Senior Network Automation Engineer

DataSmart Lda; Porto; Hybrid; EUR 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

DataSmart Lda in Porto is seeking a Senior Network Automation Engineer (Hybrid – Porto) to design, develop, and maintain production-grade automation frameworks using Ansible and Python.

You will build end-to-end automation workflows, develop reusable roles and modules, and manage NetBox-based source-of-truth data while integrating with ITSM/JIRA and CI/CD pipelines. This role requires strong multi-vendor networking knowledge and a proactive, autonomous collaborator.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience building complete network automation using Ansible and Python.
• Ability to develop reusable, scalable automation solutions, not just scripts.
• Advanced knowledge of Ansible roles, collections, inventories, and AAP.
• Strong Python development skills, including libraries, APIs, and automated testing.
• Experience with Nornir, Netmiko, NAPALM, PyEZ, NETCONF/RESTCONF/gNMI.
• Experience with NetBox, Jinja2, YAML/JSON schemas, and dynamic inventories.
• Knowledge of GitLab CI/Jenkins, Git workflows, and CI/CD practices.
• Experience with testing tools: pytest, Molecule, ansible-lint, yamllint, ruff, mypy.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain production-grade network automation frameworks using Ansible and Python.
• Build end-to-end automation workflows for provisioning, configuration changes, validation, reporting, and rollback.
• Develop reusable Ansible roles, collections, modules, plugins, and dynamic inventories.
• Create Python libraries and CLI tools using Nornir, Netmiko, NAPALM, PyEZ, and network APIs.
• Manage source-of-truth data using NetBox, schema-validated YAML/JSON, and Jinja2 templates.
• Orchestrate workflows through Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) with pre-checks, approvals, deployment, post-checks, and rollback.
• Implement safe deployment mechanisms, config diffs, state snapshots, and drift detection.
• Build and maintain GitLab CI/Jenkins pipelines for automated testing, validation, and deployment.
• Integrate automation with ITSM/JIRA, Infoblox, secrets management, and notification systems.
• Develop automated compliance checks, remediation workflows, and infrastructure hardening.

Skills

Network automation

Ansible

Python

Nornir

Netmiko

NAPALM

Tools

GitLab CI

Jenkins

NetBox

Jinja2

YAML/JSON

Job description

About Us: We are a Portuguese-based consulting company with over 20 years of experience in Technology and Information Systems, delivering excellence across the Portuguese and international markets. We value collaboration, expertise, and innovation, fostering a culture where talent thrives.

Join our team as a Senior Network Automation Engineer (Hybrid – Porto)!

What You’ll Do:

• Design, develop, and maintain production-grade network automation frameworks using Ansible and Python
• Build end-to-end automation workflows for provisioning, configuration changes, validation, reporting, and rollback
• Develop reusable Ansible roles, collections, custom modules, plugins, and dynamic inventories
• Create Python libraries and CLI tools using Nornir, Netmiko, NAPALM, PyEZ, and network APIs
• Manage source-of-truth data using NetBox, schema-validated YAML/JSON, and Jinja2 templates
• Orchestrate workflows through Ansible Automation Platform (AAP), including pre-checks, approvals, deployment, post-checks, and automatic rollback
• Implement safe deployment mechanisms, configuration diffs, state snapshots, and drift detection
• Build and maintain GitLab CI/Jenkins pipelines for automated testing, validation, and deployment
• Integrate automation workflows with ITSM/JIRA, Infoblox, secrets management, and notification systems
• Develop automated compliance checks, remediation workflows, and infrastructure hardening processes
• Implement structured logging, audit trails, compliance reporting, and Grafana/Coralogix dashboards
• Automate configuration backups, recovery procedures, and high-availability validation
• Support multi-vendor network environments, including Juniper, Arista, Cisco, Fortinet, and Check Point
• Troubleshoot network and automation issues, ensuring reliable and secure infrastructure operations

Qualifications:

• Strong hands-on experience designing and building complete network automation frameworks using Ansible and Python
• Proven ability to develop reusable, scalable, production-grade automation solutions rather than standalone scripts
• Advanced knowledge of Ansible roles, collections, inventories, custom modules, plugins, and Ansible Automation Platform (AAP)
• Strong Python development skills, including libraries, CLI tools, APIs, error handling, logging, and automated testing
• Experience with Nornir, Netmiko, NAPALM, PyEZ, NETCONF, RESTCONF, gNMI, or equivalent network automation tools
• Experience with NetBox, Jinja2, YAML/JSON schemas, and dynamic inventory management
• Solid knowledge of GitLab CI/Jenkins, Git workflows, version control, and CI/CD practices
• Experience with pytest, Molecule, ansible-lint, yamllint, ruff, mypy, or equivalent testing and code-quality tools
• Experience implementing automated validation, configuration rollback, drift detection, and compliance checks
• Knowledge of network infrastructure APIs and integrations with ITSM/JIRA, Infoblox, and secrets management solutions
• Strong understanding of multi-vendor network environments, particularly Juniper, Arista, Cisco, Fortinet, and Check Point
• Solid networking knowledge, including BGP, OSPF, VLANs, STP, LACP, EVPN, and multicast fundamentals
• Experience with firewall policy management, network segmentation, security hardening, and configuration management
• Strong troubleshooting skills, with the ability to distinguish automation failures from underlying network issues
• Ability to work autonomously, take ownership of technical solutions, and collaborate effectively with infrastructure and security teams

At DataSmart, you will have the opportunity to integrate into a solid company and participate in projects of high recognition, nationally and internationally, with an appealing technological environment and career progression.

Excellence in the way to the future!