Senior Lead Software Engineer: SDN & Automation (TS/SCI)

Nightwing Intelligence Solutions, LLC; Georgetown (MD); On-site; USD 122,000 - 253,000; Full time

Job summary

Nightwing Intelligence Solutions, LLC is seeking a Senior Lead Software Engineer for Network Infrastructure & Automation at our Maryland site. You will design scalable SDN-based network systems, build automation, and apply AI-driven analytics to operations.

You’ll mentor engineers, drive DevSecOps practices, and work with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, reliable network capabilities for defense and intelligence missions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of experience in network infrastructure development and DevOps networking engineering.
• Hands-on experience delivering system design, application development, testing, and operational stability.
• Strong experience developing software with Python and Shell scripting for network automation.
• Deep understanding of networking protocols (BGP, VRF, MPLS, IP, TCP, UDP) in data center contexts.
• Experience with SDN platforms (VMware NSX-T) and cloud/network virtualization.
• Proficiency with Linux development environments and infrastructure automation.
• Experience with Kubernetes, Podman, or Docker for containerized apps.
• Experience with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI) and infrastructure-as-code (Ansible, Terraform).
• Knowledge of DevSecOps tools and Git version control.
• Excellent problem-solving and collaboration skills.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph; U.S. citizenship is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and delivery of SDN solutions across resilient infrastructure.
• Design and implement network automation and infrastructure management platforms using Python and modern web technologies.
• Develop and maintain network automation frameworks, APIs, and tooling for devices and monitoring systems.
• Integrate AI-driven analytics into network operations for monitoring and predictive maintenance.
• Promote AI-assisted engineering practices to improve code quality and delivery speed.
• Build containerized network applications (Kubernetes, Helm) and microservices for management/orchestration.
• Create event-driven automation and large-scale infrastructure workflows using modern protocols.
• Collaborate with architects, security, product, and infra teams in an Agile environment; conduct code reviews.
• Mentor engineers in network automation and IaC; evaluate emerging SDN tech and DevSecOps practices.

Skills

Network engineering

Python

Shell scripting

Linux

Kubernetes/Docker/Podman

CI/CD tools

DevSecOps

Documentation & analysis

Team mentorship

Security clearance

Citizenship

Education

Bachelor's degree (STEM)

Tools

VMware NSX-T

Kubernetes

Podman

Docker

Jenkins

GitLab CI

Ansible

Terraform

Job description

Nightwing Intelligence Solutions, LLC is seeking a Senior Lead Software Engineer for Network Infrastructure & Automation at our Maryland site. You will design scalable SDN-based network systems, build automation, and apply AI-driven analytics to operations.

You’ll mentor engineers, drive DevSecOps practices, and work with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, reliable network capabilities for defense and intelligence missions.