Network Engineer

Network Engineer - TS/SCI
Bethesda, Maryland
$116,350.00 - $210,325.00
Clearance: TS/SCI
Client is looking for a Senior Network Engineer to join team. The Senior Network Engineer provides senior-level technical expertise in the planning, coordination, implementation, and sustainment of major computer network initiatives.
This is a 100% on-site position. All work must be performed at the customer site in Bethesda at the Intelligence Community Campus.
Primary Responsibilities:
Provide senior-level technical expertise in the design, implementation, and sustainment of highly available, scalable, and secure data center and enterprise network environments, including spine-leaf topologies, virtualized environments, and fabric networks.
Support the planning and integration of LAN/WAN infrastructure, ensuring seamless and secure connectivity among on-premises systems, cloud environments, and external mission networks.
Provide technical leadership in the configuration, optimization, and troubleshooting of Cisco ACI, routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers in support of mission-critical operations.
Analyze and optimize network connectivity and performance across servers, storage, hypervisors, and data center interconnects to support network throughput, availability, and reliability requirements.
Oversee the use of network monitoring and ITSM tools such as ServiceNow, SolarWinds, NetBox, and PRTG to monitor network health, availability, performance, and incident resolution.
Lead technical troubleshooting and incident resolution for complex network and data center issues, coordinating root cause analysis, corrective actions, and recovery activities as appropriate.
Develop and maintain contingency and continuity plans and procedures to support network resilience and minimize service disruptions during outages, maintenance events, and other operational activities.
Provide technical oversight of network infrastructure standards and practices, including cabling, patch management, structured wiring, equipment configuration, documentation, and data center operations.
Analyze network segmentation, performance, capacity, and latency requirements and recommend optimization strategies across physical and virtual environments.
Coordinate with IT, Systems Engineering, Cybersecurity, and Application teams to support cross-functional projects and ensure network implementations align with established security, technical, and mission requirements.
Provide technical oversight of ServiceNow ITSM activities, including work assignment, incident and change tracking, documentation, escalation, and resolution in accordance with established procedures and SLAs.
Prepare and present technical status reports, incident summaries, performance metrics, and recommendations to program leadership and government stakeholders.
Provide technical support and leadership for network modernization and data center consolidation initiatives, helping to develop implementation approaches and ensuring assigned activities meet established technical, budgetary, and schedule requirements.
Evaluate emerging network technologies and provide recommendations regarding solutions that may improve data center efficiency, scalability, availability, and cybersecurity posture.
Provide technical guidance, mentoring, and work direction to network engineers and technicians, assisting with complex technical issues and supporting professional development.
Assist leadership with resource planning, work schedules, and personnel coverage to support operational and mission requirements.
May support the evaluation of resumes and technical qualifications for network engineering vacancies and participate in candidate interviews as a technical subject matter expert.
May provide input to leadership regarding the performance and development of assigned personnel, including periodic feedback and assessments against established employee goals and corporate guidelines.
May review and approve timesheets for assigned personnel in accordance with corporate standards and established procedures.
Provide after-hours or on-call technical support as required for critical outages, service interruptions, and other mission-impacting events.
Basic Qualifications:
Proven experience designing, implementing, and maintaining data center network architectures with a focus on scalability, redundancy, and security.
Hands-on experience with Cisco ACI, Nexus, and Catalyst platforms, including configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
Strong understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, OSPF, BGP, VLANs, HSRP, SNMP, and multicast protocols.
Proficiency with network monitoring and ITSM tools such as ServiceNow, SolarWinds, and NetBox.
In-depth knowledge of network security principles, including firewall rules, ACLs, VPNs, and secure remote access.
Familiarity with network asset lifecycle management, capacity planning, and hardware procurement processes.
Experience leading teams and managing performance under shifting operational priorities.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to brief senior leadership and government stakeholders.
Candidate must meet DoD 8140/8570.11- IAT Level II certification requirements (Security+ CE, CCNA Security, GSEC, or SSCP) with a valid Computing Environment (CE) certification.
Clearance:
Due to the nature of the government contracts we support, ship is required.
TS/SCI with Poly required for Position or TS/SCI and willingness to get a poly.
Education:
Requires a Bachelor's degree and 12+ years of relevant experience. Additional years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree
Preferred Qualifications:
Active Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification
CCNP or CCIE certification