Development Operations Technician

Nextlink Internet; Hudson Oaks (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Nextlink Internet, a Hudson Oaks, Texas-based ISP, seeks a talented engineer to support automation, CI/CD, and observability across on-prem and cloud platforms. The role involves scripting in Python/Bash/PowerShell, maintaining Zabbix hosts and dashboards, and contributing to cloud provisioning with Azure/AWS/GCP.

Strong understanding of GitHub, SNMP, and container tech is required. The engineer will help test new infrastructure devices, maintain data accuracy, and collaborate with multiple

Qualifications

• Associate degree (A.A.) or equivalent from a one-year college or technical school; or two years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Hands-on with Zabbix host onboarding, templates, agent/proxy operations, SNMPv3, and basic Zabbix API use for routine tasks.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience with routers, switches, and common network/wireless devices.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience with SNMP and basic routing; basic wireless understanding.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience or training in Python and at least one of: Bash, PowerShell, or JavaScript; familiarity with HTML/CSS is a plus.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience with Linux and Windows server/desktop operating systems.
• Familiarity with cloud compute services (Azure/AWS/GCP) and virtualization/containers (Docker).
• Ability to document and use tools such as GitHub or other code repositories; strong organization and multitasking.

Responsibilities

• Identify, develop, and maintain scripts/tools to automate routine tasks (Python, Bash, PowerShell); use Git/GitHub to manage code.
• Perform network/device change automation under documented change-management controls.
• Onboard and maintain hosts in Zabbix: host groups, interfaces, macro values, and template assignment; verify data collection for new devices.
• Deploy/upgrade agents and proxies where needed; validate connectivity and fix common issues (timeouts, credentials, incorrect OIDs).
• Triage and tune alerts using approved standards; propose threshold/macro changes to reduce noise and improve signal before escalating.
• Dashboards & maps: keep NOC and team dashboards current; maintain service maps and business-level views for critical services.
• Automate routine tasks (host onboarding, maintenance windows, bulk updates) via the Zabbix API and scripts under change control.
• Develop, test, and maintain device models for monitoring platforms; ensure correct polling/metrics and thresholds.
• Help the Data Operations team build and maintain device-level data collections (SNMP, APIs) and inventories.
• Maintain CI/CD pipelines and runners; triage build/test failures and document fixes.
• Execute documented release/rollback procedures and perform smoke tests.
• Assist with datacenter tasks: racking/stacking, inventory, imaging, firmware updates, and hardware lifecycle.
• Assist with provisioning and tagging of cloud resources (Azure/AWS/GCP) per standards.
• Maintain dashboards/alerts (Grafana/Prometheus/ELK); validate signals and escalate appropriately.
• Document SOPs, code, and runbooks; contribute to internal knowledge bases and training materials.

Skills

Python

Bash

PowerShell

Git/GitHub

Zabbix

CI/CD

GitOps

Grafana

Prometheus

Education

AA degree or equivalent

Tools

Azure

AWS

GCP

Docker

Kubernetes

Zabbix API

Job description

Company OverviewWe are a Hudson Oaks, Texas-based Internet Service Provider (ISP) delivering High Speed Internet and Voice Services throughout multiple states to residential, business, K-12 Education and government customers. We believe there is much more to an internet company than just delivering cost-effective internet solutions; we believe in delivering an overall customer experience that our competitors simply cannot match.Support the day-to-day operation of Nextlink’s automation, CI/CD, GitOps, monitoring, and cloud/on-premplatforms. Assist multiple departments in building scripts/tools for process automation and standardized datacollection. Contribute to deployment, development, and maintenance of physical servers and cloud computeresources, and help test new infrastructure devices prior to production as part of the Nextlink LaunchPadprocess.Responsibilities:Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essentialfunctions.Automation, Scripting & Version Control:• Identify, develop, and maintain scripts/tools to automate routine tasks (Python, Bash, PowerShell); useGit/GitHub to manage code.• Perform network/device change automation under documented change-management controls.Network Monitoring Systems (NMS) – Zabbix (Operations):• Onboard and maintain hosts in Zabbix: host groups, interfaces, macro values, and template assignment;verify data collection for new devices.• Deploy/upgrade agents and proxies where needed; validate connectivity and fix common issues(timeouts, credentials, incorrect OIDs).• Triage and tune alerts using approved standards; propose threshold/macro changes to reduce noise andimprove signal before escalating to Engineering or the NOC.• Dashboards & maps: keep NOC and team dashboards current; maintain service maps and business-levelviews for critical services.• Automate routine tasks (host onboarding, maintenance windows, bulk updates) via the Zabbix API andscripts under change control.• Data hygiene: coordinate with Data Operations to keep host metadata accurate (location, device type,owner); rotate SNMPv3 creds per policy; document runbooks and update device models.Monitoring Device Models & Data Collection:• Develop, test, and maintain device models for monitoring platforms; ensure correct polling/metrics andthresholds.• Help the Data Operations team build and maintain device-level data collections (SNMP, APIs) andinventories.CI/CD & GitOps Support:• Maintain CI/CD pipelines and runners; triage build/test failures and document fixes.• Execute documented release/rollback procedures and perform smoke tests.Datacenter & Cloud Operations:• Assist with datacenter tasks: racking/stacking, inventory, imaging, firmware updates, and hardwarelifecycle.• Assist with provisioning and tagging of cloud resources (Azure/AWS/GCP) per standards.Observability & AIOps:• Maintain dashboards/alerts (Grafana/Prometheus/ELK); validate signals and escalate appropriately toEngineering or NOC.• Use AI-assisted tools to summarize incidents, generate runbook steps, and reduce alert noise withsupervision.Documentation & Training:• Document SOPs, code, and runbooks; contribute to internal knowledge bases and training materials.• Track and report on project/work status using ticketing systems.Technical Skills:• Associate degree (A.A.) or equivalent from a one-year college or technical school; or two years relatedexperience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.• Hands-on with Zabbix host onboarding, templates, agent/proxy operations, SNMPv3, and basic ZabbixAPI use for routine tasks.• Minimum 2 years’ experience with routers, switches, and common network/wireless devices.• Minimum 2 years’ experience with SNMP and basic routing; basic wireless understanding.• Minimum 2 years’ experience or training in Python and at least one of: Bash, PowerShell, or JavaScript;familiarity with HTML/CSS is a plus.• Minimum 2 years’ experience with Linux and Windows server/desktop operating systems.• Familiarity with cloud compute services (Azure/AWS/GCP) and virtualization/containers (Docker).• Ability to document and use tools such as GitHub or other code repositories; strong organization andmultitasking.Preferred Qualifications:• Exposure to Kubernetes and GitOps.• Experience maintaining Zabbix dashboards/maps and reducing alert noise through standardizedthresholds and dependencies.• Experience with monitoring/logging tools (Prometheus/Grafana, ELK).• Basic understanding of security best practices, secrets management, and policy-as-code concepts.• Prior ISP, NOC, or 24/7 operations support experience.Work Environment/Hazards:Working conditions primarily inside an office environmentThe noise level in the work environment is usually moderateHigh level of interaction with external/internal clientsWorking Hours/Days:Full-timeStandard business hours with flexibility as neededOccasional on-call responsibilities for critical projectsTravel Requirements:Able to travel 0-10% of the time.Affirmative Action (AAP/EEO Statement):Nextlink is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against based on disability.Drug Free Workplace:Nextlink intends to provide a safe work environment that will help protect the safety, health and well-being of all employees. Therefore, we are committed to an alcohol and drug-free workplace.