Senior Network & Telecom Engineer IV

About the role

The ASOS program is an essential, joint mission support effort of NOAA/NWS Department of Commerce (DOC), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Department of Defense (DoD). The NWS ASOS is the nation's principal system for collecting and reporting surface weather observations, primarily at airports, in support of aviation operations as well as weather forecasting and the timely issuance of warnings. The ASOS directly supports: (1) Air Traffic Controllers relying on surface observations to provide airport weather parameters to safely support National Aerospace System (NAS) operations; (2) surface weather observations at airports required for dispatch of commercial aircraft; (3) surface observations required for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations; (4) surface observation data required by the Office of Operational Systems and used by the NWS to produce weather forecast models and products; (5) dial-in services to the aviation community and general public for automated voice weather reports; and (6) Ground-to-Air (GTA) radio broadcasts of automated voice weather reports.

Responsibilities

• Infrastructure Design and Implementation
• Assist the government and its designated telecom vendor in designing and implementing modern IP communications systems to support ASOS data transmission.
• Assist the government telecom PM in ensuring compatibility between the upgraded ACU/DCP systems and existing telecommunications infrastructure.
• Telecommunications Contract Management
• Coordinate with the government's telecommunications vendor for the ordering, processing, approval, scheduling and provisioning of telecommunications circuits to replace existing copper circuits.
• Track burn rates for contracted EIS services and recommend funding amount to the government PM for current and out year budget requirements.
• Act as the focal point for all EIS contract task order processing for all NWS, US Navy and FAA sites converting to 1.5 communications
• Risk Management and Redundancy
• Assist the government communications PM in identifying potential risks, such as communication outages, and implementing redundancy mechanisms to maintain system uptime.
• Avoid solutions being resilient against disruptions, such as adverse weather or hardware failures.
• Proactively stay abreast of technologies that have the potential to support ASOS communications.
• Operations and Support
• Maintain the database of all NWS and FAA ASOS telecom circuits including any hard cabling connections, their airport ident location and site meta data.
• The telecom circuits can be used for comparison to vendor billing in EIS to ensure service lapses are avoided.
• Collate, analyze, and prepare EIS vendor usage, bandwidth and outage service data (trends) for presentation to the ASOS PM.
• Cloud Network Engineering & Operations
• Design, implement, and manage secure, scalable, and highly available AWS network architectures, including VPCs, subnets, routing, and connectivity (e.g., Direct Connect, VPN, Transit Gateway).
• Configure and optimize AWS networking services such as Route 53, ELB (ALB/NLB), CloudFront, and Global Accelerator for optimal performance and cost-efficiency.
• Implement and enforce network security using Security Groups, AWS WAF, and Firewall Manager, integrating with Cloudflare for enhanced perimeter security, DDoS protection, and content delivery, ensuring compliance with security best practices and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor cloud network health, performance, and utilization using AWS CloudWatch and VPC Flow Logs, actively troubleshooting and resolving network Incidents.
• Develop automation scripts (e.g., Python, CloudFormation, Terraform) for efficient provisioning and management of cloud network resources, embracing Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
• Collaboration & Documentation
• Provide expert guidance and collaborate with development, operations, and security teams on cloud network solutions and best practices.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for all cloud network designs, configurations, and operational procedures.
• Support application deployments and migrations by ensuring robust network connectivity and performance within the AWS environment.

Requirements

• Primary Degree: A Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Network Engineering, Information Technology, or a closely related field is a standard requirement for senior-level roles.
• Advanced Degree: For a Level 4 position, a Master's Degree in Information Systems or Network Architecture is often preferred and can sometimes substitute for 2-3 years of experience.
• Certifications: A senior engineer in this role needs a combination of expert-level networking and specialized cloud credentials: Cloud Specialization: AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty is essential for designing secure, scalable AWS network architectures like Transit Gateways and Direct Connect. Desired Certifications: Expert Networking: Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) or Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Enterprise is highly recommended for high-level infrastructure design. Government/Security Compliance: DoD 8570/8140 IAT Level II/III (e.g., Security+, CASP+, or CISSP) is often required for government-contracted positions involving NWS or FAA sites.
• Key Technical Skills: Based on your specific project requirements, the candidate should demonstrate mastery in: Infrastructure & Telecom: ○ Design and implementation of modern IP communication systems to replace legacy copper circuits. ○ Experience with EIS (Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions) contract task order processing and billing analysis. ○ Proficiency in routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP) and Layer 2/3 switching. Cloud & Automation: ○ Advanced AWS networking (VPCs, Route 53, ELB, CloudFront, Global Accelerator). ○ Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform, CloudFormation, or Python for network automation. ○ Perimeter security integration with Cloudflare and AWS WAF/Firewall Manager. Risk & Operations: ○ Disaster recovery planning and implementing redundancy mechanisms for high-uptime systems. ○ Network monitoring and troubleshooting using AWS CloudWatch and VPC Flow Logs. ○ Maintaining detailed circuit databases and site metadata for vendor billing comparison.

Qualifications

• Education: A Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Network Engineering, Information Technology, or a closely related field is a standard requirement for senior-level roles. An advanced degree (Master's Degree in Information Systems or Network Architecture) is often preferred and can sometimes substitute for 2-3 years of experience.
• Experience: 10+ years of relevant experience in network/systems engineering, telecommunications, or a related field.
• Technical Skills: Mastery in modern IP communication systems, EIS contract task order processing, routing protocols, Layer 2/3 switching, AWS networking services, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), perimeter security integration, disaster recovery planning, network monitoring, and circuit database management.
• Soft Skills: Strong collaboration and communication skills, ability to work independently and in a team environment, and proficiency in risk management and redundancy mechanisms.

Skills

• Expert-level networking and specialized cloud credentials: AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty, Cisco CCIE/CCNP, DoD 8570/8140 IAT Level II/III (e.g., Security+, CASP+, CISSP).
• Proficiency in routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP), Layer 2/3 switching, and AWS networking services (VPCs, Route 53, ELB, CloudFront, Global Accelerator).
• Experience with EIS contract task order processing and billing analysis.
• Knowledge of disaster recovery planning and redundancy mechanisms.
• Ability to monitor cloud network health and troubleshoot network incidents.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform, CloudFormation, or Python.
• Experience with perimeter security integration with Cloudflare and AWS WAF/Firewall Manager.

Benefits

IBSS Corp offers a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage with a company-paid deductible, paid time off, federal holidays, a matching 401K plan, tuition/professional development reimbursement, and Flex-Spending (FSA)/Dependent Care Account (DCA) options.

Pay

$100k-$140K (based on years of experience)

Schedule

Full-time, with frequent visits to a lab in Sterling, VA.

Contact

To apply, please visit https://ibsscorp.com/careers/. Select the position you are interested in, review the job details, then click Apply Now. Complete and submit your application.