can thrive in this "what if" environment.

The salary range provided reflects the high level of expertise required for this position. The wide range typically accounts for variations in location (Cost of Labor) and the specific level of the candidate (e.g., Senior vs. Principal/Architect). In addition to base salary, total compensation at Infoblox often includes an annual bonus and equity, which are key components of the package for senior engineering roles.