Development Operations Technician

NextLink; United States; On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A Texas-based Internet Service Provider is seeking a skilled individual to support automation, CI/CD processes, and network monitoring. This role involves maintaining Zabbix, developing scripts for automation, and assisting with cloud resources. Ideal candidates will have hands-on experience with Python, Zabbix, and network devices. This full-time position offers a dynamic work environment with flexibility.

Qualifications

• Hands-on with Zabbix host onboarding, templates, agent/proxy operations.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience with routers, switches, and network devices.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience or training in Python.

Responsibilities

• Support day-to-day operations of automation and CI/CD.
• Maintain CI/CD pipelines and triage build/test failures.
• Assist with datacenter tasks and cloud resource provisioning.

Skills

Python

Bash

PowerShell

Zabbix

Git/GitHub

SNMP

Linux

Windows

Azure

Docker

Education

Associate degree or equivalent

Tools

Grafana

Prometheus

ELK

Job description

Company Overview

We 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.

Job Summary

Support the day-to-day operation of Nextlink’s automation, CI/CD, GitOps, monitoring, and cloud/on-prem platforms. Assist multiple departments in building scripts/tools for process automation and standardized data collection. Contribute to deployment, development, and maintenance of physical servers and cloud compute resources, and help test new infrastructure devices prior to production as part of the Nextlink LaunchPad process.

Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Automation, Scripting & Version Control

• 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.

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 and improve signal before escalating to Engineering or the NOC.
• 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.
• 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 and thresholds.
• Help the Data Operations team build and maintain device-level data collections (SNMP, APIs) and inventories.

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 hardware lifecycle.
• 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 to Engineering or NOC.
• Use AI-assisted tools to summarize incidents, generate runbook steps, and reduce alert noise with supervision.

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 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to Kubernetes and GitOps.
• Experience maintaining Zabbix dashboards/maps and reducing alert noise through standardized thresholds 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 environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. High level of interaction with external/internal clients.

Working Hours/Days

Full-time. Standard business hours with flexibility as needed. Occasional on-call responsibilities for critical projects.

Travel 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.