Lead Software Engineer, Automation

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We are Optimum, a leader in the fast-paced world of connectivity, and we're on the hunt for enthusiastic professionals to join our team! We understand that connectivity isn't just a luxury anymore - it's a necessity that empowers lives, fuels businesses, and drives innovation. A career at Optimum means you'll be enabling progress and enhancing lives by providing reliable, high-speed connectivity solutions that keep the world connected. We owe our success to our amazing product, commitment to our people and the connections we make in every community.
If you are resourceful, collaborative, team-oriented and passionate about delivering consistent excellence, Optimum is the Company for you!
We are Optimum!
We are seeking a seasoned and technically strong Lead Software Engineer, Automation to lead the development of advanced network automation, telemetry ingestion, and intelligent systems that support large-scale telecommunications operations. This role combines technical leadership, hands-on engineering, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver solutions that enhance network observability, service automation, and operational intelligence.
As the technical lead, you will oversee a team of engineers focused on building and scaling backend services, infrastructure tooling, and event-driven pipelines using technologies like Kafka, Kubernetes, and Prometheus. You'll guide architecture decisions, enforce engineering best practices, and drive systems reliability across mission-critical platforms. Your expertise in Unix systems, network protocols, and automation frameworks will directly impact the performance, stability, and responsiveness of our network operations.
This is a high-impact technical leadership opportunity suited for engineers who thrive at the intersection of software, infrastructure, and network operations, and who are passionate about mentoring others while driving strategic technical direction.
Responsibilities

• Lead a team of engineers delivering infrastructure automation, telemetry ingestion pipelines, and intelligent tooling.
• Define and enforce engineering best practices around code quality, testing, CI/CD, and systems reliability.
• Provide architectural direction for systems involving Kafka, Kubernetes, observability tooling, and distributed backend services.
• Architect and build scalable software solutions using Python, Go, and Java to support core network operations and infrastructure automation.
• Design and maintain APIs, service integrations, and event-driven workflows that interact with platforms like CMTSs, DHCP, DNS, and RADIUS.
• Maintain production-quality codebases, performing code reviews and driving platform stability.
• Oversee Linux system configurations, performance tuning, and automation at the OS level.
• Leverage Ansible, Git, CI/CD tools (GitLab CI, Jenkins), and system-based service orchestration to manage infrastructure.
• Implement automation that reacts to SNMP traps, syslog streams, and telemetry from DOCSIS plant equipment.
• Partner with architects and network leadership to prototype, evaluate, and scale technologies including: Kafka and related event processing tools (e.g., Flink); Kubernetes, containerization, and service mesh patterns; Observability platforms (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk)
• Contribute to reference architectures for network telemetry, alert correlation, and intelligent remediation.
• Serve as a bridge between software, network, and operations teams to ensure solutions align with operational workflows.
• Engage with NOC, Network Planning, Security, and DevOps stakeholders to validate requirements and maintain reliability standards.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers through design reviews and career development.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, shared responsibility, and continuous learning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in software engineering and systems/infrastructure roles.
• Minimum of 2 years leading or mentoring engineering teams or project pods.
• Strong experience with Python, Go, or Java in a production environment.
• Expertise in Unix/Linux administration in large-scale environments.
• Familiarity with Tier 1-3 service provider networking concepts, particularly DOCSIS (CMTS, modem telemetry, TLVs).
• Proficiency with event-driven architectures (Kafka, Flink), Kubernetes, Docker, and observability tooling (Grafana, Prometheus, Splunk).
• Solid understanding of DHCP, DNS, SNMP, RADIUS, and network automation.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional projects, resolve technical blockers, and communicate across engineering and operations domains.
• Strong written documentation and system design communication skills.

At Optimum, we're fueled by our four core pillars: Taking Ownership, Upholding Transparency, Creating Community, and Demonstrating Expertise. Our commitment to empowering employees to take responsibility and embrace proactive problem-solving underpins Taking Ownership. Upholding Transparency is at the core of our culture, with open and honest communication fostering trust among our dedicated team and loyal customers. Creating Community is more than a goal; it's our daily commitment to fostering an environment of collaboration, innovation, and positivity. Demonstrating expertise is a promise we uphold through continuous learning and engagement with our customers to consistently deliver top-quality products and services. These pillars not only shape our culture but define Optimum as a place of excellence, trustworthiness, and thriving community, and we invite you to be a part of our journey.
If you have the drive to succeed and are ready to embark on a thrilling career, seize this opportunity today, and join our winning team, so together, we'll shape the future of connectivity.
All job descriptions and required skills, qualifications and responsibilities for a particular position are subject to modification by the Company from time to time, in the Company's discretion based on business necessity.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. The Company provides reasonable accommodations upon request in accordance with applicable requirements.
Optimum collects personal information about its applicants for employment that may include personal identifiers, professional or employment related information, photos, education information and/or protected classifications under federal and state law. This information is collected for employment purposes, including identification, work authorization, FCRA-compliant background screening, human resource administration and compliance with federal, state, and local law.
Applicants for employment with the Company will never be asked to provide money (even if reimbursable) as part of the job application or hiring process. Please review our Fraud FAQ for further details.
This position is identified as being performed in/or reporting to company operations in New York State. Salary ranges are supplied in compliance with New York State law. Pay is competitive and based on a number of job-related factors, including skills and experience. The starting pay rate/range at time of hire for this position in the posted location is $133,661.00 - $219,586.00 / year. The rate/range provided herein is the anticipated pay at the time of hire, and does not reflect future job opportunity.
Nearest Major Market: Long Island
Nearest Secondary Market: New York CIty