Principal Software Engineer, Network Services

INSPYR Solutions•Beverly Hills, CA

17h•Remote

About The Position

The Network Services Team is dedicated to building and operating network infrastructure at large scale. This team is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the network platforms that power our global infrastructure. We take a software-first approach to network operations, building custom automation tools and control planes that enable us to deploy, configure, and operate network infrastructure with speed and reliability. We leverage modern backend languages and network automation frameworks to abstract complexity and empower teams across the organization to consume network services with confidence. Are you passionate about building software that operates networks at large scale? We are seeking an exceptional Principal Software Engineer with deep networking expertise to join our Network Services team. In this role, you'll design and implement custom network automation platforms and tooling that power our global network infrastructure. You'll work in a complex, heterogeneous environment spanning routing and switching infrastructure, firewall platforms, and network orchestration across multiple data centers and cloud environments. Your work will focus on building robust, scalable software solutions that abstract network complexity and enable teams to deploy, operate, and scale network services with confidence. This is an outstanding opportunity for someone who has built network control planes, automation frameworks, or platform tooling at scale—and wants to do it again.

Requirements

Proven experience operating networks at large scale (multi-datacenter, large enterprise, or cloud environments)
Deep networking expertise including routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS), switching (VLANs, VXLANs, EVPN), and network design principles
Strong software engineering background with significant experience building custom network automation platforms, control planes, or tooling
Experience with firewall automation including policy management, rule deployment, and security compliance workflows
Proficient in Python (required), with experience in Go or Rust preferred
Experience building network APIs, automation frameworks, or orchestration systems
Strong with Ansible (playbooks, roles, modules) for network automation
Deep understanding of network telemetry, observability, and monitoring (SNMP, streaming telemetry, sFlow, NetFlow, Prometheus, Grafana, Solarwinds)
Working knowledge of modern network architectures: spine-leaf topologies, network virtualization (VXLAN/EVPN), SDN concepts
Deep experience with Terraform for provisioning infrastructure declaratively and integrating it into workflows
Experience with open source network tooling such as Nautobot, Netbox, NAPALM, Netmiko
Experience using Docker and Kubernetes to build and manage network tools and services
Hands-on experience with CI/CD tools (e.g., GitLab CI) for automating build, test, and deployment pipelines for infrastructure changes
Understanding of network device APIs (NETCONF, RESTCONF, gNMI, vendor REST APIs)
Familiarity with managing and querying relational and/or NoSQL databases, especially in the context of infrastructure tools and telemetry data
Strong security mindset—experience managing secrets and automating secure network configurations
Comfortable using AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, etc.) to enhance productivity and code quality
Experience working in Agile environments and comfortable with remote collaboration
Deep technical curiosity and passion for both networking and software engineering
Capable and comfortable working on highly strategic, complex, and high-risk undertakings
Autonomous and proactive, focused on iterative delivery and data-driven decision-making
Exceptional ability to analyze complex issues, synthesize problem statements, and propose valuable problems to solve
Self-motivated and comfortable working independently while knowing when to seek guidance
Passionate about software craftsmanship, clean code, and continuous learning
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of facilitating cross-team collaboration and bridging the gap between network engineering and software development teams
Comfortable working in cross-functional and multidisciplinary teams
Focused on practical solutions that balance ideal design with delivery timelines
Committed to code quality, testing, and building reliable systems
Eager to learn and grow, with openness to feedback and coaching from senior team members
Strong bias toward automation and eliminating manual toil through software
Deeply concerned with the security and compliance implications of services and solutions
Able to think at scale: design for 10x growth, plan for failure, optimize for operational simplicity

Nice To Haves

Experience in Go or Rust preferred
Experience with AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, etc.) to enhance productivity and code quality

Responsibilities

Design and implement network automation platforms, control planes, and orchestration systems that operate at large scale
Develop custom tooling, APIs, and automation frameworks for network provisioning, configuration management, and lifecycle operations
Build automation systems for firewall policy management, security rule deployment, and compliance enforcement
Implement systems to enforce network access policies across global data centers and AWS environments
Build network telemetry collection, processing, and analytics systems to drive operational insights and automation decisions
Implement CI/CD pipelines for network infrastructure using GitLab, focusing on testing, validation, and progressive rollout
Write clean, testable, and well-documented code that serves as an example for the team
Develop network abstraction layers that enable self-service capabilities for application and platform teams
Contribute to network platform architectures and patterns that scale across data centers, cloud environments, and edge locations
Create design documents, system diagrams, and proof-of-concepts for network automation initiatives
Leverage modern networking paradigms (BGP automation, network as code, intent-based networking) to deliver reusable components
Define architectural decisions and guide implementation approaches across the team
Design for observability, reliability, and operational excellence in network systems
Partner with team leads and network engineering to deliver on platform modernization initiatives
Share knowledge and best practices with team members across networking and software engineering disciplines
Provide technical guidance to junior engineers and participate in code reviews
Evangelize a software-first approach to network operations and infrastructure management
Build backend systems primarily in Python, Go, or Rust, focusing on maintainable, testable, and observable code for network automation
Develop CLI tools, APIs, and services that abstract network complexity and improve the operator experience
Integrate with network vendor APIs (Arista, Juniper, Cisco, Palo Alto, Fortinet, etc.) and open-source network tooling (Nautobot, NAPALM, Netmiko, FRRouting, BIRD)
Build integrations with our custom in-house network inventory system for IPAM, asset tracking, and network state management
Use Terraform and Ansible to integrate network infrastructure with broader platform automation
Leverage Docker and Kubernetes to build and deploy network automation tools and services
Leverage AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.) to accelerate development, generate code, and solve complex problems
Apply software engineering best practices to network automation, including unit testing, integration testing, and continuous deployment
Work in an Agile environment (SAFe) with scoped work in Jira, delivering on sprint commitments
Implement network security controls and compliance requirements through automation and policy-as-code
Participate in architecture discussions around network topology, routing protocols, traffic engineering, and capacity planning
Support critical network incidents as part of the team rotation, with focus on building systems that minimize operational burden and enable rapid troubleshooting

Benefits

Medical, Dental and Vision benefits for you and your family
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
Paid time off policy including holidays, sick time, and day off for your birthday
Free concert tickets
401(k) program with company match
Stock Program Reimbursement
New parent programs & support including caregiver leave and infertility support
Tuition reimbursement
Student loan repayment
Internal growth and development programs & trainings
Volunteer time off
Crowdfunding network