Network Support & Automation Engineer

The ideal candidate will possess deep networking knowledge across routing, switching, WAN, MPLS, and security technologies, along with strong scripting and programming skills in Python, Go, or similar languages. The candidate will design and implement automation solutions leveraging tools such as Ansible, Terraform, Git, and CI/CD pipelines to streamline network operations, provisioning, configuration management, compliance, and monitoring.

Role: Network Support & Automation Engineer
Location: Salt Lake City, UT (Onsite)


Position Summary
We are seeking a highly skilled Network Support & Automation Engineer responsible for supporting, troubleshooting, and automating enterprise and carrier-grade network environments. This role combines advanced network operations expertise with software development and automation capabilities to improve network reliability, scalability, operational efficiency, and service delivery.
The ideal candidate will possess deep networking knowledge across routing, switching, WAN, MPLS, and security technologies, along with strong scripting and programming skills in Python, Go, or similar languages. The candidate will design and implement automation solutions leveraging tools such as Ansible, Terraform, Git, and CI/CD pipelines to streamline network operations, provisioning, configuration management, compliance, and monitoring.

Key Responsibilities

Network Operations & Support
• Troubleshoot and support complex enterprise and carrier-grade network environments.
• Analyze and troubleshoot Layer 2 and Layer 3 network issues across LAN, WAN, and Datacenter infrastructures.
• Troubleshoot and configure network devices utilizing routing and switching protocols including:
o BGP
o EIGRP
o OSPF
o MPLS
o HSRP
o STP
o Multicast
o VSS
• Analyze and troubleshoot private IP/MPLS carrier networks utilizing BGP peering.
• Support sophisticated WAN architectures including Customer Edge (CE) routers, BGP routing policies, QoS configurations, and traffic engineering.
• Perform packet capture analysis and network traffic discovery to identify root causes and drive incident resolution.
• Troubleshoot network systems including:
o Routers
o Switches
o Firewalls
o Wireless Access Points
o Load Balancers
o Proxy Solutions
• Monitor network health, performance, availability, and capacity utilizing SNMP and monitoring platforms.
• Participate in 24x7 operational support and incident response activities.
• Coordinate with Datacenter technicians and external vendors to diagnose and resolve hardware-related issues including ports, cables, optics, modules, and network devices.

Network Automation & Engineering

• Design, develop, and maintain network automation frameworks to reduce manual intervention and improve operational efficiency.
• Develop and maintain automation solutions using:
o Python
o Go
o Bash/Shell Scripting
o REST APIs
• Create reusable automation workflows for:
o Configuration deployment
o Compliance validation
o Network provisioning
o Device inventory management
o Backup and recovery
o Software upgrades
o Health checks
• Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions utilizing:
o Ansible
o Terraform
• Develop automation pipelines integrating network infrastructure with modern DevOps practices.
• Create and maintain CI/CD pipelines for automated testing, validation, deployment, and rollback of network configurations.
• Utilize Git-based version control for infrastructure code, automation scripts, and network configurations.
• Build automated compliance and configuration drift detection mechanisms.
• Integrate network tools, telemetry platforms, and APIs to improve monitoring, observability, and operational analytics.
• Develop automation dashboards and reporting systems to track network performance, incidents, and automation success metrics.

Monitoring, Analytics & Tooling
• Analyze network utilization, performance metrics, configurations, and logs using tools such as:
o Splunk
o HPNA
o Netdisco
o Aruba Mobility Master
o Pulse
o Synapse
o Cyrus
o Forward Tool
• Monitor network alerts and incidents through enterprise monitoring platforms.
• Utilize SNMP monitoring platforms such as EMC SMARTS and similar enterprise monitoring systems.
• Perform proactive capacity planning, trend analysis, and performance optimization.

Collaboration & Continuous Improvement:

• Collaborate with Infrastructure, Security, Cloud, Application, and DevOps teams to improve network service delivery.
• Participate in architecture reviews and automation strategy initiatives.
• Create technical documentation, runbooks, standard operating procedures, and automation design documents.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on reliability, operational efficiency, and reduction of manual tasks.

Required Qualifications:

Networking
• 5+ years of experience supporting enterprise or service provider network environments.
• Strong knowledge of networking technologies and protocols:
o TCP/IP
o BGP
o OSPF
o EIGRP
o MPLS
o RIP
o SNMP
o Multicast
o HSRP
o STP
o VSS
o Carrier Circuits
o WAN Technologies
• Hands-on experience troubleshooting routing, switching, WAN, and MPLS environments.
• Experience with packet capture and protocol analysis tools such as Wireshark.
Automation & Software Development
• Strong scripting and programming experience with:
o Python (preferred)
o Go
o PowerShell
o Bash/Shell
o Similar automation languages
• Experience building network automation solutions leveraging APIs, NETCONF, RESTCONF, SSH, or SDKs.
• Hands-on experience with:
o Ansible
o Terraform
o Git/GitHub/GitLab
o Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, or similar CI/CD platforms
• Experience implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and GitOps methodologies.
• Understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC), testing, and version control practices.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience with Cisco, Aruba, Juniper, Palo Alto, or similar enterprise networking platforms.
• Experience supporting cloud networking environments (Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud).
• Familiarity with network automation frameworks such as:
o Netmiko
o Nornir
o PyATS
o Nautobot
o Cisco NSO
• Experience with telemetry, observability, and network analytics platforms.
• Knowledge of container technologies and DevOps practices.
• Professional certifications preferred:
o CCNP/CCIE
o JNCIP/JNCIE
o DevNet Professional
o Terraform Associate
o AWS/Azure Networking Certifications