Director, Network Automation

This is a remote position.

Position Title: Director, Network Automation

Base Salary: $165,000 to $195,000 annually DOE

Bonus: Target annual bonus

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, flexible spending account, paid sick leave and paid time off, parental leave, quarterly performance bonus, training, career growth and education reimbursement programs.

Ziply Fiber is a local internet service provider dedicated to elevating the connected lives of the communities we serve. We offer the fastest home internet in the nation, a refreshingly great customer experience, and affordable plans that put customers in charge. 

As our state-of-the-art fiber network expands, so does our need for team members who can help us grow and realize our goals.  

Our Company Values: 

• Genuinely Caring: We treat customers and colleagues like neighbors, with empathy and full attention. 
  

• Empowering You: We help customers choose what is best for them, and we support employees in implementing new ideas and solutions. 
  

• Innovation and Improvement: We constantly seek ways to improve how we serve customers and each other.  
  

• Earning Your Trust: We build trust through clear, honest, human communication. 
  

Job Summary

The Director of Network Automation leads the architecture and development of Ziply Fiber’s provisioning automation, orchestration systems, and workflow tooling. This role is critical for streamlining operations through API layers and automated monitoring across our fiber-optic broadband network. The ideal candidate will combine deep technical expertise with leadership skills to drive innovation in automation and AI-driven network operations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

The Essential Duties and Responsibilities listed below are a range of duties performed by the employee and not intended to reflect all duties performed.

Network Provisioning & Service Integration

·        Lead Productized Automation: Drive the development of robust, scalable software solutions for BNG provisioning, Radius workflows, and DHCP/IP management.

·        Own the end-to-end development of integration layers for ONT/RG provisioning and Hosted Voice workflows (Metaswitch, CXP, Talc).

Tools & Infrastructure Automation

·        Establish coding standards, peer review processes, and CI/CD maturity for all network logic, utilizing Python, Ansible, Salt, and Terraform.

·        Automated Environments: Oversee the development of “Infrastructure as Code” pipelines for hardened Linux images, MAAS provisioning, and virtualized environments (Proxmox/OpenStack).

Data Systems & Governance

·        Manage the development of NetBox plugins and custom API frameworks, ensuring data integrity during the migration of legacy systems into modern service-oriented architectures.

Engineering Culture

·        Direct and mentor a team of DevOps and automation engineers, fostering a culture of “Network as Code” and professional software engineering discipline.

AI‑Driven Network Operations

·        Architect and deploy AI Agents capable of autonomously executing complex provisioning tasks across BNG, Radius, and Voice systems (Metaswitch/CXP), moving beyond simple linear scripts.

·        Closed‑Loop Reliability: Direct the creation of self‑healing network modules where AI‑driven logic identifies degradation and executes autonomous remediation.

·        Build intelligent provisioning models that utilize historical data to optimize IP allocation and network capacity.

·        Oversee the integration of LLM‑based interfaces into internal tooling (NetBox, etc.), allowing teams to interact with network state via natural language.

Other Duties

·        Performs other duties as required to support the business and evolving organization.

Required Qualifications:

·        Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Network Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical field.

·        Minimum of eight (8) years’ experience software development, DevOps, or network automation.

·        Minimum of three (3) years’ experience in a formal engineering management or director-level role.

·        A track record of shipping production-grade software and managing the long-term maintenance of internal platforms.

Expert-level understanding of Linux systems, Kubernetes, Helm, Kafka, and the Python ecosystem.

Preferred Qualifications:

·        Experience with Django/FastAPI for building internal service portals.

·        Deep familiarity with API design (REST/gRPC) and specialized image pipelines (MAAS).

·        Background in Telecom or ISP environments, specifically regarding BNG and Voice integration.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

·        Ability to work independently and apply sound judgment and reasoning skills to a variety of situations.

·        Ability to multi-task and collaborate effectively with other personnel to meet deadlines.

·        Strong verbal and written communication, attention to detail, and organizational skills.

·        Ability to work within critical deadlines.

·        Ability to adjust to rapidly changing priorities and schedules.

·        Ability to provide excellent customer service.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the US for any employer. Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential and marginal functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for bending, stooping, sitting, walking, or standing for prolonged periods of time; most of time is spent sitting in a comfortable position with frequent opportunity to move about. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

Work is performed in an office setting with exposure to computer screens and requires extensive use of a computer, keyboard, mouse, and multi-line telephone system. The work is primarily a modern office setting.

At all times, Ziply Fiber must be your primary employer. Unless otherwise prohibited by law, employees may not hold outside employment nor be self-employed without obtaining approval in writing from Ziply Fiber. In holding outside employment or self-employment, employees should ensure that participation does not conflict with responsibilities to Ziply Fiber or its business interests.

Diverse Workforce / EEO:

Ziply Fiber is an equal opportunity employer. Ziply Fiber will consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, and the presence of a non-job-related handicap or disability or any other legally protected status.

Ziply Fiber requires a pre-employment background check as conditions of employment. Ziply Fiber may require a pre-employment drug screening.

Ziply Fiber is a drug free workplace.