Navy Network Automation Engineer — Onsite in Norfolk

ZP Group; Norfolk (VA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Zachary Piper Solutions seeks a Network Configuration Automation Engineer for a 100% onsite role in Norfolk, VA. You will manage enterprise network device configurations, enforce baselines, and drive automation using Ansible, Terraform, Python, and IaC practices within a DoD Navy program.

Responsibilities include implementing CI/CD pipelines, validating changes, and coordinating large-scale configuration campaigns across global sites while maintaining security and compliance standards.

Qualifications

• 5–10 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor’s degree, or 4–8 years with a Master’s degree; equivalent experience may be considered
• 7+ years of overall relevant professional experience
• Active Secret clearance
• Strong hands-on experience with enterprise network configuration management and network engineering
• Experience managing configuration baselines, configuration drift, backups, rollback procedures, and automated remediation
• Strong understanding of enterprise networking including BGP, OSPF, VLANs, VRFs, ACLs, SSH, and SNMP
• Hands-on experience with network automation using Ansible, Terraform, Python, Jinja2, or similar technologies
• Experience with enterprise Network Management Systems (NMS) and network monitoring platforms
• Experience with Cisco Catalyst Center, OpenText NNMi, or OpenText Network Automation
• Experience supporting multivendor network environments including Cisco IOS/IOS-XE/IOS-XR, Juniper JunOS, and/or Arista EOS
• Experience with Git-based configuration management and version control
• Experience with CI/CD technologies such as GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or similar platforms
• Experience developing or maintaining automated network deployment and configuration workflows
• Ability to troubleshoot complex Tier III network and configuration issues
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify anomalies and errors within large configuration files and network datasets
• Experience with network change management, configuration validation, and production deployment procedures
• Strong understanding of network security, configuration compliance, and enterprise infrastructure standards
• Strong communication, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Ability to coordinate large-scale configuration changes across geographically dispersed enterprise environments

Responsibilities

• Establish, maintain, and enforce approved configuration baselines for enterprise network devices including routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers
• Monitor network infrastructure for configuration drift and identify unauthorized or non-compliant configuration changes
• Maintain configuration backups, version history, and rollback/recovery procedures to support network resiliency and disaster recovery
• Develop and implement automated remediation processes to restore network devices to approved configuration standards
• Administer and optimize Network Management Systems (NMS) including Cisco Catalyst Center, OpenText NNMi, and OpenText Network Automation
• Support network inventory discovery, configuration management, topology monitoring, and network health reporting across the enterprise
• Integrate Nautobot, Infoblox IPAM, and other source-of-truth systems with network management platforms to maintain accurate topology and addressing information
• Configure NMS alerts and monitoring thresholds to identify unauthorized configuration changes, network anomalies, and compliance issues
• Develop compliance and configuration reports for engineering leadership, cybersecurity teams, and audit stakeholders
• Develop network automation playbooks and workflows using Ansible, Terraform, Python, and Jinja2
• Automate network configuration changes across large numbers of enterprise network devices while minimizing manual intervention and configuration errors
• Maintain network infrastructure code within Git-based repositories, including pull requests, peer reviews, version control, and change tracking
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines using GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or similar tools to validate and safely deploy network configuration changes
• Implement automated validation, linting, testing, and dry-run processes before network changes are deployed into production
• Develop automated pre- and post-change validation workflows to verify network health, configuration compliance, and service availability
• Review high-impact network changes for alignment with approved architecture, configuration standards, and change-management requirements
• Provide Tier III troubleshooting and escalation support for complex network issues related to configuration discrepancies, failed changes, and software upgrades
• Perform root cause analysis of configuration-related network incidents and develop corrective and preventative solutions
• Coordinate large-scale network patching and configuration campaigns across geographically dispersed network environments
• Support vulnerability remediation and software lifecycle activities across thousands of network nodes
• Analyze large configuration files and network datasets to identify anomalies, inconsistencies, configuration errors, and potential reliability issues
• Maintain technical documentation, configuration standards, automation procedures, and network change records
• Collaborate with network engineers, cybersecurity teams, SREs, operations teams, and other technical stakeholders to improve network reliability and automation
• Coordinate automated network changes across multiple teams and global time zones while maintaining appropriate change-control processes

Skills

Active Secret clearance

Ansible

Terraform

Python

Jinja2

Git

GitLab CI/CD

Jenkins

GitHub Actions

Docker

NMS

BGP

Ospf

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

GitLab CI/CD

Jenkins

GitHub Actions

Docker

Job description

Zachary Piper Solutions seeks a Network Configuration Automation Engineer for a 100% onsite role in Norfolk, VA. You will manage enterprise network device configurations, enforce baselines, and drive automation using Ansible, Terraform, Python, and IaC practices within a DoD Navy program.

Responsibilities include implementing CI/CD pipelines, validating changes, and coordinating large-scale configuration campaigns across global sites while maintaining security and compliance standards.