Manager, Network Engineering and Telecommunications

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 118,000 - 308,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Workplace flexibility

Employee clubs

Health and finance workshops

Off-site social events

Discounts to local museums

Job summary

Draper is seeking a Manager of Network Engineering and Telecommunications in Cambridge, MA. Lead a team responsible for LAN/WAN, voice, and security platforms across campus and satellite sites, guiding incident response and budget management.

This role requires deep Cisco networking expertise, strong project oversight, and a track record of delivering secure, reliable network services in a regulated environment. Security clearance may be required for the position.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a relevant field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 10 years of progressive experience in network engineering or IT infrastructure.
• 3 years of people-management or demonstrated team-lead experience leading network or infrastructure teams, with responsibility for hiring, performance management, and budget.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of network engineers and infrastructure operations personnel, including hiring, professional development, and performance management.
• Manage the architecture and operation of the campus LAN and the enterprise WAN connecting satellite sites and data center facilities.
• Direct incident response as the senior technical authority; lead structured, first-principles troubleshooting across LAN, WAN, voice, and security layers to isolate faults and restore service rapidly.
• Manage the enterprise firewall infrastructure, including network segmentation architecture and dedicated segmentation firewalls supporting secure enclaves.
• Oversee VPN, load balancing, network access control (NAC), and enterprise wireless platforms.
• Manage the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) voice/telephony environment and related telecom services and carrier relationships.
• Manage the unclassified on‑premises and collocated data centers, including the equipment installation, upgrade, and decommission lifecycle, environmental monitoring, capacity planning, and physical security.
• Serve as the subject‑matter expert for IT facilities buildout in existing and planned facilities; plan and deliver network and structured‑cabling infrastructure for multiple concurrent construction, renovation, and new‑facility projects, on schedule and within budget.
• Manage vendor relationships, circuits, maintenance contracts, and the network operating and capital budgets.
• Ensure network infrastructure meets CMMC and NIST 800‑171 security requirements; partner with Information Security on segmentation, access control, and compliance initiatives.

Skills

Enterprise routing & switching

Firewalls

Network segmentation

NAC

Load balancing

VPN

VoIP

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Information Technology or equivalent

Job description

Overview:

Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation.

Job Description Summary:

The Manager of Network Engineering and Telecommunications provides technical leadership and direction for the enterprise network and telecommunications infrastructure spanning the main campus and thirteen satellite sites. The Manager leads a team of network engineers and infrastructure operations personnel responsible for the design, operation, security, and continuous availability of the corporate LAN, WAN, voice, and network security platforms. This is a technical leadership role: the Manager serves as the senior escalation point during outages and complex troubleshooting efforts, directing the team's diagnostic approach and driving rapid restoration, and manages the projects, operating budget, and compliance execution for the network environment, with strategy and architecture direction set in partnership with the Director of IT Infrastructure & Operations.

Job Description:

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of network engineers and infrastructure operations personnel, including hiring, professional development, and performance management.
• Manage the architecture and operation of the campus LAN and the enterprise WAN connecting satellite sites and data center facilities, including all IDF and satellite-site network infrastructure.
• Direct incident response as the senior technical authority; lead structured, first-principles troubleshooting across LAN, WAN, voice, and security layers to isolate faults and restore service rapidly.
• Manage the enterprise firewall infrastructure, including network segmentation architecture and dedicated segmentation firewalls supporting secure enclaves.
• Oversee VPN, load balancing, network access control (NAC), and enterprise wireless platforms.
• Manage the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) voice/telephony environment and related telecom services and carrier relationships.
• Manage the unclassified on‑premises and collocated data centers, including the equipment installation, upgrade, and decommission lifecycle, environmental monitoring, capacity planning, and physical security.
• Serve as the subject‑matter expert for IT facilities buildout in existing and planned facilities; plan and deliver network and structured‑cabling infrastructure for multiple concurrent construction, renovation, and new‑facility projects, on schedule and within budget.
• Manage vendor relationships, circuits, maintenance contracts, and the network operating and capital budgets.
• Ensure network infrastructure meets CMMC and NIST 800‑171 security requirements; partner with Information Security on segmentation, access control, and compliance initiatives.
• Maintain configuration management, documentation, monitoring, and operational readiness across all network platforms.

Skills/Abilities:

• Deep technical command of enterprise routing and switching, firewalls, segmentation, wireless, NAC, load balancing, VPN, and VoIP (Cisco environment preferred).
• Ability to credibly direct engineers through complex troubleshooting without serving as the primary hands‑on resource.
• Demonstrated success managing multiple concurrent projects, vendors, and budgets in a multi‑site enterprise environment.
• Experience operating in a regulated or defense‑industry environment (CMMC, NIST 800‑171) strongly preferred.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a relevant field, or equivalent professional experience.

Experience:

• 10 years of progressive experience in network engineering or IT infrastructure.
• 3 years of people‑management or demonstrated team‑lead experience leading network or infrastructure teams, with responsibility for hiring, performance management, and budget.

Additional Job Description:

Applicants selected for this position will be required to obtain and maintain a government security clearance. Secret Clearance is preferred.

Job Location:

Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-3563

Salary:

The US base salary range for this full‑time position is $117,500.00 - $307,500.00

Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Benefits:

Draper supports many programs to improve work‑life balance including workplace flexibility, employee clubs ranging from photography to yoga, health and finance workshops, off site social events and discounts to local museums and cultural activities.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Draper is committed to creating an inclusive environment. We understand the value of inclusivity and its impact on a high‑performance culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Draper is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, please contact [e-mail].

Culture:

We are in the business of redefining what is possible. Join our inclusive, multidisciplinary team to engineer the groundbreaking solutions of tomorrow. Explore life at Draper with our unique culture and benefits at draper.com.