Telecom Network Automation Architect/Engineer

Ziply Fiber is a local internet service provider dedicated to elevating the connected lives of the communities we serve. We offer the fastest home internet in the nation, a refreshingly great customer experience, and affordable plans that put customers in charge.

As our state-of-the-art fiber network expands, so does our need for team members who can help us grow and realize our goals.

Our Company Values:

• Genuinely Caring: We treat customers and colleagues like neighbors, with empathy and full attention.
• Empowering You: We help customers choose what is best for them, and we support employees in implementing new ideas and solutions.
• Innovation and Improvement: We constantly seek ways to improve how we serve customers and each other.
• Earning Your Trust: We build trust through clear, honest, human communication.

Ziply Fiber is seeking a Principal Network Automation Engineer to lead the design, development, and implementation of automation solutions across our fiber access and IP networks. This role is responsible for reducing manual processes, increasing operational efficiency, and building scalable automation platforms that support a growing multi-vendor telecommunications network.

The ideal candidate has a proven track record of designing and deploying production network automation solutions within a telecommunications, ISP, fiber broadband, or service provider environment. This is a hands-on engineering role requiring deep technical expertise, strong software development skills, and the ability to translate complex network operations into scalable automation workflows.

What You Will Do

Network Automation & Software Development

• Design, develop, and maintain automation platforms supporting GPON, XGS-PON, IP, and Ethernet network environments.
• Build software tools and integrations using Python, Go, APIs, and Infrastructure-as-Code methodologies.
• Automate provisioning, monitoring, configuration management, inventory management, and operational workflows.
• Develop integrations between network elements, OSS/BSS platforms, and internal operational systems.
• Design and implement automation strategies that reduce manual network operations and improve service delivery efficiency.

Leadership & Technical Direction

• Serve as the technical leader for network automation initiatives.
• Provide mentorship, code reviews, and guidance to fellow engineers.
• Establish software development and automation best practices.
• Partner with Engineering, Architecture, NOC, Operations, and Field teams to identify and automate operational processes.

Continuous Improvement

• Evaluate and adopt emerging automation and orchestration technologies.
• Improve network reliability through standardization, automation, and process optimization.
• Develop reporting, forecasting, and operational analytics solutions.

Documentation & Standards

• Create and maintain technical documentation, automation standards, and architectural designs.
• Ensure automation solutions are scalable, secure, maintainable, and well documented.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor''''s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Seven (7)+ years of software development and automation experience.
• Five (5)+ years of hands-on experience developing and implementing network automation solutions in a production environment.
• Experience within a telecommunications, ISP, fiber broadband, or service provider environment.
• Advanced proficiency with Python and experience with software development best practices.
• Experience with REST APIs, Linux, Git, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure automation frameworks.
• Experience with NETCONF, gNMI, Ansible, Jinja, NAPALM, NetBox, or comparable network automation technologies.
• Strong understanding of IP/Ethernet networking concepts and carrier-scale network operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience automating GPON and XGS-PON networks.
• Experience with OLT and ONT provisioning automation.
• Experience integrating OSS/BSS systems with network infrastructure.
• Experience automating multi-vendor service provider network environments.
• Experience developing production applications using Go or similar programming languages.
• Experience with containerization, Kubernetes, and cloud-native deployment methodologies.

Work Authorization:

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the US for any employer. Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Essential and marginal functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for bending, stooping, sitting, walking, or standing for prolonged periods of time; most of time is spent sitting in a comfortable position with frequent opportunity to move about. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment and Additional Information:

Work is performed in an office setting with exposure to computer screens and requires extensive use of a computer, keyboard, mouse, and multi-line telephone system. The work is primarily a modern office setting.

At all times, Ziply Fiber must be your primary employer. Unless otherwise prohibited by law, employees may not hold outside employment nor be self-employed without obtaining approval in writing from Ziply Fiber. In holding outside employment or self-employment, employees should ensure that participation does not conflict with responsibilities to Ziply Fiber or its business interests.

Diverse Workforce / EEO:

Ziply Fiber is an equal opportunity employer. Ziply Fiber will consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, and the presence of a non-job-related handicap or disability or any other legally protected status.

Ziply Fiber requires a pre-employment background check as conditions of employment. Ziply Fiber may require a pre-employment drug screening.

Ziply Fiber is a drug free workplace.