Location: Irving, TX
Salary: $111.00 USD Hourly - $131.00 USD Hourly
Description: Lead Automation Platform Engineer (Contract)Contract-to-Hire | HybridLocations: Irving, TX Chandler, AZ Charlotte, NC Westlake, TX
Who We're Looking ForWe're not looking for support engineers.
We're looking for
builders, designers, and engineers.
People who:
- Build things because they're curious-not because they're told to
- Tinker, experiment, and engineer solutions in their spare time
- Automate relentlessly and challenge manual processes
- Think like engineers at companies such as Google, Amazon, or other modern automation-first organizations
If you've ever:
- Built systems, tools, or platforms from scratch
- Automated something just because "it shouldn't be manual"
- Used AI to improve workflows or decision-making
...you'll fit right in.
Role OverviewThis role is focused on
reimagining and rebuilding enterprise network automation from the ground up.
You will lead the design and implementation of a
fully automated, AI-enabled, zero-touch Branch platform, transforming legacy SD-Branch environments into a
unified, plug-and-play architecture.
This is a
hands-on engineering role-you will design, build, automate, and deliver measurable outcomes.
What You'll Build- A zero-touch Branch deployment model (true plug-and-play)
- A unified SD-Branch architecture across all sites
- Fully automated day-0 / day-1 / day-2 operations
- AI-assisted automation workflows and decisioning
- A modern automation platform powered by:
- APIs
- Infrastructure as Code
- Event-driven orchestration
- Observability and telemetry
Key ResponsibilitiesEngineering & Architecture- Design and build a standardized, unified Branch architecture
- Eliminate manual deployment through end-to-end automation
- Create systems that scale without human intervention
Automation & Orchestration- Develop stateful workflows using Temporal / ORCA or similar
- Build resilient systems with retry, validation, and recovery logic
- Deliver reusable automation patterns across environments
Infrastructure as Code & CI/CD- Implement Terraform-based infrastructure (HCL)
- Build and manage CI/CD pipelines using GitHub & GitHub Actions
- Drive version control, testing, and release automation
Source of Truth & Data Modeling- Integrate and extend Nautobot as a single source of truth
- Model network intent (topology, IPAM, configuration)
- Ensure automation executes from validated system data
Operational Automation- Automate configuration, validation, remediation, and rollback using Ansible
- Deliver secure, auditable, and repeatable execution
API & Observability- Expose services via Apigee APIs
- Implement observability with Grafana and Prometheus
- Provide real-time telemetry for scaling and reliability
What Success Looks Like- Branch environments deploy with zero human touch
- Dramatic reduction in deployment time and operational overhead
- Elimination of manual provisioning from Technology teams
- A scalable platform that enables future automation and AI integration
- Clear, maintainable systems that teams can extend and own
Required Qualifications- Senior-level, hands-on engineering experience (not support-focused)
- Strong programming skills in Python
- Proven experience building automation platforms or frameworks
- Expertise in:
- Terraform (Infrastructure as Code)
- CI/CD (GitHub Actions)
- Ansible (automation)
- Experience with workflow orchestration (Temporal, ORCA, or similar)
- Deep knowledge of Cisco SD-WAN / SD-Branch
- Experience with:
- Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP)
- Network automation at scale
- IPAM and intent-based networking
- Exposure to AI-driven or AI-assisted automation
Preferred Mindset- Builder > operator
- Engineer > support
- Automate > manual
- Create > maintain
Team Composition / Hiring PlanWe are building a
high-performance engineering team consisting of:
- 2 Level 3 Engineers
- 2 Level 4 Engineers
- 2 Senior Engineers
At least one engineer must bring:
- .NET + React experience (full-stack automation tooling)
Engagement Model- Initial contract with potential for contract-to-hire
- Evaluation based on quality of engineering and delivered outcomes
- Final selection will be conducted via Beeline
Additional NotesWe are seeking
SME-level contractors who can:
- Ramp quickly
- Deliver independently
- Bring modern engineering practices into enterprise environments
Candidates from outside financial services are welcome, especially those coming from:
- Big Tech (Google, Amazon, etc.)
- High-scale SaaS platforms
- Automation-first engineering teams
Bottom LineIf you're someone who:
- Builds systems instead of supporting them
- Automates everything that shouldn't be manual
- Pushes boundaries using AI and modern tooling
We want to talk to you.
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