Senior Ansible & Python Automation Engineer (Remote)

Scope:

• We are seeking a Senior Ansible & Python Automation Engineer to support a large, security-sensitive financial institution. This role is responsible for designing, building, and operating end-to-end automation across a VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) environment.
• The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in infrastructure automation, API-driven development, and platform engineering, with a strong focus on scalability, security, and operational reliability. You will work across VMware and bank teams to deliver highly automated, compliant, and repeatable infrastructure solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable, reusable Ansible automation frameworks for full lifecycle management of VCF environments
• (Day 0/1/2 operations)
• Automate and manage the full VMware Cloud Foundation stack, including:
  • vSphere
  • NSX
  • Operations & Aria Operations for Logs
  • VCF Automation & Orchestrator
  • NSX Advanced Security (vDefend)
  • Avi Load Balancer
  • HCX
• Develop API-driven automation using Python (Requests/Django) to integrate with:
  • VMware APIs (vCenter, NSX, SDDC Manager, Aria Suite)
  • Enterprise systems (CMDB, IPAM/DDI, ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow)
• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure automation (Git-based workflows, Ansible Tower / AAP)
• Implement infrastructure as code (IaC) standards including versioning, testing, and modular design
• Ensure automation solutions meet enterprise security and compliance requirements, including:
  • RBAC
  • Secrets management
  • Auditability and logging
• Troubleshoot complex infrastructure and automation issues across the full stack
• Optimize system performance, scalability, and operational efficiency
• Produce high-quality technical documentation, runbooks, and reusable patterns

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in Python development for infrastructure automation
• Deep expertise in Ansible (playbooks, roles, collections, Tower/AAP)
• Strong experience with VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF 9.x or 5.x) and its APIs
• Proven experience building API integrations with enterprise platforms (e.g., ServiceNow, CMDB, DDI/IPAM)
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and Git-based workflows
• Strong understanding of:
  • REST APIs and JSON data modeling
  • Linux systems and scripting
  • Networking (L2/L3, routing, firewalling)
  • Security best practices in enterprise environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in financial services or regulated environments
• Familiarity with SDDC Manager and lifecycle manager APIs
• Experience with observability platforms and telemetry integration
• Knowledge of GitOps or event-driven automation models
• Exposure to container platforms (Kubernetes) is a plus
• Must have VMware certifications or be an ex-employee**

“Cleo Consulting is an equal opportunity employer (Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled)”