Cloud Infrastructure Network Monitoring and Automation Software Engineer Intern - Dallas TX - 2027

As a Back-End Software Engineering Intern on the NetTools Network Automation team, you will work alongside the engineers actively building and evolving the Axon/NCS platform and the SSOT/Hivemind systems. This is a hands-on engineering role: you will contribute directly to production-grade back-end services and automation pipelines that are critical to the daily operation of IBM Cloud's network infrastructure.

Your work will include:

• Contribute to the Axon/NCS project: participate in the development of back-end Python microservices that implement Day-0 (initial network provisioning, Zero Touch Provisioning) and Day-2 (operational changes, firmware updates, configuration drift remediation) automation workflows. This includes working on REST API endpoints, YAML-driven input processing, and Jinja2-based configuration generation pipelines that produce switch conf+B30igurations deployed across IBM Cloud data centers.
• Build and improve automated test coverage: help design and implement unit and integration tests for the Axon/NCS platform. One of the team's active priorities is establishing a regression test framework and test environment; the intern will make direct contributions to closing that gap, including authoring test cases, identifying edge conditions, and validating end-to-end workflow correctness.
• Support SSOT and Hivemind integration work: assist in developing or improving the interfaces between NCS/Axon and the SSOT/Hivemind data platforms (backed by NetBox and CockroachDB), ensuring that network context data (rack topology, port mappings, cable connections, device inventory) is reliably consumed and validated by the automation workflows.
• Reduce technical debt and improve documentation: contribute to the ongoing NCS Overhaul initiative by helping refactor tightly coupled components, improving Docker container configuration practices, and writing operational runbooks and onboarding documentation that are currently incomplete or missing.
• Participate in agile delivery: work within the team's sprint-based development model: track work in Jira, attend standups and sprint ceremonies, contribute to code reviews, and share progress with cross-functional stakeholders across NetTools, Network Engineering, and Data Center Operations.