Network Engineer (MSIC)

Colsa; Huntsville, Northern (AL, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

COLSA Corporation seeks a Network Engineer to support MSIC in Huntsville, AL, handling high-performance data center networking, SDN, and HPC connectivity. You will design and tune lossless fabrics, integrate with virtualization platforms, and ensure DoD security standards are met.

Responsibilities include configuring BGP/OSPF/EVPN across multi-vendor gear, optimizing QoS/PFC/ECN, and leveraging Python/Ansible for automation. Must be a US citizen with TS/SCI eligibility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Network Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 1–12 years of related experience; position may be filled at varying levels based on experience.
• Experience with enterprise and/or data center networking environments.
• Proficiency with high-density switching platforms such as Cisco Nexus, Arista, or NVIDIA.
• Active/current CompTIA Security+ CE, ISC2 SSCP, or equivalent baseline certification.
• Ability to obtain Special Access Program (SAP) eligibility and maintain program access as required.
• U.S. Citizenship required. Must possess, or be able to obtain and maintain, a DoD Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility, including successful completion of a Counterintelligence (CI) Polygraph within 180 days of the start date.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and manage Cisco ACI environments (Multi-Pod & Multi-Site) across high-density routing/switching.
• Engineer and tune InfiniBand and RoCEv2 fabrics for ultra-low latency workloads.
• Configure, audit, and troubleshoot BGP, OSPF, and EVPN overlays across multi-vendor gear.
• Optimize QoS, PFC, and ECN for lossless traffic flow and performance.
• Integrate fabrics with VMware NSX, KVM, Nutanix, and NVMe-oF storage networks.
• Forecast bandwidth demands using telemetry; leverage Python and Ansible for automation and consistency.
• Ensure architectures align with DoD security baselines and DISA STIGs.

Skills

Network engineering

Data center networking

Automation scripting

Security compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in related field

Tools

Cisco Nexus

Arista

NVIDIA networking

InfiniBand

VMware NSX

Python

Ansible

Terraform

KVM

Nutanix

Job description

COLSA Corporation is seeking a Network Engineer to support the Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC) in Huntsville, AL. This position supports high-performance data center network architecture, deployment, and optimization, bridging traditional enterprise networking and specialized High-Performance Computing (HPC) environments. The role manages the physical and logical pathways that support low-latency fabrics, large-scale virtualization clusters, and high-density AI/ML and compute workloads.

The Network Engineer is responsible for maintaining highly reliable, lossless network performance across multi-vendor leaf-spine topologies and high-throughput data pipelines.

• Fabric Architecture & SDN: Design, deploy, and maintain Cisco ACI environments, including Multi-Pod and Multi-Site configurations, across high-density routing and switching platforms.
• Low-Latency & HPC Connectivity: Engineer and tune InfiniBand and RoCEv2 fabrics to support ultra-low-latency requirements for data-intensive mission workloads.
• Protocol & Routing Management: Configure, audit, and troubleshoot complex BGP, OSPF, and EVPN overlay deployments across multi-vendor infrastructure, including Cisco Nexus, Arista, and NVIDIA/Mellanox.
• Lossless Performance Tuning: Optimize Quality of Service (QoS), Priority Flow Control (PFC), and Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) to support lossless traffic flow and consistent network performance.
• Hypervisor & Storage Integration: Integrate network fabrics with virtualization platforms, including VMware NSX, KVM, and Nutanix, and high-speed storage networks such as NVMe-oF to support high-throughput East-West traffic.
• Capacity Planning & Automation: Analyze network telemetry to forecast bandwidth demands for large-scale data ingestion and leverage network automation tools, including Python and Ansible, to enforce configuration consistency and state control.
• Security & Compliance: Ensure network architectures adhere to DoD security baselines, DISA STIGs, and operational security standards required for classified processing environments.

At COLSA, people are our most valuable resource and are at the center of our core values. We invite you to unite your talents with opportunity and become part of our “Family of Professionals!” Learn more about our employee-centric culture and benefits here: https://colsa.com/culture_benefits/

Required Experience

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Network Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 1–12 years of related experience; position may be filled at varying levels based on experience.
• Experience with enterprise and/or data center networking environments.
• Proficiency with high-density switching platforms such as Cisco Nexus, Arista, or NVIDIA.
• Active/current CompTIA Security+ CE, ISC2 SSCP, or equivalent baseline certification.
• Ability to obtain Special Access Program (SAP) eligibility and maintain program access as required.
• U.S. Citizenship required. Must possess, or be able to obtain and maintain, a DoD Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility, including successful completion of a Counterintelligence (CI) Polygraph within 180 days of the start date.

Preferred Qualifications

• Data Center Architecture: Experience with spine-leaf data center architectures.
• Security Clearance: Active DoD Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility and a Counterintelligence (CI) Polygraph, with the ability to meet Special Access Program (SAP) eligibility requirements.
• Certifications: CCNA or higher and/or relevant NVIDIA networking certifications.
• HPC Experience: Demonstrated experience with High-Performance Computing (HPC) clusters.
• Storage Networking: Knowledge of NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE).
• Automation: Ability to manage network state using Ansible, Terraform, or Python.
• Advanced RoCE: Direct experience implementing RoCEv2 in a lossless Ethernet environment using Data Center Bridging (DCB) and Priority Flow Control (PFC).
• Virtualization Experience: Experience with Nutanix, KVM, Citrix, or similar platforms.

Applicant selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. COLSA Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

Salary Type

Annually

The salary range, if referenced, represents a good faith estimate. COLSA considers various factors when determining base salary offers, but not limited to, location, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements.

COLSA offers a comprehensive and customizeable benefits program which includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Supplemental Income Protection Programs, 401(k) with company match, Flexible Spending Accounts, Employee Assistance Program, Education & Certification Reimbursement, Employee Discount Program, Paid Time Off and Holidays.

This position will be posted for a minimum of 3 business days. If a candidate has not been selected at that time, it will continue to be posted until a suitable candidate is selected or the position is closed.