Network Automation Specialist

Your role:

The Network Automation Specialist – L2 is primarily responsible for planning, engineering, integration, and deployments of automation, scripting, telemetry, and analytics solutions pertaining to Network and Firewall Appliances. They will participate in network operations activities with primary emphasis on DevNetOps tasks and will work closely with all members of the IT Operations team to continuously design, evolve, build, and ensure the integration, manageability, and security of highly available systems and applications.  Working closely with other units, they will ensure that the design of Global Relay’s IT Networks integrate with other technologies such as storage, virtualization, containerization, and all systems and services.

Your responsibilities:

• Design, deploy, and support automation and scripting solutions to drive new capabilities, visibility, and efficiency, for Network and Firewall Appliances
• Build Ansible code for configuring, monitoring, and analyzing Network and Firewall appliances using but not limited to RESTFUL APIs
• Write and maintain python scripts using automation frameworks
• Develop troubleshooting and debugging code to identify problems.
• Explore different network operations activities and identify use-cases for automation.
• Create meaningful reports and graphs from collected netflow, sflow, J-flow, flowd or IPFIX records.
• Setup logging and monitoring for network devices and create useful dashboards and graphs.
• Participate in strategic planning initiatives as well as selection, installation, operationalizing, and ongoing support of infrastructure enhancements
• Participate and support change management activities
• Provide support to business users and key stakeholders as needed
• Participate in the creation of documentation including: Runbooks, how-to user guides & technical how-to support guides, and Method of Procedures (MoP)
• Utilize ‘Systems Thinking’ to understand interdependencies both within the IT Network and Infrastructure, and throughout Global Relay’s interests
• Work closely with Operations and Development teams to identify, troubleshoot, diagnose, and correct system related issues as they arise

About you:

• Minimum of 5+ years’ experience in a Network Engineer capacity with heavy exposure to config automation and remote network management.
• Proficiency in scripting languages (Python, HTML, Flask CSS , Ansible) and libraries ( Netmiko, Paramiko)
• Experience in JSON decoding, encoding and error handling
• Hands-on experience with using source control (Git-based).
• Experience in RESTFUL APIs for interacting with network devices and API testing tools (e.g., Postman).
• Experience in setting up interaction between secret server and automation scripts.
• Experience with complex enterprise network architecture planning, design, and implementation
• Experience with troubleshooting & resolving complex technical problems, management reporting, and documentation (how-to, processes and procedures, MoP)
• Solid knowledge and experience in deploying and managing Linux
• Experience in configuration of Aruba, Juniper, HPE, Arista, Cisco and Fortinet would be considered an asset
• Experience provisioning, maintaining, and supporting enterprise networks, firewalls, and related dependencies
• Experience with OpenSource software and/or service management tools and applications (OpenStack, OpenShift, Zabbix, JIRA, Confluence, Jenkins, etc.)
• Solid knowledge of network protocols including TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, FTP, ARP, ICMP, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to work both collaboratively in a team environment as well as independently in an effective and organized manner in a complex and challenging environment
• Solid experience working in an environment with formally structured IT Operational processes, such as work request ticket management, incident management, change management, problem management, etc.
• ITSM Framework certifications such as ITIL, Sigma, SIAM or Methodology certifications such as Agile, Scrum, DevNetOps are considered a definite asset

Working conditions:

• Must be available after hours and / or weekends for emergency related work, service impacting incident resolution, or maintenance that is required during maintenance windows (outside of regular business hours).

Reports to:

• Lead & Architect, Network Operations

Direct Reports:

• None