Senior Network Automation & Configuration Management Engineer

GEICO•Bethesda, MD

12d•$75,000 - $215,000

About The Position

GEICO is seeking a highly skilled Senior Network Automation & Configuration Management Engineer to accelerate the transformation of our network infrastructure from traditional operations to a fully automated, software-defined, infrastructure-as-code operating model. This role is ideal for an engineer who is equally comfortable writing Python code, building CI/CD pipelines, designing automation frameworks, and troubleshooting complex routing issues. You will be responsible for developing and managing the platforms, tooling, and processes that automate network configuration, compliance validation, change management, provisioning, remediation, and lifecycle management across thousands of network devices spanning data centers, cloud environments, carrier-neutral facilities, and regional offices. As part of GEICO's network modernization initiative, you will help eliminate manual network operations through automation, self-service capabilities, configuration templating, drift detection, policy enforcement, and continuous compliance validation. You will work closely with Network Engineering, Security Engineering, Platform Engineering, and Infrastructure teams to build scalable solutions that improve operational reliability, consistency, and engineering velocity. This role aligns closely with ongoing automation, configuration compliance, template rollout, and infrastructure-as-code initiatives within Network Engineering. The Senior Network Automation & Configuration Management Engineer will serve as a technical leader in developing network automation platforms that manage the full lifecycle of network infrastructure. You will design and implement solutions for: Network configuration generation and deployment, Golden configuration management, Configuration compliance and drift detection, Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC), Automated change validation, Continuous network testing, Policy-driven network provisioning, Device lifecycle management, CI/CD pipelines for network infrastructure, Network source-of-truth integration. This role requires strong software engineering skills combined with deep networking expertise and a passion for automating everything possible.

Requirements

8+ years of network engineering experience.
5+ years developing network automation and configuration management solutions.
Proven experience managing large-scale enterprise or data center network environments.
Experience supporting highly available production infrastructure.
Strong hands-on experience with: Python, Ansible, Git, REST APIs, YAML / JSON, Linux
Experience with one or more: Nornir, Terraform, Go, Bash, Jenkins, GitHub Actions, ArgoCD
Deep understanding of: BGP, OSPF, EVPN/VXLAN, MPLS, Routing and Switching, Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking, Firewall technologies, SD-WAN architectures, Load balancing
Experience automating network infrastructure from vendors such as: Cisco, Arista, Palo Alto Networks, F5, Juniper, SONiC-based platforms
Demonstrated experience with: Configuration templating, Golden configuration frameworks, Compliance validation, Policy enforcement, Drift detection, Network source-of-truth systems, Change management automation
Experience with: AWS, Azure, Kubernetes networking, Hybrid cloud connectivity, Infrastructure-as-Code practices, CI/CD pipelines
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, Network Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience implementing large-scale network configuration compliance programs. This aligns with current Network Engineering initiatives around configuration compliance, template standardization, and automated operations.
Experience with NetBox as a network source of truth.
Experience with SONiC, open networking, or software-defined networking platforms.
Experience building GitOps-driven infrastructure deployments.
Familiarity with OpenStack networking concepts.
Experience integrating automation platforms with ServiceNow.
Experience supporting multi-datacenter environments.
Knowledge of Zero Trust and network security automation.
CCNP / CCIE
DevNet Professional
HashiCorp Terraform Associate
AWS or Azure Networking Certifications
Red Hat Automation Certifications

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain network automation platforms supporting routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, wireless infrastructure, and cloud networking services.
Create reusable automation frameworks using Python, Ansible, Nornir, Terraform, GitOps, and related technologies.
Develop APIs and services that enable self-service network provisioning and infrastructure automation.
Build event-driven automation workflows for configuration deployment, validation, and remediation.
Define and maintain golden configuration standards across the enterprise network.
Implement automated configuration drift detection and remediation capabilities.
Develop configuration validation pipelines that enforce engineering standards before production deployment.
Build solutions that continuously monitor compliance against security, operational, and regulatory requirements.
Establish automated configuration backup, recovery, and audit capabilities.
Lead adoption of Infrastructure-as-Code practices throughout Network Engineering.
Develop reusable infrastructure modules and templates.
Integrate network automation with Git-based workflows and CI/CD pipelines.
Implement automated testing and validation of configuration changes before deployment.
Work closely with network architects and engineers to automate routing, switching, firewall, load balancing, SD-WAN, and cloud networking environments.
Support large-scale network modernization efforts including software-defined networking initiatives.
Troubleshoot automation failures and complex network issues across hybrid environments.
Improve operational efficiency through continuous innovation and process automation.
Integrate network automation platforms with NetBox, ServiceNow, GitHub Enterprise, Observability platforms, Security tooling, Cloud management systems.
Develop APIs and integrations that improve workflow automation across infrastructure teams.
Mentor junior engineers on automation best practices.
Establish engineering standards for network automation and software development.
Participate in architecture reviews and technical design discussions.
Drive adoption of modern DevOps and NetDevOps methodologies.