Senior Software Engineer – Network Automation

Senior Software Engineer – Network Automation

Location: Dallas, TX

Work Arrangement: Hybrid

Employment Type: Direct Hire

Relocation: Available for qualified non-local candidates

Overview

Our client is seeking a Senior Software Engineer – Network Automation to build the software, services, and automation that power reliable, scalable networking across global infrastructure.

This role combines strong Python development skills with practical network engineering expertise. The ideal candidate can design a production service, troubleshoot routing behavior, and translate complex network requirements into tested, repeatable automation.

You will develop frameworks, APIs, and self-service tools that simplify network provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management across large-scale data center and compute environments. Working closely with Network Engineering, Platform, and Security teams, you will own projects from architecture and development through deployment and ongoing operation.

Key Responsibilities

Network Automation & Infrastructure as Code

• Design, develop, and maintain automation frameworks for network provisioning, configuration, validation, and lifecycle management.
• Translate network designs into repeatable workflows using Python, Ansible, Terraform, and Jinja2.
• Automate configuration changes, compliance checks, and operational tasks across complex network environments.
• Establish reusable code, configuration standards, and documentation that improve consistency and maintainability.
• Contribute to architectural decisions supporting long-term scalability, security, and reliability.

Software Engineering & Self-Service Platforms

• Build production-quality Python applications, services, and internal engineering tools.
• Develop APIs and self-service interfaces that allow engineering teams to request and manage network capabilities.
• Integrate automation with infrastructure platforms, service discovery, secrets management, and policy frameworks.
• Apply sound software engineering practices, including modular design, automated testing, version control, code review, and documentation.
• Own solutions throughout their lifecycle, from requirements and design through production support.

CI/CD, Testing & Deployment

• Integrate network automation into CI/CD pipelines.
• Develop automated tests and validation checks to improve deployment safety and detect configuration issues early.
• Create repeatable deployment processes with clear failure handling and recovery procedures.
• Use containers and orchestration platforms such as Docker and Kubernetes to deploy and operate automation services.

Observability & Reliability

• Build telemetry, monitoring, and alerting workflows for network availability, performance, and automation health.
• Troubleshoot issues across application, infrastructure, and network layers.
• Participate in on-call rotations, incident response, and root-cause analysis.
• Identify recurring operational problems and develop automation that improves reliability and reduces manual intervention.

Cross-Functional Engineering

• Partner with Network Engineering, Platform Engineering, and Security teams to define requirements and deliver integrated solutions.
• Communicate design decisions, technical tradeoffs, and implementation plans clearly.
• Lead engineering initiatives through ambiguity and changing requirements.
• Share technical knowledge and contribute to engineering standards and best practices.

Required Qualifications

• Proven experience spanning software development and network engineering, including direct ownership of automation or tooling projects.
• Strong Python programming skills and experience developing maintainable, production-ready software.
• Solid software engineering fundamentals, including testing, Git/version control, CI/CD, and code review.
• Experience designing APIs, integrating services, or building internal infrastructure platforms.
• Strong understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP, load balancing, routing, and network security.
• Ability to reason about BGP behavior and apply network knowledge when designing and troubleshooting automation.
• Hands-on experience with Ansible, Terraform, and Jinja2.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-native application deployment.
• Familiarity with service discovery, secrets management, and policy-as-code frameworks.
• Understanding of distributed systems, including microservices, data consistency, fault tolerance, security, and observability.
• Strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to drive projects from concept through completion.
• Effective communication and collaboration across technical teams.
• Ability to work a hybrid schedule based in Dallas, Texas.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting large-scale data center networks or compute infrastructure.
• Familiarity with Cisco, Arista, or Juniper platforms.
• Advanced knowledge of routing, switching, firewalls, and technologies such as:
• BGP and OSPF
• VRFs and VLANs
• ACLs and firewall object groups
• Segment routing
• Multi-tenant network architectures
• Experience with relational, NoSQL, or graph databases.
• Experience building event-driven or message-based services using Kafka, RabbitMQ, or similar technologies.
• Experience applying AI or machine learning to infrastructure use cases such as anomaly detection, predictive analytics, or automated remediation.
• Contributions to open-source networking, infrastructure, or automation projects.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The strongest candidates combine software engineering discipline, network knowledge, and operational ownership.

You should be comfortable building Python services, discussing routing and network architecture, integrating infrastructure systems, and troubleshooting production issues. You bring a practical approach to automation: understand the problem, design a maintainable solution, validate it thoroughly, and own its performance in production.