Network Automation Engineer

Invenergy•Chicago, IL

About The Position

Invenergy is seeking a Network Automation Engineer to join our Technology Solutions team. In this role, you will serve as a senior engineer responsible for architecting, implementing, and continuously improving Invenergy's global network. The ideal candidate will act as a senior technical resource, mentor other engineers, drive standards, and implement efficient automation-driven solutions that reduce operational complexity across sites worldwide. Candidates must have deep hands-on expertise with routing, switching, firewalls, datacenter fabrics, wireless, scripting and other related network automation technologies. You’ll be expected to automate, innovate, and stabilize - writing code that replaces manual effort, builds resiliency, and enhances performance. Architect scalable Layer 2/3 and Layer 3 focused network designs for datacenters, corporate campuses, OT sites, and the global WAN. Design and deploy BGP-centric architectures, including multi-site routing, route-policy design, and path-engineering. Design and deploy VXLAN BGP EVPN datacenter fabrics (Arista MSS, Cisco, or equivalent), including VTEPs, MLAG, VRFs, security segmentation, and east-west flow policy. Develop global network standards, patterns, and declarative code-driven reference architectures to improve consistency across all Invenergy facilities. Efficiently deploy, manage, and troubleshoot network firewalls (Primarily Palo Alto, Azure, and Fortinet), VPNs, and implement network security policies in partnership with security and compliance stakeholders. Design security segmentation strategies that align with NERC CIP requirements (ESP/PSP boundaries, EACMS, monitoring, log retention). Collaborate with cross-functional teams on project delivery, change management, and security/compliance workflows. Build and maintain repeatable and testable network automation workflows using Python, Ansible, Git-based CI/CD, and modern configuration-management practices. Collaborate and develop systems, not one-off scripts: enforce idempotent workflows, automated validation, linting, and policy guardrails. Participate in a 24×7 on-call rotation to provide critical support as an expert network escalation resource.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or related field.
3+ years of network engineering experience in an enterprise environment.
Deep knowledge of L2/L3 routing and switching (Cisco, Arista, or equivalent).
Strong experience with large enterprise network BGP implementations (both on premises and cloud).
Strong experience with VRFs, segmentation, QoS, STP, MLAG/VPC and related redundancy protocols.
Strong hands-on experience with Palo Alto firewalls and Panorama-managed deployments.
Experience designing and supporting enterprise wireless (Aruba, Cisco, or equivalent).
Experience with Python and/or Ansible, Git, and the fundamentals of CI/CD facilitated network automation.
Strong communication skills; ability to lead technical discussions and mentor others.
Some travel is required.
Eligible to work in the United States without the need for employer visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

Cisco or Arista certifications (CCNP, Devnet, ACE etc.).
Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE).
Aruba Certified Mobility Associate (ACMA) or Aruba Certified ClearPass Professional (ACCP).
Formal training or certification in NERC CIP compliance.
Working knowledge of NERC CIP standards and their application to critical infrastructure and/or formal training or certification in NERC CIP compliance.
Experience in the energy, utilities, or critical infrastructure sectors.
Familiarity with network monitoring/observability and management tools (PRTG, Prometheus, Solarwinds, etc.).
ITIL 4.0 Foundations or other ITIL certification.

Responsibilities

Architect scalable Layer 2/3 and Layer 3 focused network designs for datacenters, corporate campuses, OT sites, and the global WAN.
Design and deploy BGP-centric architectures, including multi-site routing, route-policy design, and path-engineering.
Design and deploy VXLAN BGP EVPN datacenter fabrics (Arista MSS, Cisco, or equivalent), including VTEPs, MLAG, VRFs, security segmentation, and east-west flow policy.
Develop global network standards, patterns, and declarative code-driven reference architectures to improve consistency across all Invenergy facilities.
Efficiently deploy, manage, and troubleshoot network firewalls (Primarily Palo Alto, Azure, and Fortinet), VPNs, and implement network security policies in partnership with security and compliance stakeholders.
Design security segmentation strategies that align with NERC CIP requirements (ESP/PSP boundaries, EACMS, monitoring, log retention).
Collaborate with cross-functional teams on project delivery, change management, and security/compliance workflows.
Build and maintain repeatable and testable network automation workflows using Python, Ansible, Git-based CI/CD, and modern configuration-management practices.
Collaborate and develop systems, not one-off scripts: enforce idempotent workflows, automated validation, linting, and policy guardrails.
Participate in a 24×7 on-call rotation to provide critical support as an expert network escalation resource.