Network Automation & AI Engineer Intern - WaaS

Company Description

Zayo provides mission-critical bandwidth to the world’s most impactful companies, fueling the innovations that are transforming our society. Zayo’s 141,000-mile network in North America and Europe includes extensive metro connectivity to thousands of buildings and data centers. Zayo’s communications infrastructure solutions include dark fiber, private data networks, wavelengths, Ethernet, and dedicated Internet access. Zayo serves wireless and wireline carriers, media, tech, content, finance, healthcare and other large enterprises.

About the Program:  

The Zayo Summer Internship Program is designed to cultivate the next generation of telecommunications professionals. Interns will gain meaningful, hands-on experience within a dynamic, fast-paced, and innovative environment. Our goal is to empower, develop, and connect our interns while fostering fresh perspectives and ideas that will drive our organization forward. 

 
Program Details: 

• Start Date: June 1, 2026 

• Duration: 10 weeks 

• Location: Hybrid 2-3 days a week out of our Denver, CO office, frequency flexible

Position Description 

Zayo is seeking a motivated and talented Network Automation & AI Engineer Intern to join our  Waves on Demand (WoD) t eam. This internship provides a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience at the intersection of optical engineering, software automation, and Artificial Intelligence. You will play a key role in building the "brain" behind Zayo’s next-generation wavelength services, helping us move toward a zero-touch, highly efficient network. 

Our Intern will work closely with experienced professionals on innovative projects aimed at optimizing network operations through AI-driven configuration and automation solutions. You will be directly involved in the evolution of our Hybrid Configuration models, helping to bridge the gap between legacy infrastructure and modern, software-defined optical networking. 

Responsibilities 

• Assist in analyzing complex optical network data to identify opportunities for Waves on Demand (WoD) automation and optimization. 

• Work with the Networks & Technology team to extract and overlay diverse data sets (Ciena, Nokia, Infinera), identifying algorithms to automate Hybrid Configuration types. 

• Support the development of automation scripts and tools using Python to streamline the design and implementation of 100G/400G wavelength services. 

• Leverage AI engines, Machine Learning, and pattern recognition to assist in anomaly detection and predictive capacity exhaust modeling. 

• Contribute to the visualization of different network scenarios, applying cost-benefit analysis to various automation workflows. 

• Help document new automation processes and "Standard Operating Procedures" for the WAAS engineering team. 

• Participate in strategic team meetings and project discussions to gain insights into the future of Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) and optical innovation. 

Qualifications 

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Information Management, Data Analytics, Software Engineering, or a related technical field. 

• Basic understanding of networking concepts, with an interest in Optical Transport (DWDM) and