Network Site Reliability Engineer (w/ active Secret)

Critical Solutions; Norfolk (VA); On-site; USD 87,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life Insurance

401K matching

Paid time off

Job summary

Critical Solutions in Norfolk, VA is seeking a Network Site Reliability Engineer to support our federal customer. The role focuses on reliability and operational integrity of enterprise networks, developing accurate, implementation-ready configurations for WAN/BAN environments.

Applicants should have Cisco Layer 2/3 expertise, solid understanding of IP routing, ACLs, and redundancy, and hold DoD Secret clearance. On-site position with competitive salary and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen with active DoD Secret clearance or higher.
• B.S degree with 7+ years or Master with 2–6 years in a related technical discipline; four years of relevant experience required.
• Strong Cisco enterprise networking knowledge including IOS/IOS-XE, L2/L3 switching, VLANs, and routing protocols (OSPF/EIGRP/BGP).
• Experience with ACLs, PAT, NAT, and first-hop redundancy concepts.
• Ability to interpret and correlate network information to produce accurate configurations.
• Experience withDoD certification requirements (IAT Level II and CCNA).

Responsibilities

• Develop implementation-ready network configurations for complex WAN and BAN environments.
• Apply standards and configuration baselines to site-specific requirements.
• Review existing and proposed information to determine configuration needs.
• Create configurations across Cisco L2/L3 environments and ensure accuracy.
• Document network configurations reflecting current and proposed environments.
• Collaborate with SRE, network engineering, and development teams.
• Support automation and IaC initiatives with automation teams.

Skills

Cisco networking fundamentals

Layer 2/3 switching

VLAN configuration

OSPF/EIGRP/BGP

ACLs and security

First-hop redundancy

Network addressing/subnetting

TCP/IP concepts

Education

B.S. Degree in a technical field

Masters in related field

Tools

Cisco IOS / IOS-XE

VTP

Jenkins

GitLab

Ansible

Terraform

Docker

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Python scripting

Job description

Network Site Reliability Engineer (w/ active Secret)

Location: Norfolk, VA
Clearance: Secret
Type: Full-time, Onsite
Salary Range: $87,000 - $112,000

JOB DESCRIPTION

Critical Solutions is seeking a Network Site Reliability Engineer to support our federal customer.

The Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) will support the reliability and operational integrity of complex enterprise network environments by developing accurate, implementation-ready network configuration deliverables supporting a variety of WAN and BAN solutions. The engineer will apply established engineering solutions, technical standards, and configuration baselines to customer- and site-specific requirements while accounting for existing network environments and mission needs.

The environment is heavily focused on Cisco Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking. The role requires strong networking fundamentals and the ability to interpret and correlate existing and proposed network information to develop technically accurate configurations appropriate for the target environment. Engineers must understand the technical function and network impact of configuration commands, rather than relying solely on template substitution, and be able to apply that knowledge across varying network requirements and environments.

PRIMARY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop accurate implementation-ready network configurations for complex enterprise WAN and BAN environments.
• Apply established engineering solutions, technical standards, and configuration baselines to site-specific network requirements.
• Review and correlate existing and proposed network information to determine appropriate configuration requirements.
• Develop and modify configurations across Cisco Layer 2 and Layer 3 network environments.
• Understand the technical function, dependencies, and network impact of configuration commands rather than relying solely on template substitution.
• Interpret and apply network addressing, routing, switching, interface, security, and redundancy requirements.
• Create and maintain supporting network configuration documentation reflecting existing and proposed network environments.
• Ensure configuration deliverables are technically accurate, complete, consistent, and appropriate for the target network environment.
• Participate in technical and peer review processes to validate configuration accuracy and technical viability prior to implementation.
• Apply established standards, technical knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned consistently across varying network requirements.
• Adapt to evolving network standards, engineering solutions, configuration templates, platforms, and customer requirements.
• Collaborate effectively with SRE, network engineering, development, and other technical teams supporting enterprise network services.
• Contribute network engineering expertise to broader SRE initiatives involving standardization, optimization, reliability, and automation.
• Support the evolution of automated network capabilities and processes in collaboration with specialized automation and development teams.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be a U.S. citizen and possess an active DoD Secret Security Clearance or higher.
• B.S Degree and 7+ years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 2–6 years of prior relevant experience in data engineering, computer science, information systems, software engineering, mathematics, or a related technical discipline, with at least four years of relevant experience; additional directly related experience may be considered in place of a degree.
• Candidates should possess strong working knowledge of Cisco enterprise networking concepts and technologies, including:
  • Cisco IOS / IOS-XE configuration
  • Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching
  • VLAN configuration and VLAN assignment
  • 802.1Q trunking and native VLAN concepts
  • VLAN trunking Protocol (VTP)
  • Spanning Tree Protocol (STP/RSTP/MST)
  • EtherChannel, including LACP and PAgP
  • Access and trunk port configuration
  • Inter-VLAN routing
  • IPv4 addressing and subnetting
  • Static and dynamic routing
  • OSPF, EIGRP, and BGP
  • Route advertisement and route selection concepts
  • Access Control Lists (ACLs)
  • First-hop redundancy concepts
  • Network interface and port-channel configuration
  • TCP/IP networking concepts
• Must possess an active DoD 8570, IAT Level II Certification
• Must possess an active CCNA Certification

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT

• Must possess and maintain both of the following: IAT Level II certification AND CCNA Certification

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience configuring or supporting Cisco Catalyst switches and Cisco routers.
• Experience working within a large, complex enterprise network environment.
• Experience with standardized or template-based network configuration development.
• Experience with network configuration validation, technical or peer review, and change management processes.
• Experience with network automation, automated script development, or scripting languages such as Python, Bash, or PowerShell.
• Experience with CI/CD tools and practices, including Jenkins, GitLab, or similar technologies.
• Experience with automation, configuration management, or Infrastructure as Code (IaC) technologies such as Ansible, Terraform, CloudFormation, Chef, or Puppet.
• Familiarity with containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, or Red Hat OpenShift.
• Experience with Linux/Unix environments and command-line tools.
• Experience with commercial cloud environments such as AWS or Azure.
• Experience with application administration, configuration, or integration.
• Experience with Atlassian and/or Azure DevOps products and associated workflows.

LOCATION

• On-site 100%. Norfolk, VA
• Other acceptable work location: Bremerton WA, Jacksonville FL, Honolulu HI, San Diego CA or Washington DC

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENT

Must possess an active DoD Secret Clearance. In addition, selected candidate must undergo background investigation (BI) and finger printing by the federal agency and successfully pass the preceding to qualify for the position. US CITIZENSHIP IS REQUIRED.

CRITICAL SOLUTIONS PAY AND BENEFITS

Salary range $87,00 - $112,000. Salary range may vary depending on location.The salary range for this position represent the typical salary range for this job level and this does not guarantee a specific salary. Compensation is based upon multiple factors such as responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, certifications, and other requirements.

BENEFIT SNAPSHOT

100% premium coverage for Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, Supplemental Insurance, 401K matching, Flexible Time Off (PTO/Holidays), Higher Education/Training Reimbursement, and more.