Network Automation Engineer

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a
Network Automation Engineer (Junior–Mid Level)to support a federal network modernization project in Alexandria, VA. This role is ideal for an early‑career network engineer with solid
Cisco networking experience
and hands‑on exposure to
Infrastructure‑as‑Code (IaC)tools such as
Ansible
and
Terraform
.

You will assist in modernizing network infrastructure, improving repeatability, and supporting automation‑ready configurations across enterprise environments.

This is an excellent growth opportunity for someone who wants to expand their automation skills while building on strong Cisco networking fundamentals.

• Support day‑to‑day management of Cisco network devices (routers, switches, firewalls, wireless controllers).
• Assist with implementing
  Ansible playbooks
  and
  Terraform configurations
  to automate provisioning and configuration tasks.
• Participate in network configuration, change management, and version‑controlled workflows.
• Collaborate with senior engineers to translate manual operational tasks into scripted or automated workflows.
• Help maintain documentation, diagrams, and configuration templates.
• Support troubleshooting across LAN/WAN environments (routing, switching, VLANs, ACLs, QoS).
• Contribute to compliance and security initiatives in alignment with federal IT standards.
• Participate in testing, validation, and deployment of network changes.
• Assist with monitoring and reporting on network health, performance, and device inventory.

• 3+ years of Cisco networking experience
  (routing & switching).
• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Hands‑on experience with
  Ansible
  (running playbooks, editing templates, basic automation tasks).
• Hands‑on exposure to
  Terraform
  (network or infrastructure provisioning).
• Strong understanding of networking fundamentals:
  • TCP/IP
  • VLANs
  • ACLs
  • OSPF / BGP basics
• Familiarity with version control concepts (Git or similar).
• Strong problem‑solving and communication skills.
• Ability to work onsite in Alexandria, VA
  as required
  .

• Any professional networking certification (CCNA, CCNP).
• IAT Level II
  certification (Security+, CCNA‑Security, or similar).
• Experience with scripting languages (Python preferred).
• Exposure to cloud networking (AWS, Azure) or virtualization.
• Experience supporting federal IT environments.

• Gain hands‑on experience with
  network automation
  in a federal environment.
• Work alongside senior architects who will help grow your automation skills.
• Be part of a large‑scale modernization effort with meaningful career advancement potential.
• Great opportunity for an early‑career engineer ready to take the next step into automation and IaC.

• $70,000 - $85,000
• Benefits: PTO, Paid Holidays, Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Sick Leave (as required by law)

Keywords:

Cisco, Cisco Networking, Cisco Routers, Cisco Switches, CCNA, CCNP, Networking, Network Engineer, Network Automation, Junior Network Automation Engineer, Ansible, Ansible Playbooks, Infrastructure as Code, IaC, Terraform, Python, Scripting, Bash, Git, Version Control, VLANs, TCP/IP, ACLs, Routing, Switching, OSPF, BGP, WAN, LAN, Hybrid Cloud, AWS Networking, Azure Networking, Network Security, Compliance, IAT Level II, DoD, Federal IT, DISA, Automation, Automation Engineer, Network Provisioning, Configuration Management, IT Infrastructure, Troubleshooting, Alexandria VA, DMV, Network Operations, NOC, Infrastructure Support, SD‑WAN, Wireless Networking, WLC, Documentation, Technical Support, Terraform Modules, Jinja2, YAML, Templates, Git Hub, Git Lab