Lead Network Automation Engineer

General Dynamics IT; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

General Dynamics IT is seeking a Lead Network Automation Engineer to lead the development, implementation, and sustainment of automation across a complex, multivendor enterprise network environment.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, Python and Ansible expertise, mentoring a small team of automation engineers, and delivering scalable, reliable automation that improves deployment speed and consistency for network operations.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of related experience.
• US citizenship required.
• Top Secret/SCI clearance currently possessed.
• Certifications: None

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain network automation solutions using Python and Ansible.
• Develop Ansible playbooks, Python scripts, and reusable automation modules to support network configuration management, provisioning, patching, maintenance, and operational tasks.
• Automate network device configuration changes, software updates, configuration backups, compliance checks, and operational validation across multivendor environments.
• Develop automation capabilities supporting Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Aruba, and other enterprise networking technologies.
• Implement automated configuration validation, network state verification, and configuration drift detection to improve network reliability and compliance.
• Build automation solutions for network monitoring, reporting, inventory management, and operational data collection.
• Develop standardized, reusable automation components that reduce repetitive administrative activities and improve engineering consistency.
• Incorporate appropriate error handling, logging, validation, and rollback capabilities into automated network changes.
• Troubleshoot automation failures and resolve integration challenges between automation tools and network infrastructure.

Skills

Automation

Configuration Management

Network Automation

Systems Design

Job description

Type of Requisition

Type of Requisition: Regular

Clearance Level Must Currently Possess

Clearance Level Must Currently Possess: Top Secret/SCI

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Top Secret/SCI

Public Trust/Other Required

Public Trust/Other Required: None

Job Family

Job Family: IT Infrastructure and Operations

Job Qualifications

Job Qualifications:

Skills: Automation, Configuration Management (CM), Network Automation, Systems Design

Certifications: None

Experience: 8 + years of related experience

US Citizenship Required: Yes

Job Description

Lead Network Automation Engineer

Position Overview

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Lead Network Automation Engineer to lead the development, implementation, and sustainment of network automation solutions supporting a complex, multivendor enterprise network environment.

The ideal candidate combines strong network engineering fundamentals with advanced hands on expertise in Python and Ansible. This individual will collaborate closely with network administrators, engineers, architects, and customer stakeholders to translate technical requirements into scalable, reliable, and maintainable automation solutions.

This is a hands on technical leadership position responsible for developing production ready automation, mentoring a small team of automation engineers, and helping establish repeatable engineering practices.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in improving network operational efficiency, accelerating configuration deployments, reducing manual effort, and increasing the consistency and reliability of network infrastructure operations.

Key Responsibilities

Network Automation Engineering

• Design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain network automation solutions using Python and Ansible.
• Develop Ansible playbooks, Python scripts, and reusable automation modules to support network configuration management, provisioning, patching, maintenance, and operational tasks.
• Automate network device configuration changes, software updates, configuration backups, compliance checks, and operational validation across multivendor environments.
• Develop automation capabilities supporting Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Aruba, and other enterprise networking technologies.
• Implement automated configuration validation, network state verification, and configuration drift detection to improve network reliability and compliance.
• Build automation solutions for network monitoring, reporting, inventory management, and operational data collection.
• Develop standardized, reusable automation components that reduce repetitive administrative activities and improve engineering consistency.
• Incorporate appropriate error handling, logging, validation, and rollback capabilities into automated network changes.
• Troubleshoot automation failures and resolve integration challenges between automation tools and network infrastructure.

Engineering Collaboration and Requirements Execution

• Work directly with network administrators, engineers, and architects to understand technical requirements and operational challenges.
• Translate network engineering specifications into functional automation playbooks, scripts, and workflows.
• Evaluate manual network administration processes and identify opportunities to improve execution through automation.
• Collaborate with infrastructure and cybersecurity teams to ensure automated solutions satisfy operational and security requirements.
• Validate automation solutions with network engineering stakeholders before deployment into production environments.
• Provide technical recommendations regarding implementation approaches, automation feasibility, and operational considerations.

Technical Leadership and Team Development

• Serve as the technical lead for a small team of network automation engineers.
• Provide technical direction, mentorship, and hands on support to team members.
• Coordinate and assign automation development activities based on established engineering priorities.
• Conduct code reviews and promote consistent development, testing, documentation, and version control practices.
• Establish reusable development standards and promote knowledge sharing across the automation team.
• Support the development of junior and midlevel engineers through technical coaching and collaborative problem solving.
• Communicate progress, technical challenges, dependencies, and delivery risks to engineering and program leadership.

Automation Capability Development and Sustainment

• Enhance existing Python scripts and Ansible playbooks while expanding the organization's automation capabilities.
• Establish consistent approaches for source code management, testing, documentation, and deployment.
• Develop maintainable automation solutions that can be supported and enhanced by other engineers.
• Assist with implementing appropriate development, testing, and production deployment controls.
• Document automation workflows, technical dependencies, operating procedures, and troubleshooting guidance.
• Measure automation effectiveness through improvements in task execution time, configuration consistency, reduction in man