Lead Automation Platform Engineer (Contract)

Contract-to-Hire | Hybrid
Locations: Irving, TX • Chandler, AZ • Charlotte, NC • Westlake, TX

Who We’re Looking For

We’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 Overview

This 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 Responsibilities

Engineering & 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 Plan

We 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 Notes

We 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 Line

If 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.

Apply now