Title: Senior Network Automation Consultant

Location: White Plains, NY- local 

Duration: Long-term contract

I. ROLE SUMMARY

Client seeks a senior consultant specializing in network automation, orchestration, and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) to support the design, development, and deployment of the NAO initiative. The consultant will transform traditional manual CLI-based operations into a fully automated, standardized, secure, and scalable automation ecosystem.

The consultant will create reusable automation frameworks using Ansible, integrate network workflows with enterprise tools (GitLab, ServiceNow, CyberArk), and implement automated processes for configuration management, compliance, patching, backups, and provisioning across Cisco and F5 platforms.

This role requires strong experience delivering automation projects for medium-sized government or public-sector utilities, aligning solutions to industry best practices and NYPA-specific security and reliability requirements.

II. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Network Automation & Infrastructure as Code

· Develop automation playbooks using Ansible / Ansible Tower / AWX.

· Convert existing CLI-based operations into IaC workflows.

· Automate configurations, software updates, backups, and device lifecycle tasks.

· Build standardized, reusable templates for Cisco IOS-XE, IOS-XR, NX-OS, and F5 TMOS.

2. Orchestration & Workflow Engineering

· Integrate automation workflows with GitLab CI/CD pipelines for version control, testing, and automated deployments.

· Build ServiceNow-driven workflows for change requests, approvals, and automated provisioning.

· Integrate CyberArk for credential vaulting within automation pipelines.

3. Network Configuration Standardization

· Create gold-standard configuration templates.

· Normalize device configurations across NYPA and Canals sites.

· Implement automated compliance checks (security baselines, NERC/CIP alignment).

4. Automation for Patching & Compliance

· Build automated processes for:

• OS patching
• Firmware upgrades
• Security configuration audits
• Compliance reporting (PCI, NERC/CIP, CIS Benchmarks where applicable)

5. Architecture Design & Documentation

· Build reference architectures, automation flow diagrams, and IaC governance frameworks.

· Document operational runbooks, playbook logic, and DR processes.