Senior Lead Software Engineer - Network Infrastructure and Automation

Nightwing provides technically advanced full-spectrum cyber, data operations, systems integration and intelligence mission support services to meet our customers’ most demanding challenges. Our capabilities include cyber space operations, cyber defense and resiliency, vulnerability research, ubiquitous technical surveillance, data intelligence, lifecycle mission enablement, and software modernization. Nightwing brings disruptive technologies, agility, and competitive offerings to customers in the intelligence community, defense, civil, and commercial markets.

At Nightwing, we are on a mission to develop resilient and scalable network infrastructure systems that support critical missions. We're looking for a talented Senior Lead Software Engineer who excels at solving complex networking challenges and building high-performance, software-defined solutions. In this role, you will collaborate with an innovative team to design cutting‑edge network automation systems using advanced technologies like software-defined networking, infrastructure‑as‑code, and AI-driven operational intelligence.

This onsite role is based at our National Business Park, Maryland location.

As a Senior Lead Software Engineer at Nightwing, you will be responsible for creating network infrastructure and automation systems that operate at scale, maintain reliability under demanding conditions, and incorporate advanced technical approaches. You will have opportunities to work on projects involving software‑defined datacenter networking, multi‑cloud orchestration, network automation frameworks, and real‑time infrastructure intelligence applications. You'll play a key role in building technologies that protect the nation's security and advance critical network capabilities.

• Lead the development, implementation, and delivery of software‑defined networking (SDN) solutions for software‑defined networks, ensuring timelines, technical requirements, and network performance standards are met across highly resilient and scalable infrastructure
• Design, develop, and implement network automation solutions and infrastructure management platforms using Python and modern web technologies to reduce manual intervention and improve operational efficiency
• Develop and maintain network automation frameworks, APIs, and tooling that integrate with network devices, controllers, and monitoring systems, writing clean, maintainable infrastructure-as-code that adheres to coding standards
• Integrate AI-driven analytics and automation capabilities into network operations to augment performance monitoring, anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance workflows
• Drive adoption and governance of approved AI-assisted engineering practices across teams to improve code quality, delivery speed, and operational outcomes (e.g., AI-assisted code review/refactoring, test acceleration, release readiness, incident/root-cause analysis)
• Build and optimize containerized network applications (Kubernetes, Helm) and microservices architectures for network management and orchestration
• Develop solutions for event‑driven network automation and large‑scale infrastructure workflows using modern protocols and APIs
• Collaborate with network architects, security teams, product owners, and infrastructure engineers in an Agile environment, conducting code reviews and troubleshooting network applications to meet performance and reliability requirements
• Mentor engineers on network automation and infrastructure-as-code principles while influencing technical direction by evaluating emerging SDN technologies and Dev Sec Ops  methodologies
• Maintain adherence to agile development practices and modern Dev Sec Ops  workflows with a focus on security and reliability

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of experience in network infrastructure development and Dev Ops networking engineering
• Hands‑on practical experience delivering system design, application development, testing, and operational stability
• Str…