Freelance Python Automation Engineer Jobs in New Castle, PA

PTC is a leading manufacturer and marketer of welded and cold drawn mechanical steel tubing and tubular shapes, plated bar and tubing, and fabricated parts and precision components.

We at PTC value our employees’ health and wellness. We offer the following:

• FREE Healthcare
• HSA option
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Dependent & Spouse Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• Critical Illness & Accident Coverage
• 401K plan with company match
• Referral Bonus
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Annual college scholarship available for children & grandchildren of PTC employees
• Tuition Reimbursement eligibility

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Design and deployment:
  • Design, build, and maintain automation solutions for network configuration, provisioning, and orchestration.
  • Integrate network provisioning into CI/CD pipelines to ensure consistent, automated deployment across the network.
• Scripting and development:
  • Develop automation scripts and playbooks using languages such as Python and frameworks like Ansible.
  • Leverage application programming interfaces (APIs) and software development kits (SDKs) to interact with network devices and platforms.
• Process improvement and optimization:
  • Identify opportunities to automate repetitive network tasks, thereby reducing toil and human error.
  • Create automated test suites and validation procedures for network infrastructure to ensure reliability and performance.
• Collaboration and technical leadership:
  • Work with cross-functional teams, including network engineers, software developers, and DevOps, to gather requirements and deliver innovative solutions.
  • Provide technical leadership and mentorship to other network engineers on automation best practices.
• Troubleshooting and monitoring:
  • Use automation tools and frameworks to analyze, troubleshoot, and resolve complex network incidents and performance issues.
  • Implement monitoring and telemetry to track network availability, capacity, and performance.
• Documentation and maintenance:
  • Create and maintain detailed documentation for automation processes, procedures, and network configurations.
• Stay up-to-date with emerging network technologies and recommend new tools and methodologies. 

Number of Direct Reports:  None               

Job Titles of Direct Reports:  None

Minimum Education and/or Experience Requirements: 

Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field is preferred

Years of Experience:  5 years

Skills and Abilities: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Programming and scripting: Proficiency in Python is typically required, along with experience in scripting for network automation and PLC programming.
• Networking fundamentals: A strong understanding of networking protocols and technologies, including TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, DNS, and VLANs.
• Network automation tools: Extensive hands-on experience with configuration management and orchestration tools such as Ansible, Terraform, and SaltStack.
• Version control and CI/CD: Familiarity with version control systems like Git and experience with continuous integration/continuous deployment pipelines.
• APIs and data formats: Experience with web service APIs (RESTful), and data formats such as JSON, XML, and YAML.
• Network devices and platforms: Hands-on experience with major network equipment from vendors like Cisco and Juniper, including experience with their respective automation APIs.
• Cloud networking: Familiarity with cloud environments and virtualized networking concepts (AWS, Azure, GCP) is often a plus.

The desired candidate would develop, implement, and maintain software-based solutions to automate network infrastructure and operations. This role combines deep networking expertise with advanced programming and scripting to improve the speed, reliability, and security of network deployments. The position is crucial for reducing manual errors and achieving greater scalability in modern IT environments.

Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations (A Plus): 

• Vendor-neutral certifications like CompTIA Network+ are a good starting point.
• Vendor-specific certifications such as Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), Cisco Certified DevNet Associate/Professional, and Juniper Networks Certified Associate (JNCIA-DevOps) demonstrate specialized knowledge.
• Relevant automation-specific certifications, like Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ansible Automation, are also valuable

Work Environment:  

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Demands:  

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.