Network Automation Engineer – Configuration Management (w/ active Secret)

Network Automation Engineer – Configuration Management (w/ active Secret) Location: Norfolk, VA Clearance: Secret Type: Full-time, Onsite Salary Range: $85,000 - $110,000. Critical Solutions has an immediate opening for a Network Automation Engineer - Configuration Management. The Configuration Management Engineer is responsible for ensuring the stability, consistency, and compliance of the enterprise network infrastructure. This role focuses on maintaining the lifecycle of network device configurations across all nodes (routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers). The engineer will eliminate manual errors and baseline drift by leveraging modern Network Management Systems (NMS) and advanced infrastructure-as-code automation frameworks. Key Responsibilities 1. Configuration Lifecycle & Baseline Management • Establish official baselines for all production network node types across the global footprint. • Perform drift detection to continuously audit real-time configurations against approved gold standards.• Manage configuration backups and rollback procedures to ensure rapid disaster recovery. • Enforce compliance standards by executing automated remediation on non-compliant infrastructure nodes. 2. NMS Tool Administration & Optimization • NMS platforms (Cisco Catalyst Center, OpenText NNMi, OpenText Network Automation and others) for inventory discovery and configuration storage. • Integrate Source-of-Truth systems (Nautobot) with the NMS to keep network topology and IPAM data synchronized. • Configure alert thresholds within the NMS to flag unauthorized manual configuration changes instantly. • Generate compliance reports for leadership and audit teams regarding network patch levels and vulnerabilities. 3. Network Configuration Automation & CI/CD Pipeline Engineering • Write automation playbooks using tools like Ansible, Terraform, and Python to push global changes safely. • Maintain Git repositories for the network infrastructure code, managing pull requests and peer configuration reviews. • Build CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI, Jenkins) to validate, lint, and dry-run network changes before deployment. • Develop automated validation workflows to check network health before and after a change window. 4. Change Control & Third-Tier Support • Review high-impact modifications to ensure alignment with standard architecture templates. • Provide Tier-3 troubleshooting for complex network outages caused by configuration discrepancies or failed software upgrades. • Coordinate mass patching campaigns to fix vendor software vulnerabilities across thousands of active network nodes. Required Qualifications & Technical Competencies Technical Skills & Toolsets •Bachelor's Degree in Engineering discipline Network Automation: Ansible, Terraform, Python, Jinja2 and other template modeling. • NMS & Tools: Cisco Catalyst Center, OpenText Network Automation, Nautobot, Infoblox IPAM, Wireshark. • DevOps Workflows: Git, GitLab CI/CD, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Docker. • Core Networking: Solid understanding of BGP, OSPF, VLANs, VRFs, ACLs, and SSH/SNMP protocols. • Vendor OS Fluency: Cisco IOS/IOS-XE/XR, Juniper JunOS, Arista EOS. Soft Skills & Certifications • Data-driven analytical thinker skilled at tracking down anomalies in massive configuration text files. • Detail-oriented planner capable of coordinating large-scale automated pushes across global time zones. LOCATION: Norfolk, VA ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: CLEARANCE REQUIREMENT: Must possess an active DoD Secret Clearance. In addition, selected candidate must undergo background investigation (BI) and finger printing by the federal agency and successfully pass the preceding to qualify for the position. US CITIZENSHIP IS REQUIRED. CRITICAL SOLUTIONS PAY AND BENEFITS: Salary Range: $85,000 - $110,000 per year. The salary range for this position represent the typical salary range for this job level and this does not guarantee a specific salary. Compensation is based upon multiple factors such as responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, certifications, and other requirements. BENEFIT SNAPSHOT: 100% premium coverage for Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, Supplemental Insurance, 401K matching, Flexible Time Off (PTO/Holidays), Higher Education/Training Reimbursement, and more.