Senior Network Engineer

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Network Engineer to lead, design, secure, and optimize mission critical network infrastructure in a hybrid cloud/on-premises environment supporting DoW operations. This role requires deep expertise in enterprise networking, advanced security controls, data center architectures, network automation, and compliance-driven environments. You will serve as a technical subject-matter expert, mentor junior engineers, and drive modernization initiatives across a high security, air gapped enterprise.

Responsibilities

• Engineering — Architect, design, and maintain advanced Layer 2/Layer 3 network infrastructures across campus, data center, and hybrid cloud environments. Lead deployment and lifecycle management for Cisco Catalyst 9300/9500 platforms, Cisco Nexus/NX OS switching, and network segmentation strategies. Own routing design, traffic engineering, IP schema development, and network resilience planning. Lead modernization initiatives, including migration toward data center–optimized or leaf-spine architectures.
• Authentication & Access Control — Architect and administer enterprise 802.1X authentication using Cisco ISE. Design and maintain TACACS+, RADIUS, AD/LDAP integrations, and secure access frameworks. Implement dynamic VLAN assignment, machine/user authentication policies, and enterprise access control standards.
• Infrastructure Integration — Lead networking design and integration for VMware ESXi/vCenter environments. Oversee multi-tier connectivity for applications, storage, and virtual infrastructure. Troubleshoot complex service dependencies across network, virtualization, and system layers.
• Security, Compliance & Hardening — Ensure network compliance with STIGs, RMF controls, FIPS requirements, and DoD cybersecurity mandates. Enforce advanced security protections including DAI, DHCP snooping, port security, and encrypted management access. Maintain secure boundary architectures and validate controlled ingress/egress paths.
• Monitoring, Performance & Troubleshooting — Integrate network platforms with SIEM and monitoring stacks (Elastic, Zabbix, SolarWinds). Lead advanced troubleshooting using packet captures, traffic analysis, authentication logs, and performance metrics. Proactively optimize network performance, capacity, and availability.
• Change Management & Operations — Lead network upgrades (IOS-XE, NX-OS), patching, and failover planning. Oversee and enforce change management (CAB) processes. Maintain and review architecture documentation, topology diagrams, and configuration baselines.
• Disaster Recovery & Continuity — Architect and validate network support for enterprise backup, continuity, and DR operations. Ensure redundant paths, failover configurations, and restoration workflows.
• Collaboration & Leadership — Serve as a senior technical advisor to engineering, cybersecurity, cloud, and application teams. Provide mentorship, code review, and technical oversight for junior and mid-level engineers. Support architectural planning and provide impact analysis for new system initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or 4 years of equivalent experience.
• 5 years of professional network engineering experience in enterprise or DoW environments.
• Expert-level knowledge of TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, switching, subnetting, ACLs, and segmentation.
• Hands-on expertise with Cisco enterprise gear (Catalyst, Nexus, ISE, TACACS+).
• Strong experience with network security architectures and cyber-compliance.

Pay

$118,600—$160,100 USD (applicable in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, the District of Columbia, and the city of Cleveland).