Network Systems Engineer

Zachary Piper Solutions; San Diego, Northern (CA, KY); On-site; USD 160,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401(k)

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Sick Leave

Job summary

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Network Engineer, Systems IV for NIWC Pacific in San Diego, CA. This full-time, onsite role supports RDT&E and SRDT&E networks, ensuring secure, resilient infrastructure and robust cloud connectivity.

The candidate will install, configure, and maintain networking gear, monitor performance with tools like inMON and Zabbix, and provide after-hours on-call support. A Secret clearance and related certifications are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS/ IT or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 10+ years of hands-on network engineering experience in complex environments.
• Ability to work independently and with senior-level teams in government settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering support for RDT&E and SRDT&E networks, physically based.
• Install, configure, upgrade, troubleshoot, and maintain network hardware/software with STIGs.
• Monitor performance using enterprise tools like inMON and Zabbix; optimize networks.
• On-call support after hours with onsite response within two hours.
• Establish connectivity to multi-clouds (AWS, Azure) and manage VPCs, subnets, and gateways.
• Configure VPNs, VPGs, and Azure peering for secure cloud connectivity.
• Troubleshoot cloud networking issues in coordination with cloud teams.
• Create test environments and perform validation and regression testing.
• Maintain corrective action tracking and coordinate with vendors.
• Prototype and support routing, firewall, NAC, and network security infrastructure.

Skills

Network engineering

Cloud connectivity

Routing & switching

Network security

Python scripting

PowerShell

Zero-Trust

NAC

On-site support

BGP/OSPF

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Masters preferred

Tools

inMON Traffic Sentinel

Zabbix

Aruba ClearPass

Palo Alto

HPE Aruba

AWS

Azure

Python

PowerShell

VMware

Job description

Zachary Piper Solutions is currently seeking a Network Engineer, Systems to support the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC Pacific) based in San Diego, CA. This position is a full-time, onsite role supporting the physical Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) and SECRET RDT&E (SRDT&E) network environments. This position is critical to maintaining secure, resilient, and high-performing network infrastructure that enables mission success. As a Network Engineer, Systems IV, you will play a pivotal role in network engineering, cloud connectivity, routing and switching operations, network security implementation, and enterprise infrastructure support within a highly secure government environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide engineering and day-to-day operational support for physical RDT&E and SRDT&E network environments.
• Install, configure, upgrade, troubleshoot, and maintain network hardware and software, including firmware updates and STIG compliance activities.
• Monitor and analyze network performance at both the physical and IP packet levels utilizing enterprise network management tools, including inMON Traffic Sentinel and Zabbix.
• Provide on-call support for after-hours, weekend, and holiday network outages, with the ability to report onsite within two hours of notification.
• Establish and maintain connectivity to multi-cloud environments, including AWS and Microsoft Azure.
• Manage IP addressing, VLANs, route tables, Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), virtual gateways, and cloud network infrastructure.
• Configure and maintain Virtual Private Gateways, Virtual Network Gateways, and Azure Virtual Network Peering to support secure connectivity between RDT&E environments and cloud platforms.
• Monitor and troubleshoot cloud connectivity, bandwidth utilization, latency, and routing issues in coordination with cloud engineering teams.
• Establish network infrastructure test environments and execute network validation and operational testing activities.
• Conduct test case reviews, assessments, execution, reporting, and regression testing to verify issue resolution.
• Maintain corrective action tracking systems and coordinate with vendors to resolve network-related issues.
• Prototype, install, and support network routing, distribution, boundary protection, and firewall infrastructure.
• Configure and maintain HPE Aruba and Palo Alto networking solutions.
• Manage and troubleshoot routing protocols such as OSPF and BGP.
• Configure and secure network tunnels using technologies such as IPsec.
• Implement and manage Network Access Control (NAC) solutions, including Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager.
• Support 802.1X authentication, dynamic segmentation, and Zero-Trust network architectures.
• Install, configure, and maintain enterprise wireless network infrastructure supporting both indoor and outdoor coverage requirements.
• Collaborate with customer stakeholders and engineering teams to ensure highly available, secure, and scalable network operations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree (Masters preferred) in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of relevant network engineering experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in senior-level engineering environments.

Clearance Requirements

• Active Secret Clearance.

Certification Requirements (IAT Level II)

Must possess one of the following certifications:

• CompTIA Security+
• CompTIA CySA+
• CCNA Security
• GICSP
• GSEC
• SSCP

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with inMON Traffic Sentinel and Zabbix network monitoring tools.
• Experience administering Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager.
• Knowledge of Network Access Control (NAC) technologies and security policies.
• Experience implementing Zero-Trust architectures and dynamic segmentation.
• Familiarity with enterprise wireless networking solutions.
• Experience with network automation and scripting using Python and/or PowerShell.
• Experience supporting cloud-connected government or enterprise environments.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across routing, switching, security, and cloud networking domains.

Compensation:

Salary Range: $160,000 - $170,000 depending on experience

Benefits Include:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401(k)
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Sick Leave (where required by law)

This job opens for applications on 8/10/2026. Applications for this job will be accepted for at least 30 days from the posting date.

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