39 – Network Engineer Senior

Defense Engineering Inc.; Fort Belvoir (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Defense Engineering Inc. is seeking a Senior Network Engineer to design, implement, modernize, and sustain enterprise network infrastructure for a DoD environment based in Fort Belvoir, VA or Albuquerque, NM.

You will engineer LAN/WAN, secure Cisco routing, Palo Alto firewalls, and VPN solutions to support classified operations. The role requires deep Cisco/VPN expertise, Palo Alto security integration, and experience with RMF/STIGs and Zero Trust concepts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, engineering, or a related discipline with 8+ years of relevant experience.
• IAT II Certification

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, configure, and maintain enterprise LAN and WAN infrastructure.
• Engineer and support Cisco routing and switching environments for mission-critical networks.
• Configure, troubleshoot, and optimize enterprise routing and switching technologies, including: OSPF, BGP, VLANs, STP, HSRP/VRRP.
• Support WAN connectivity utilizing MPLS, VPN, and Internet-based transport technologies.
• Configure, administer, and maintain Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls.
• Design, implement, and support secure Palo Alto GlobalProtect remote access and site-to-site VPN solutions.
• Monitor network health, analyze performance, identify bottlenecks, and implement corrective actions.
• Perform advanced Layer 1-7 network troubleshooting using industry-standard diagnostic tools.
• Develop and maintain engineering documentation, implementation plans, network diagrams, and standard operating procedures.
• Participate in technology refreshes, network modernization efforts, and infrastructure upgrades.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity personnel to ensure compliance with DoD cybersecurity policies, RMF requirements, and applicable STIGs.
• Support scheduled maintenance activities, incident response, and operational troubleshooting in a high-availability environment.

Skills

Cisco networking

Palo Alto Networks

BGP

OSPF

VLANs

STP/HSRP/VRRP

MPLS/VPN

SD-WAN

Zero Trust/RMF/STIGs

Network automation (Python/Ansible)

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IT/Engineering

Tools

Python

Ansible

IaC

vSphere

SolarWinds/PRTG

Cisco IOS/IOS-XE

Job description

Defense Engineering Inc (DEi) is seeking a Senior Network Engineer to support the design, implementation, modernization, and sustainment of enterprise network infrastructure within a fast-paced Department of Defense (DoD) environment in Fort Belvoir, VA or Albuquerque, New Mexico. The successful candidate will provide engineering expertise for mission‑critical Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), and secure network infrastructure supporting classified and enterprise operations.

The ideal candidate is an experienced network engineer with extensive knowledge of Cisco networking technologies, Palo Alto Networks security solutions, and enterprise routing and switching. This individual will work independently and collaboratively with multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver secure, resilient, and scalable network solutions that support evolving customer mission requirements.

Clearance: TS/SCI Security Clearance

Primary Responsibilities:

Design, implement, configure, and maintain enterprise LAN and WAN infrastructure.

Engineer and support Cisco routing and switching environments for mission‑critical networks.

Configure, troubleshoot, and optimize enterprise routing and switching technologies, including:

• OSPF
• BGP
• VLANs
• Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
• HSRP/VRRP

Support WAN connectivity utilizing MPLS, VPN, and Internet‑based transport technologies.

Configure, administer, and maintain Palo Alto Networks next‑generation firewalls.

Design, implement, and support secure Palo Alto GlobalProtect remote access and site‑to‑site VPN solutions.

Monitor network health, analyze performance, identify bottlenecks, and implement corrective actions.

Perform advanced Layer 1-7 network troubleshooting using industry‑standard diagnostic tools.

Develop and maintain engineering documentation, implementation plans, network diagrams, and standard operating procedures.

Participate in technology refreshes, network modernization efforts, and infrastructure upgrades.

Collaborate with cybersecurity personnel to ensure compliance with DoD cybersecurity policies, RMF requirements, and applicable STIGs.

Support scheduled maintenance activities, incident response, and operational troubleshooting in a high‑availability environment.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, engineering, or a related discipline with 8+ years of relevant experience. Additional years of experience may be substituted for a degree.

IAT II Certification

DESIRED

Experience with Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and advanced Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) architectures.

Experience deploying and supporting Versa Networks or similar SD-WAN solutions.

Experience with network automation using Python, Ansible, and Infrastructure-as-Code (IAC) technologies.

Familiarity with Network Access Control and Comply-to-Connect technologies such as Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) and IEEE 802.1X authentication.

Experience with enterprise network monitoring platforms such as SolarWinds or PRTG.

Experience supporting hybrid cloud networking in Microsoft Azure and/or AWS environments.

Knowledge of DoD Risk Management Framework (RMF), Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs), and Zero Trust networking principles including SD-WAN, micro- and macro-segmentation, and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA).

Familiarity with break-and-inspect, reverse-web-proxy, and other application-based firewall features.

Experience reviewing packet capture data for troubleshooting and packet analysis.

Experience supporting on-prem virtualization platforms such as vSphere.