Contract: Automation Developer
Start Date: ASAP
Location: Remote UK
Duration: 4 months
Day Rate: £595 a day inside or IR35

Reference: 18567

*Must have experience with Netbox and Nautobot*

We are looking for a skilled and motivated Automation Developer to join our dynamic team. As an Automation Developer, you will be responsible for implementing network automation solutions to enhance operational efficiency, reduce cybersecurity risks, and ensure regulatory compliance across our customer environments. The ideal candidate will have strong experience with Fortinet Firewalls (FortiManager), NetBox, Nautobot, and various integrations with network platforms such as IPAM, Infoblox, and other sources of truth (SoT). Experience with agile methodologies and DevOps practices is essential.

Key Responsibilities:

• Testing of 3 major Automation tools (NetBrain - IP Fabric - FW Networks) to implement an intent-driven network strategy
• Deployment of a lab environment to test various automation tools (Gitlab, Tyk, NetBrain, Nautobot, Netbox, etc)
• Lead and deploy NetBrain in UAT as a key piece of the intent-driven networking strategy
• Debug Ansible Playbooks to improve figures on the number of backups taken across the network
• Network Automation Development: Develop and implement automation solutions for Fortinet devices, FortiManager, and associated network platforms (eg, IPAM, Infoblox, NetBox, Nautobot).
• Inventory Rationalization & Estate Cleansing: Drive customer estate cleansing by automating inventory rationalization and minimizing unsupported software versions in customer environments.
• Zero-Touch Provisioning: Support the automation of zero-touch provisioning to streamline deployment and onboarding of network devices into key security, monitoring, asset, and operational systems.
• Standardized Deployments: Ensure standardized deployment structures to minimize cyber risks and improve compliance, contributing to solution design and backlog development.
• Automated Testing: Develop and implement automated testing solutions to enable pre- and post-change validation, enhancing testing libraries and troubleshooting capabilities.
• Integration and Federation: Work on federating Firewall devices into FortiManager environments, enabling automated software updates/patches and life cycle upgrades across multiple vendors and integrations.
• Data Aggregation and Ingestion: Design and build data collection and aggregation engines to query data from sources such as IPAM, ServiceNow, Skybox, and custom-built platforms, ensuring accurate and reliable data flows.
• Solution Prototypes and Demos: Support the creation of solution prototype demos and data rationalization automation workflows, leveraging tools like NetBox and Nautobot for infrastructure management.
• Ansible Playbooks: Develop Ansible playbooks to automate data ingestion, configuration management, and integration across multiple sources of truth.
• Collaboration in Agile Environment: Participate in agile ceremonies such as daily stand-ups, sprint planning, sprint reviews, backlog refinement, and bi-weekly progress demonstrations.
• Documentation: Contribute to comprehensive documentation of automation workflows, data models, and integration designs to ensure consistency and maintainability.

Required Qualifications:

• Experience: 3+ years of hands-on experience in network automation and integration with Fortinet devices, FortiManager, and associated platforms like IPAM, Infoblox, NetBox, and Nautobot.
• Automation Tools: Proficiency with automation frameworks such as Ansible, including playbook development for configuration management and automation tasks.
• Networking & Security: Strong understanding of networking principles, security best practices, and the management of Firewalls and other network infrastructure.
• Agile & DevOps: Experience in agile environments, with expertise in scrum practices, sprint planning, backlog management, and CI/CD pipeline development.
• Programming/Scripting: Strong Scripting skills in languages such as Python, Bash, or similar, to develop automation tools and integrations.
• Automated Testing: Experience in developing and integrating automated testing frameworks, including pre- and post-change validation, as well as contributing to a shared testing library.
• Data Integration: Experience with querying and processing data from sources of truth platforms (eg, ServiceNow, IPAM, Skybox, etc.) and integrating them into central repositories for validation and reporting.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Excellent analytical and troubleshooting abilities to address complex network automation issues effectively.
• Collaboration: Strong communication skills with the ability to work in cross-functional teams, engaging with both technical and non-technical stakeholders to deliver value.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certifications: Fortinet NSE certifications, or other network and automation certifications.
• Experience with NetBox/Nautobot: Practical experience using NetBox or Nautobot for managing network infrastructure, IP address management (IPAM), and automation workflows.
• Cloud & DevOps Tools: Familiarity with cloud platforms and DevOps tools like Jenkins, GitLab, and Kubernetes for CI/CD pipeline management.
• Networking Certifications: Additional certifications in networking technologies (eg, CCNA, CCNP, etc.) are a plus.

*May require some travel to Cheshire*

Networking People (UK) is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.