Cloud Infrastructure Network Monitoring and Automation Software Engineer Intern - Austin, TX - 2027

IBM is a global technology company offering enterprise cloud services through IBM Cloud. The intern will contribute to backend Python microservices, network automation workflows, testing frameworks, and integrations supporting IBM Cloud network infrastructure. The role also includes reducing technical debt, improving documentation, and participating in agile delivery and code reviews.

What you'll do:

• Contribute to the Axon/NCS project: participate in the development of back-end Python microservices that implement Day-0 (initial network provisioning, Zero Touch Provisioning) and Day-2 (operational changes, firmware updates, configuration drift remediation) automation workflows. This includes working on REST API endpoints, YAML-driven input processing, and Jinja2-based configuration generation pipelines that produce switch conf+B30igurations deployed across IBM Cloud data centers
• Build and improve automated test coverage: help design and implement unit and integration tests for the Axon/NCS platform. One of the team's active priorities is establishing a regression test framework and test environment; the intern will make direct contributions to closing that gap, including authoring test cases, identifying edge conditions, and validating end-to-end workflow correctness
• Support SSOT and Hivemind integration work: assist in developing or improving the interfaces between NCS/Axon and the SSOT/Hivemind data platforms (backed by NetBox and CockroachDB), ensuring that network context data (rack topology, port mappings, cable connections, device inventory) is reliably consumed and validated by the automation workflows
• Reduce technical debt and improve documentation: contribute to the ongoing NCS Overhaul initiative by helping refactor tightly coupled components, improving Docker container configuration practices, and writing operational runbooks and onboarding documentation that are currently incomplete or missing
• Participate in agile delivery: work within the team's sprint-based development model: track work in Jira, attend standups and sprint ceremonies, contribute to code reviews, and share progress with cross-functional stakeholders across NetTools, Network Engineering, and Data Center Operations

What they're looking for:

• • Back-end development in Python: hands-on experience writing Python services or scripts, including working with data structures, JSON/YAML processing, and REST API design and consumption (e.g., Flask, FastAPI, or equivalent)
• • Version control with Git: ability to work collaboratively in a Git-based workflow, including branching, pull requests, and participation in code reviews
• • Containerization fundamentals: familiarity with Docker, including building images, running containers, and understanding container-based service deployment
• • Understanding of REST APIs and HTTP: ability to design, implement, and consume RESTful APIs
• • Automated testing aptitude: experience writing unit or integration tests, or demonstrated understanding of why automated test coverage matters in production-critical infrastructure automation systems
• Bachelor's Degree
• • Working knowledge with one or more scripting or infrastructure tools: Bash, Ansible, Python automation scripts, or equivalent configuration management tooling
• • Familiarity with template engines such as Jinja2, Helm, or similar
• • Exposure to container orchestration or cloud-native platforms: Kubernetes, OpenShift, or Docker Compose
• • Basic understanding of networking concepts: IP addressing (IPv4/IPv6), VLANs, switching, routing fundamentals, or exposure to Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP)
• • Working knowledge with monitoring, observability, or ITSM tools: Grafana, Splunk, Zabbix, JIRA, ServiceNow, GitHub, or Confluence