Network Engineer with Security Clearance

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Network Engineer to support a long-term Navy program focused on enterprise network operations, vulnerability management, and rapid patching initiatives. This position is 100% onsite in Norfolk, VA, and supports one of the world's largest enterprise intranet environments spanning Navy installations across CONUS and OCONUS. The Network Engineer will support accelerated vulnerability remediation, IOS/IOS-XR upgrades, security patching, and network engineering operations across enterprise Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, F5, and Palo Alto infrastructure.

This role requires a hands-on network engineer capable of responding quickly to emerging vulnerabilities, executing patching efforts under strict timelines, and providing ongoing troubleshooting and operational support between remediation initiatives. Responsibilities of the Network Engineer include:

• Execute enterprise network vulnerability remediation and patching initiatives across thousands of network devices under accelerated timelines and evolving operational requirements.
• Perform network operating system upgrades, security patches, firmware updates, and vulnerability remediation across Cisco IOS, IOS-XE, IOS-XR, and other enterprise networking platforms.
• Support patching and remediation efforts across Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, F5, and Palo Alto network infrastructure.
• Assess vulnerability notifications, vendor advisories, security requirements, and patch availability to support rapid remediation planning and execution.
• Validate patching procedures, device readiness, upgrade requirements, dependencies, and potential operational impacts prior to implementation.
• Support network troubleshooting, configuration changes, deployments, maintenance activities, and operational engineering responsibilities between patching initiatives.
• Troubleshoot complex routing, switching, connectivity, and network performance issues across enterprise LAN, WAN, WLAN, and network boundary environments.
• Analyze network outages, identify root causes, support problem management activities, and develop lessons learned and technical documentation.
• Support routing and switching technologies including OSPF, BGP, VLANs, MPLS, multicast, and other enterprise networking protocols.
• Coordinate with network automation teams to support automated patching, configuration management, provisioning, and remediation workflows.
• Assist with Python, Ansible, and other automation-driven engineering processes to improve patching efficiency, consistency, and operational reliability.
• Develop and maintain Engineering Implementation Plans (EIPs), change-management tickets, implementation procedures, rollback plans, and technical documentation.
• Communicate patching progress, operational risks, deployment status, outages, and remediation activities to technical leadership and customer stakeholders.
• Participate in technical meetings, customer discussions, operational coordination, and engineering activities supporting Navy network operations.
• Support Tier III troubleshooting, incident escalation, configuration management, and network sustainment activities as required.
• Participate in scheduled and unscheduled maintenance windows, on-call rotations, and after-hours operational support when required.

Qualifications of the Systems Engineer Mid include:

• Bachelor's degree with 8-12 years of relevant professional experience, or equivalent education and experience substitutions as approved by the Hiring Manager.
• Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience in network engineering, network operations, or enterprise infrastructure support.
• Active DOD Secret clearance.
• DoD 8570.01 IAT Level II certification, such as CompTIA Security+ CE or another qualifying certification.
• Active OEM networking operating system certification, such as Cisco CCNA or an equivalent Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, or other approved vendor certification.
• Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience supporting enterprise network engineering, routing, switching, configuration management, or operational network infrastructure.
• Strong experience with Cisco networking technologies, including IOS, IOS-XE, IOS-XR, network device upgrades, configuration management, and troubleshooting.
• Experience supporting network vulnerability remediation, security patching, firmware upgrades, or network operating system maintenance.
• Strong understanding of enterprise LAN/WAN, routing, switching, network security, and network boundary engineering.
• Experience troubleshooting routing and switching protocols, including OSPF, BGP, VLANs, MPLS, and multicast.
• Ability to rapidly assess technical requirements, adapt to emerging vulnerabilities, and execute network remediation activities under tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex network issues, support outages, perform root cause analysis, and document lessons learned.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to interact directly with customers, technical leadership, engineering teams, and senior stakeholders.
• Ability to clearly explain technical responsibilities, network configurations, troubleshooting methodologies, and engineering decisions during technical interviews and customer discussions.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced operational environment with evolving requirements and minimal advance notice.
• Ability to support 100% onsite work within designated Navy facilities and classified environments.

Preferred Qualifications of the Network Engineer include

• Advanced Cisco networking certifications, including CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Security, or CCIE.
• Hands-on experience with Cisco IOS-XR, large-scale Cisco network infrastructure, and enterprise network operating system upgrades.
• Experience supporting Brocade networking technologies and enterprise switching infrastructure.
• Experience supporting Juniper, F5, Palo Alto, or other enterprise networking and security platforms.
• Experience supporting vulnerability management programs, rapid patching initiatives, and enterprise-scale security remediation.
• Experience patching, upgrading, or maintaining thousands of network devices across geographically dispersed enterprise environments.
• Experience with network automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) technologies, including Python, Ansible, YAML, Jinja2, and REST APIs.
• Familiarity with automated patching workflows, configuration management, deployment validation, and network remediation automation.
• Previous experience supporting the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI), Department of Defense networks, or other large-scale federal enterprise environments.
• Experience supporting Tier III network operations, incident management, problem management, change management, and operational sustainment.
• Familiarity with SAFe Agile methodologies, JIRA, Engineering Implementation Plans (EIPs), and enterprise change-management processes.
• Strong technical documentation, customer-facing communication, and executive-level presentation skills.

Compensation for the Network Engineer includes:

• Salary: $100,000-$106,000 depending on experience
• Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k Plan, Holidays, PTO, sick leave as required by law

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