Lead Network Engineer

The MITRE Corporation; McLean (VA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The MITRE Corporation is looking for a Lead Network Engineer in McLean, Virginia, to spearhead the implementation of advanced network solutions and operational designs. You'll collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to enhance network infrastructure, drive innovation in operational excellence, and apply site reliability engineering principles, all while enjoying competitive benefits and professional development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in network engineering.
• Strong knowledge of SDN, especially Cisco ACI and routing protocols.
• Excellent communication and team collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead implementation of SDN solutions and network operations.
• Maintain network integrity, performance, and reliability.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to junior engineers.

Skills

Network Operations

Software Defined Networks (SDN)

Advanced Routing Protocols

Operational Excellence

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)

Troubleshooting

Collaboration

Analytical Skills

Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Network Engineering or related field

Master's degree in a related field

PhD with applicable experience

Tools

Cisco ACI

Juniper Apstra

Ansible

Python

Terraform

Cisco IOS

JunOS

Job description

Why choose between doing meaningful work and having a fulfilling life? At MITRE, you can have both. That's because MITRE people are committed to tackling our nation's toughest challenges—and we're committed to the long-term well-being of our employees. MITRE is different from most technology companies. We are a not-for-profit corporation chartered to work for the public interest, with no commercial conflicts to influence what we do. The R&D centers we operate for the government create lasting impact in fields as diverse as cybersecurity, healthcare, aviation, defense, and enterprise transformation. We're making a difference every day—working for a safer, healthier, and more secure nation and world. Our workplace reflects our values. We offer competitive benefits, exceptional professional development opportunities for career growth, and a culture of innovation that embraces adaptability, collaboration, technical excellence, and people in partnership. If this sounds like the choice you want to make, then choose MITRE - and make a difference with us.

Department Summary:

MITRE’s Enterprise Technology organization is seeking a highly skilled and motivatedLead Network Engineerwith expertise in Network Operations, Software Defined Networks (SDN), advanced routing protocols (OSPF, ISIS, BGP), operational excellence, and site reliability engineering (SRE). In this role, you will lead the implementation of operational designs and optimize cutting-edge network solutions that support mission-critical systems. You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure the consistency, reliability, scalability, and security of MITRE’s network infrastructure while driving innovation and best practices.

Key Responsibilities:

Network Design and Implementation:

• Implement the operational design, deployment, and management of Software Defined Networks (SDN) solutions, including Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and Juniper Apstra platforms.
• Operationalize network routing designs, and optimize network routing based on OSPF, ISIS, and BGP protocols to ensure high availability, efficiency and performance.
• Manage and administer enterprise, network switches and routers, from Cisco and Juniper, including implementing and maintaining Cisco IOS and Junos OS updates to ensure optimal performance and security.
• Develop and implement network automation strategies to streamline operations and reduce manual intervention.
• Act as escalation for advanced troubleshooting for junior team members.

Operational Excellence:

• Drive operational excellence by establishing and maintaining operational processes, tools, and metrics to monitor and improve network operations, consistency, performance and reliability.
• Collaborate with Tool teams to improve usage of current observability, automation, and management toolkits, identify gaps in in our toolkits and work with our Tool teams to identify and implement tools to fill these gaps.
• Identify and resolve complex network issues, ensuring minimal downtime and maximum efficiency.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align network operations with organizational goals and mission requirements.

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE):

• Apply SRE principles to enhance the reliability, scalability, and security of MITRE’s network infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain robust monitoring and alerting systems to proactively identify and address network issues.
• Implement automated solutions for incident response, capacity planning, and performance optimization.

Leadership and Collaboration:

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and team members.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across MITRE to understand mission needs and translate them into network solutions.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends to ensure MITRE remains at the forefront of innovation.

Documentation and Compliance:

• Create and maintain detailed documentation of network designs, configurations, and processes.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, industry standards, and government regulations.

Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 3 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• 8+ years of experience in network engineering, with a focus on SDN, routing protocols, and operational excellence.
• Expertise in Software Defined Networks (e.g., Cisco ACI, VMware NSX, or equivalent platforms).
• Deep understanding of routing protocols such as OSPF, ISIS, and BGP, including troubleshooting and optimization.
• Proven experience in applying Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles to network operations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to resolve complex technical issues.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Candidate must be a U. S. Citizen.
• The position is a hybrid position and requires 50% of time to be spend on site.
• Candidate must be clearable for at least a DOD Secret Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• Certifications such as CCIE, CCNP (Cisco) or JNCIE, JNCIP (Juniper), demonstrating advanced expertise in both Cisco and Juniper network technologies.
• Extensive experience managing and administeringJuniper routers and switches, includingJunOS updates and configurations to ensure compliance, security, and optimal performance.
• Familiarity with Juniper-specific tools and technologies for network automation and monitoring.
• Experience with network automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Python, Terraform).
• Experience managing and administering self-deployed MPLS Networks.
• Experience with 802.1X network authentication, authorization and accounting systems such as Cisco ISE.
• Familiarity with cloud networking and hybrid environments.
• Knowledge of cybersecurity principles and best practices.
• Holds a DOD Secret Clearance or higher.

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

None

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

Secret

Work Location Type:

Hybrid

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law. For further information please visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website Know Your Rights Poster.

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