Network Engineer (Secret Clearance)

Piper Companies; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO

Paid holidays

Medical insurance

Dental

Vision

401k

Job summary

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Network Engineer to support the U.S. Air Force in Washington, D.C. The role focuses on ensuring network availability, fault isolation, and compliance with DoD security standards.

This is an onsite position at JBAB with a Secret clearance. Responsibilities include monitoring, troubleshooting L1-L3 incidents, configuring routers/switches, performing upgrades, coordinating with vendors, applying STIGs, and maintaining COMSEC accountability.

Qualifications

• Active Secret Clearance required.
• Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of technical experience supporting network, systems, and infrastructure.
• IAT II certification (Security+CE or higher) and CCNA (highly preferred).
• Proficiency configuring and troubleshooting VLANs, VTP, Port Security, STP, L2/L3.
• Experience implementing routing protocols including EIGRP, OSPF, IS-IS.
• Experience troubleshooting Layer 1 and Layer 2 enclaves.
• Experience administering encryption devices, TACLANEs, firewalls.
• Experience supporting DoD/DoW systems.

Responsibilities

• Monitor enterprise networks and transport systems for faults, outages, and performance issues.
• Troubleshoot and resolve Layer 1–3 network incidents using SOPs and automation tools.
• Configure, maintain, and optimize enterprise routers, switches, and network devices.
• Perform Cisco IOS/IOS-XE upgrades and firmware updates.
• Coordinate with carriers and vendors to resolve circuit and service disruptions.
• Execute network changes and ASIs in accordance with change management procedures.
• Apply STIGs and patch vulnerabilities to maintain cybersecurity compliance.
• Lead network modernization and engineering initiatives.
• Provide on-call support for critical outages and incidents.

Skills

VLAN configuration

Routing protocols

Network troubleshooting

Cisco IOS/IOS-XE

Security+ / IAT II

CCNA preferred

DoD DoW experience

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

TACLANE encryption devices

Firewalls

Encryption devices administration

Job description

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Network Engineer to support U.S. Air Force in Washington, D.C. The team is seeking an engineer to ensure network availability, fault isolation, and alignment with Department of War operations for a critical enterprise. Details below:

Clearance: Secret clearance

Location: JBAB, Washington, D.C. (100% onsite)

Schedule: Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00 (Core shift)

This job opens for applications on 11/9/2026 Applications for this job will be accepted for at least 30 days from the posting date

Responsibilities of the Network Engineer:

• Act as an escalation point during absences, managing shift operations and priorities.
• Monitor enterprise networks and transport systems for faults, outages, and performance issues.
• Troubleshoot and resolve Layer 1–3 network incidents using SOPs and automation tools.
• Escalate complex outages and provide detailed troubleshooting documentation.
• Configure, maintain, and optimize enterprise routers, switches, and network devices.
• Perform Cisco IOS/IOS-XE upgrades and firmware updates.
• Coordinate with carriers and vendors to resolve circuit and service disruptions.
• Execute network changes and Authorized Service Interruptions (ASIs) in accordance with change management procedures.
• Apply STIGs, patch vulnerabilities, and maintain cybersecurity compliance.
• Manage TACLANE and other Type-1 encryption devices, ensuring secure network operations.
• Maintain COMSEC accountability and compliance with DoD security standards.
• Lead network modernization, technology refresh, and engineering initiatives.
• Provide on-call support for critical network outages and operational incidents.

Qualifications of the Network Engineer:

• Active Secret Clearance
• Bachelors degree and 5+ years of technical experience supporting network, systems, and infrastructure
• IAT II certification (Security+CE or higher) and CCNA (highly preferred)
• Proficiency confgiruing and troubleshooting VLANs, VTP, Port Security, Spanning Tree Protocol, L2/L3
• Experience implementing routing protocols including EIGRP, OSPF, IS-IS
• Experience troubleshooting Layer 1 and Layer 2 enclaves
• Experience administering encryption devices, TACLANEs, firewalls
• Experience supporting DoW systems

Compensation of the Network Engineer:

• Total compensation based on experience level - $90,000-$120,000+ based on total years of experience and skill level
• Full Benefits: PTO, Paid Holidays, Medical, Dental, and Vision, 401k
• Long-term contract through Zachary Piper Solutions – contract mobility and job stability

#LI-MK1 #LI-Onsite

Keywords: Network Engineering, Enterprise Networking, Network Operations, Tier III Support, Network Troubleshooting, Incident Resolution, Vendor Escalation, routers, switches, Network Infrastructure, Routing, Switching, SD-WAN, WLAN, Wireless Networking, top secret, secret, ts/sci, top secret/sci, polygraph, W2, Opentowork, hiring, VPN, MPLS, OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, Multicast, Firewalls, Network Security, Defense-in-Depth, Cybersecurity, DISA STIG Compliance, Network Performance Optimization, High Availability, Network Reliability, L1, L2, OSPF, EIGRP, trunking, BGP, Firewalls, encryption, DoD, DoW, CCNA, CCNP, Network, Cisco, Juniper, Infrastructure Modernization, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Problem Management, Engineering Implementation Plans (EIPs), Change Management, Network Deployments, Configuration Management, Baseline Management, Version Control, Configuration Auditing, Backup and Recovery, Rollback Planning, Firmware Upgrades, Patch Management, Lab Validation Testing, Pre-Production Testing, Risk Assessment, Network Architecture, Technical Leadership, Subject Matter Expert (SME), Cross-Functional Collaboration, Agile, SAFe, JIRA, Program Increment (PI) Planning, Sprint Ceremonies, Technical Documentation, Operational Support, Enterprise Infrastructure, Network Monitoring, Systems Integration, Continuous Improvement