11 - Senior Staff Engineer, Software

Celestica; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology solutions provider is seeking a Team Lead for Network Automation Infrastructure in San Jose, California. In this role, you will design and deploy a next-generation automation ecosystem centered around SONiC and OpenBMC. The ideal candidate will have 12 to 18 years of experience, with deep networking expertise and strong programming skills. This position involves leading a cross-functional team, architecting CI/CD pipelines, and developing cloud-based management solutions. A Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience is required.

Qualifications

• 12 to 18 years of experience in network automation.
• Strong analytical skills to troubleshoot network issues.
• Ability to work in a team-oriented environment.

Responsibilities

• Architect a CI/CD pipeline for automation.
• Lead development of a cloud-hosted GUI for management.
• Oversee automated testing and validation processes.

Skills

Networking expertise in SONiC, SAI

Expert-level knowledge of SPyTest and Python

Experience with IXIA and physical switch hardware

Proficiency in Python, C/C++, Rust, or Java

Familiarity with LLM APIs for text/log analysis

Experience with GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

GCP/Azure

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Team Lead, Network Automation Infrastructure (SONiC & AI)

We are seeking a visionary Team Lead to spearhead the design and deployment of a next‑generation network device automation infrastructure. This is not a traditional “scripting” role; you will be building a full‑stack, SDLC‑integrated ecosystem centered around products running SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) and OpenBMC.

Responsibilities

Infrastructure & SDLC Integration

• Architect a CI/CD pipeline to integrate Git‑based workflows with physical hardware labs, ensuring code changes trigger automated builds and deployments to SONiC‑based switches.
• Lead the development of a cloud‑hosted GUI and backend services that securely manage and command on‑premise physical test beds.
• Oversee the management of physical test beds to maintain consistent state and availability for automated testing.

Test Engineering & Validation

• Standardize automated testing using SPyTest, ensuring robust coverage of NOS (Network Operating System) features.
• Integrate IXIA traffic generators into the automated suite to perform high‑scale performance, stress, and regression testing.
• Own the final validation gate, ensuring that no code reaches production without passing a rigorous, automated physical battery.

AI‑Driven Operations (The Future)

• Build and deploy AI/LLM‑based agents to parse complex log files and SPyTest results, automatically identifying the root cause of test failures.
• Develop agents capable of test bed failure recovery (e.g., automatically power‑cycling hung PDUs, re‑flashing corrupted ONIE images, or re‑seating virtual links).
• Leverage AI to analyze long‑term software quality trends and predict potential regressions before they occur.

Leadership & Mentorship

• Lead a cross‑functional team of Network, Software, and DevOps engineers.
• Define the technical roadmap and promote Platform Engineering Ops culture across the organization.

Knowledge / Skills / Competencies

• Networking: Deep expertise in SONiC, SAI (Switch Abstraction Interface), and standard protocols (BGP, EVPN, VXLAN).
• Automation frameworks: Expert‑level knowledge of SPyTest and Python‑based automation.
• Hardware: Experience with IXIA (IxNetwork/IxLoad) and physical switch hardware (Mellanox/NVIDIA, Broadcom‑based whitebox).
• Software development: Strong proficiency in Python, C/C++, Rust, or Java; experience building RESTful APIs and cloud‑native backends (GCP/Azure).
• AI/ML: Familiarity with integrating LLM APIs (e.g., Google Gemini) for text/log analysis.
• DevOps: Advanced experience with GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps or Jenkins, and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes).

Physical Demands

• Work performed in a normal office environment.
• Extended periods of sitting and sustained visual concentration on a computer monitor or detailed data.
• Repetitive manual movements (e.g., data entry, using a computer mouse).
• Occasional travel may be required.

Typical Experience

• 12 to 18 years

Typical Education

Bachelor degree or consideration of an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Notes

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Job duties and the % of time identified for any function are subject to change at any time.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Celestica's policy on equal employment opportunity prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran or disability status, or other characteristics protected by law. This policy applies to hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, referral and other aspects of employment and also states that retaliation against a person who files a charge of discrimination, participates in a discrimination proceeding, or otherwise opposes an unlawful employment practice will not be tolerated. All information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Company Overview

Celestica (NYSE, TSX: CLS) enables the world's best brands. Through our recognized customer‑centric approach, we partner with leading companies in Aerospace and Defense, Communications, Enterprise, HealthTech, Industrial, Capital Equipment and Energy to deliver solutions for their most complex challenges. As a leader in design, manufacturing, hardware platform and supply chain solutions, Celestica brings global expertise and insight at every stage of product development – from drawing board to full‑scale production and after‑market services for products from advanced medical devices to highly engineered aviation systems and next‑generation hardware platform solutions for the Cloud. Headquartered in Toronto, with talented teams spanning 40+ locations in 13 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia, we imagine, develop and deliver a better future with our customers.