Senior Network Patch Automation Engineer

HCLTech; Cary (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

HCLTech in Cary, NC seeks a Senior Network Patch Management Engineer to own firmware/software lifecycle across multi-vendor networks (Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, Palo Alto, F5, Fortinet) including risk assessment and automated patch workflows.

You will lead maintenance windows, validate backups (RANCID/Oxd) and coordinate with NOC, security teams; experience with CVSS-based prioritization and vendor advisories.

Qualifications

• 2–6 years of experience in network patch management.
• Experience assessing vendor advisories and mapping CVEs to upgrades.
• Develop and maintain device-specific patching runbooks with pre-check, upgrade, rollback, and post-validation.
• Automate patch workflows using Ansible, Netmiko, NAPALM, or vendor APIs.
• Lead maintenance window planning and CAB submissions.
• Oversee backup integrity (RANCID / Oxidised / NSO) before patches.
• Conduct structured rollback and root cause analysis.
• Integrate vulnerability data from Qualys / Tenable into prioritization.
• Monitor network stability post-patching with NMS/IPAM tools.

Responsibilities

• Manage firmware/software lifecycle for routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and wireless controllers across multi-vendor environments.
• Assess vendor advisories and map CVEs to upgrades with prioritization based on impact.
• Develop and maintain runbooks with pre-checks, upgrade steps, rollback, and post-validation.
• Automate patch workflows using Ansible, Netmiko, NAPALM, or vendor APIs.
• Lead maintenance window planning, impact analysis, and CAB submissions.
• Ensure backup integrity before patching (RANCID/Oxidised/NSO).
• Perform rollback and root cause analysis for failed upgrades.
• Integrate vulnerability data from Qualys/Tenable into the workflow.
• Monitor network stability post-patching with NMS/IPAM tools.
• Produce patch compliance reports for management and security teams.
• Drive patching SLA adherence: Critical within 72 hours, High within 14 days.

Skills

Patch management

Ansible

Netmiko

NAPALM

Python

CVSS

Change management

Education

CCNP Enterprise or Security

JNCIP-ENT or JNCIP-SEC

PCNSE

CompTIA Security+

CySA+

ITIL 4 Foundation or Managing Professional

Tools

Cisco NSO

DNA Centre

RANCID

Oxidised

SolarWinds

NetBrain

Infoblox

Qualys

Tenable

Job description

HCLTech in Cary, NC seeks a Senior Network Patch Management Engineer to own firmware/software lifecycle across multi-vendor networks (Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, Palo Alto, F5, Fortinet) including risk assessment and automated patch workflows.

You will lead maintenance windows, validate backups (RANCID/Oxd) and coordinate with NOC, security teams; experience with CVSS-based prioritization and vendor advisories.