Senior Lead Software Engineer - Network Infrastructure and Automation

Nightwing Technologies, LLC; Maryland; On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Nightwing Technologies, LLC is seeking a Senior Lead Software Engineer to design and implement scalable network infrastructure and automation systems. You will work on software-defined datacenter networking, multi-cloud orchestration, and real-time infrastructure intelligence.

You will mentor engineers, contribute to AI-assisted engineering practices, and help ensure security and reliability in fast-paced Agile environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in STEM or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years in network infrastructure development and DevOps networking engineering.
• Hands-on experience delivering system design, development, testing, and operational stability.
• Strong Python and Shell scripting for network automation and infra management.
• Deep understanding of BGP, VRF, MPLS, IP, TCP, UDP in datacenter contexts.
• Experience with VMware NSX-T SDN platforms and related tooling.
• Proficiency in Linux development environments and infra automation.
• Experience with distributed systems and containerized apps (Kubernetes, Podman, Docker).
• Experience with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI) and IaC (Ansible).

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of SDN-based network infrastructure solutions.
• Design and implement network automation and infrastructure management platforms.
• Develop automation frameworks and tooling that integrate with devices and monitoring systems.
• Integrate AI-driven analytics into network operations for performance and reliability.
• Promote AI-assisted engineering practices and code quality across teams.
• Build and optimize containerized network applications and microservices.
• Collaborate with architects, security, product, and infra teams in Agile environments.
• Mentor engineers in network automation and IaC principles; assess new SDN tech.

Skills

Python

Shell scripting

Kubernetes

Docker

CI/CD

Ansible

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

VMware NSX-T

Jenkins

GitLab CI

Podman

Ansible

Job description

Nightwing provides technically advanced full-spectrum cyber, data operations, systems integration and intelligence mission support services to meet our customers' most demanding challenges. Our capabilities include cyber space operations, cyber defense and resiliency, vulnerability research, ubiquitous technical surveillance, data intelligence, lifecycle mission enablement, and software modernization. Nightwing brings disruptive technologies, agility, and competitive offerings to customers in the intelligence community, defense, civil, and commercial markets.

SENIOR LEAD SOFTWARE ENGINEER - NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE & AUTOMATION

At Nightwing, we are on a mission to develop resilient and scalable network infrastructure systems that support critical missions. We're looking for a talented Senior Lead Software Engineer who excels at solving complex networking challenges and building high-performance, software-defined solutions. In this role, you will collaborate with an innovative team to design cutting-edge network automation systems using advanced technologies like software-defined networking, infrastructure-as-code, and AI-driven operational intelligence.

This onsite role is based at our National Business Park, Maryland location.

About the Role:

As a Senior Lead Software Engineer at Nightwing, you will be responsible for creating network infrastructure and automation systems that operate at scale, maintain reliability under demanding conditions, and incorporate advanced technical approaches. You will have opportunities to work on projects involving software-defined datacenter networking, multi-cloud orchestration, network automation frameworks, and real-time infrastructure intelligence applications. You'll play a key role in building technologies that protect the nation's security and advance critical network capabilities.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the development, implementation, and delivery of software-defined networking (SDN) solutions for software-defined networks, ensuring timelines, technical requirements, and network performance standards are met across highly resilient and scalable infrastructure
• Design, develop, and implement network automation solutions and infrastructure management platforms using Python and modern web technologies to reduce manual intervention and improve operational efficiency
• Develop and maintain network automation frameworks, APIs, and tooling that integrate with network devices, controllers, and monitoring systems, writing clean, maintainable infrastructure-as-code that adheres to coding standards
• Integrate AI-driven analytics and automation capabilities into network operations to augment performance monitoring, anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance workflows
• Drive adoption and governance of approved AI-assisted engineering practices across teams to improve code quality, delivery speed, and operational outcomes (e.g., AI-assisted code review/refactoring, test acceleration, release readiness, incident/root-cause analysis)
• Build and optimize containerized network applications (Kubernetes, Helm) and microservices architectures for network management and orchestration
• Develop solutions for event-driven network automation and large-scale infrastructure workflows using modern protocols and APIs
• Collaborate with network architects, security teams, product owners, and infrastructure engineers in an Agile environment, conducting code reviews and troubleshooting network applications to meet performance and reliability requirements
• Mentor engineers on network automation and infrastructure-as-code principles while influencing technical direction by evaluating emerging SDN technologies and DevSecOps methodologies
• Maintain adherence to agile development practices and modern DevSecOps workflows with a focus on security and reliability

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of experience in network infrastructure development and DevOps networking engineering
• Hands-on practical experience delivering system design, application development, testing, and operational stability
• Strong experience developing software with Python and Shell Scripting for network automation and infrastructure management
• Deep understanding of networking protocols and technologies including BGP, VRF, MPLS, IP, TCP, and UDP as applied to datacenter and mission-critical contexts
• Experience with VMware NSX-T or similar SDN platforms for software-defined networking solutions including logical switching, routing, load balancing, distributed firewall, and micro-segmentation
• Proficiency in Linux-based development environments and infrastructure automation
• Strong experience with distributed systems and containerized applications using technologies such as Kubernetes, Podman, or Docker
• Experience with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI) for infrastructure automation pipelines and infrastructure-as-code practices (An