Unified Communication Sr Principal

About the role

GDIT is seeking a Unified Communication Senior Principal Engineer in support of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Global Video Services (GVS) business area to enable the integration of video services into the Department of Defense (DoD). As a Unified Communication Senior Principal, you'll play a crucial role in advancing our communication infrastructure to deliver seamless, secure, and efficient unified capabilities (UC). You will provide technical direction, coordinate a team of engineers, prioritize engineering efforts, and ensure successful delivery of mission-critical capabilities. You will drive the engineering strategy supporting both contemporary IP Video systems and integration with legacy UC services and endpoints, ensuring compliance with DoD directives and guidelines. You'll continuously assess, project, and enhance system capabilities, contributing to the resilience and scalability of the infrastructure. By developing and maintaining critical system documentation and working closely with cyber team members, your work will directly support effective communication strategies vital to the mission's success.

Responsibilities

• Lab Environment: Responsible for leading all activities related to re-baselining and maintaining the engineering lab environment ensuring it is current and represents the customers production environment.
• Engineering Support: Serve as an expert for migration from legacy video infrastructure toward modern, cloud-capable UC platforms; support platform upgrades, Smart Licensing transitions, and hardware refresh projects. Provide Engineering/Tier III troubleshooting and sustainment across UC video infrastructure — spanning legacy platforms (Cisco VCS/Expressway, Poly/Cisco endpoints) and modern solutions (Pexip Infinity, Microsoft Teams CVI).
• System Capacity Planning: Develop System Capacity Expansion Plans; conduct quality assurance and performance checks across UC telecommunications design, video networking elements, and end-user peripherals.
• Compliance and Security: Ensure all architecture and designs comply with current DoD directives and guidelines, especially for classified networks, providing continuing security engineering support.
• Logistics and Configurations: Offer strategic logistics support and recommend specific configurations to enhance system functionality.
• Lifecycle Management: Implement and validate final hardware and software configurations while maintaining up-to-date System Engineering and Functional Requirements documentation.
• UC Analysis and Design: Provide expert analysis, design, integration, and testing support for Unified Communication solutions.
• Quality Assurance: Perform performance and quality assurance checks on UC telecommunications design, voice and video networking elements, and end-user peripherals.
• Deployment Models: Design solutions for various cloud deployment models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) optimizing the essential characteristics of cloud computing.
• Customer Interaction: Analyze customer requirements, assess design/technology alternatives, and facilitate discussions with stakeholders to propose and implement effective solutions.

Qualifications

• BA/BS and 10+ years of related experience or 14 years of related experience in lieu of a degree
• Active DoD Secret clearance
• US Citizenship required

Required skills and experience

• UC Networking Expertise: 3+ years in real‑time communications (VoIP/Video) with deep SIP/SDP/RTP/SRTP/TLS/WebRTC expertise
• Video Infrastructure: Hands-on experience with Cisco VCS Control / Expressway (C & E series) — SIP/H.323 interworking, traversal zone configuration, and signaling troubleshooting. Experience with Pexip, Poly, or Cisco hardware video endpoints
• IT Principles and Techniques: Strong grasp of information technology principles, methods, and associated hardware/software
• Domain Expertise: Experience with integration and/or management of classified voice and video systems
• Support Skills: Extensive support knowledge in DNS, certificates/PKI, TLS, signaling/media, AD, PowerShell, APIs/REST, Network/FW, and h.323/SIP
• Advanced Troubleshooting: Proven troubleshooting across signaling/media layers using call traces and packet captures (Wireshark/tcpdump)
• Customer Service: Superior customer service skills, essential for engaging with diverse stakeholder groups and ensuring system reliability and user satisfaction

Work schedule and location

• Hybrid work arrangement, with a minimum of 1 week a month on-site at Fort Meade, MD or Chantilly, VA
• Travel required: Less than 10%
• Weekly hours: 40

Compensation and benefits

Likely salary range for this position is $164,382 - $201,250, set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements.

Benefits package includes:

• Medical plan options with Health Savings Accounts, dental plan options, and vision plan
• 401(k) plan with pre and post-tax contribution options up to IRS annual limits and company match
• Full flex work weeks where possible
• Paid time off plans including vacation, sick and personal time, holidays, paid parental, military, bereavement and jury duty leave
• New employees typically receive 15 days of paid leave per calendar year plus 10 paid holidays (prorated based on date of hire)
• Paid Family Leave program providing up to 160 hours of paid leave in a rolling 12 month period for eligible employees
• Short and long-term disability benefits, life, accidental death and dismemberment, personal accident, critical illness and business travel and accident insurance