DDI Architect

Description

NEEDED: DDI Architect (DNS / DHCP / IPAM) – NASA

About the Role

NASA seeks a seasoned DDI Architect to lead the architecture, design, engineering, and lifecycle management of enterprise-scale DNS, DHCP, and IP Address Management (IPAM) services across Corporate and Mission networks. The role will drive secure, resilient name resolution aligned to federal requirements—including NIST SP 800‑53 controls for secure name/address resolution (SC‑20, SC‑21), NIST SP 800‑81r3 DNS security guidance, and CISA encrypted/protective DNS mandates—and support NASA’s mission-critical DNS operations, which include participation as a Root Server Operator (E‑root).

You will partner closely with Engineering, System Administration, and Operations teams.

Key Responsibilities:

Enterprise DDI Architecture & Compliance

• Design and maintain authoritative and recursive DNS architectures that implement NIST SP 800‑53 SC‑20 (authoritative) and SC‑21 (recursive/caching)—including DNSSEC signing/validation and chain-of-trust with DS records.

• Operationalize NIST SP 800‑81r3 guidance for secure DNS deployment (protective DNS, encrypted DNS protocols such as DoT/DoH/DoQ, logging/forensics, QNAME minimization) across enterprise DNS roles (authoritative servers, resolvers, zone administration).

• Ensure compliance with CISA’s Encrypted DNS Implementation Guidance and Zero Trust objectives, including routing egress resolution via CISA Protective DNS (PDNS) and blocking unauthorized external resolvers.

• Align with CISA Binding Operational Directives (BODs)—BOD 18‑01 (DMARC/HSTS/STARTTLS), BOD 22‑01 (KEV remediation timelines), BOD 23‑01 (asset visibility/vulnerability detection), and BOD 23‑02 (mitigate internet‑exposed management interfaces).

• Drive IPv6‑first strategy per OMB M‑21‑07 (native IPv6 for public services, IPv6‑only milestones) and maintain dual‑stack transition hygiene for DNS, DHCPv6, and IPAM.

Operations, Risk Reduction & Lifecycle Management

• Serve as technical lead for large‑scale DDI environments, overseeing secure configurations, automation, availability, and performance across centers. (Role scope mirrors enterprise‑class environments consistent with NASA’s operational scale.)

• Implement protective controls and monitoring to detect, log, and investigate DNS misuse; integrate with SIEM/SOAR for forensics and incident response per 800‑81r3.

• Maintain continuous vulnerability management aligned to CISA’s KEV catalog and reporting expectations; coordinate remediation timelines and control validation.

• Secure networked management interfaces (e.g., DNS appliance UI/API, DHCP consoles, IPAM admin) by removing public exposure or enforcing Zero Trust policy enforcement points in accordance with BOD 23‑02.

• Govern DNS email‑related configurations (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) to meet BOD 18‑01 requirements and support NASA Email Architecture.

Root & .gov Domain Stewardship

• Participate in operations for E.root‑servers.org (E‑root) as applicable—supporting authoritative root zone service, anycast deployments, and adherence to RSSAC‑002 metrics and RSO coordination.

• Ensure .gov domain compliance (DNSSEC signing, secure delegation) per federal directives and NIST guidance.

IP Address Governance

• Administer top‑level allocations and growth planning for IPv4/IPv6, consistent with ARIN policies and best practices (aggregation, RPKI, reverse DNS hygiene).

Automation & Modernization

• Evaluate and integrate DDI platform capabilities (e.g., encrypted DNS with PDNS, DNSSEC automation, DHCPv6 prefix delegation, IPAM APIs), and champion modernization aligned with Zero Trust and federal CDM initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of experience, or an Associate's degree and 15+ years of experience designing and operating enterprise DNS/DHCP/IPAM (DDI) services, with demonstrated authority in secure DNS architectures (DNSSEC, validating resolvers, signed zones, DS management). (Aligned to NIST SP 800‑53 SC‑20/SC‑21.)

• Hands‑on implementation of NIST SP 800‑81r3 practices: protective DNS, encrypted DNS (DoT/DoH/DoQ), secure recursive resolvers, authoritative hardening, and comprehensive DNS logging/forensics.

• Practical experience meeting CISA’s Encrypted DNS Guidance and PDNS integration; ability to prevent unauthorized DNS traffic and enforce endpoint, cloud, and SASE/SSE DNS policies.

• Proven track record implementing federal BODs (18‑01, 22‑01, 23‑01, 23‑02) within large environments, including KEV‑driven patch prioritization and Zero Trust controls for management interfaces.

• IPv6 expertise: DNS over IPv6, DHCPv6, IPAM for IPv6, and strategic migration compliant with OMB M‑21‑07 milestones.

• Familiarity with .gov DNSSEC requirements and secure delegation processes for federal domains.

• Knowledge of ARIN policies (NRPM), address planning/aggregation, and registry hygiene (WHOIS/POC validation, RPKI, reverse DNS).

Clearance requirements: 

• U.S. Citizenship is required.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

August 7, 2026

Pay Range:

Pay Range $92,300.00 - $166,850.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

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Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.

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