Ground Network Systems Engineer – TS/SCI Clearance w/CI Poly

Leffler Consulting; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Disability coverage

Paid leave

Paid holidays

Employee assistance program

Employee referral program

Job summary

Leffler Consulting in Chantilly, VA, seeks a Ground Network Systems Engineer with TS/SCI clearance and CI poly to design, test, and maintain ground networks supporting space systems. The role emphasizes C2 activities, security, and scalable infrastructure across a government program.

The candidate will evaluate network designs, provide architectural guidance, and coordinate with multiple ground elements while traveling to developer sites as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM required.
• Experience with network protocols, routers, switches, and firewalls from major vendors.
• Proficient with network monitoring tools (e.g., Wireshark) and virtualization technologies (e.g., VMware).
• Understanding of SIGINT Satellite systems is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate proposed network designs and current architecture for scalability and performance.
• Monitor network operation, identify bottlenecks, and recommend optimizations.
• Assess security protocols, risk, and mitigation strategies for ground networks.
• Provide systems engineering support across requirements development, design, testing, and verification.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Verbal and written communication

Teamwork and independence

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

Wireshark

VMware

Cisco devices

Juniper devices

Palo Alto devices

Job description

Ground Network Systems Engineer – TS/SCI Clearance w/CI Poly Required

Location

Chantilly, VA

Job Description

Leffler Consulting is seeking an experienced Ground Network Systems Engineer/Technical Advisor (SETA) with a strong background in Information Technology or Network Engineering. The candidate will play a critical role in the design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of the terrestrial components that support satellite and space-based systems. This role combines technical expertise with systems-level thinking, requiring a broad range of skills to ensure the seamless operation of ground networks. The candidate will support a government program office in charge of ground element command and control (C2) activities for a major program acquisition within a space system program office. This position focuses on the evaluation of network design and implementation, maintenance, optimization, security, and troubleshooting/problem resolution.

Duties

• Support evaluation of proposed network design and existing network architecture, including scalable, high-performance systems.Requires understanding of network systems architecture, security protocols, VPNs, firewalls, and data center environments.
• Proficient with virtualization technologies such as VMware or Hyper Visors, cloud networking, and automation tools such as Ansible. For existing networks, monitor network performance for optimal operation, identify bottlenecks, and evaluate network analysis identifying areas of improvement and optimization.
• Support evaluation of latest security protocols, risk assessments, and strategies to mitigate network risks.
• Provide advice on network architecture, network performance, and security risks.
• Provide advice on data center floor layout, power and cooling, data storage, infrastructure management, backup, monitoring, operating systems, directory services, identity management, access management, and automation.
• Provide formal and informal feedback on program status and recommendations.
• Provide systems engineering support for requirements development, design, test plans, and requirements verifications through acceptance testing from developers.
• Review and assess the adequacy of ground systems specifications, RADs, RVPs, ICDs, RVRs and system level requirements documentation.
• Review, analyze and coordinate any changes to ground system specifications. Participate in defining, managing, testing, verifying and validating collection segment internal and external interfaces.
• Coordinate with different ground elements as required.
• Provide advice on the design and deployment of scalable infrastructure platforms.
• Attend system level design reviews and program management reviews to assess ground system design maturity and requirements compliance. Provide informed technical recommendations to the customer.
• Review, document, and trace ground systems hardware and software requirements. Coordinate with other engineers, FFRDC and developer personnel to resolve issues.
• Review ground system requirements allocations for accuracy and ensure requirement allocation documentation is complete and accurate.
• Review acquisition milestone ground systems design documentation for adequacy, accuracy and completeness, and identify cost, schedule and technical risks/opportunities. Provide mitigation strategies through formal and informal comments. Assess adequacy of developer verification data and provide recommendations to the GPOC for approval or disapproval with clear commentary demonstrating the logic for the recommendations.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with prime contractor counterparts and functional counterparts.
• Understand risk management processes and methods for adjudicating program risk mitigation strategies.
• Coordinate across geographic diverse sites for delivery and acceptance testing; requires travel to these sites as well as to developer sites.
• Provide coordination with facilities’ teams during site surveys, installation, and for long-term facilities maintenance of IT equipment and specialized hardware.
• Support request for change (RFC) processes.
• Ability to travel overseas.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support corporate and customer initiatives.

Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Solid communication and documentation skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM (science, technical, engineering, math)

Required Experience

• Experience in network protocols, network hardware such as routers, switches, firewalls from major vendors like Cisco, Juniper, and Palo Alto Networks
• Proficient with network monitoring tools such as Wireshark and with virtualization technologies like VMware
• Understanding of SIGINT Satellite systems is a plus

Desired Education

• Refer to “Required Education”

• We offer competitive salaries
• medical
• dental
• vision
• disability coverage
• paid leave
• paid holidays
• an employee assistance program
• an employee referral program

Founded in 2001, Leffler Consulting is a women-owned small business (WOSB) headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia. We provide financial management and life-cycle budget and cost support to our nation’s most critical programs in the Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DoD). Leffler Consulting specializes in all areas of financial management, audit readiness, and process improvement and controls while also providing a broad array of support functions critical to supporting the mission requirements of our customers. We offer competitive salaries and a generous benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, and disability coverage, paid leave, paid holidays, an employee assistance program, and an employee referral program.

Copyright 2024 Leffler Consulting, LLC; Chantilly, VA