NOC Technician

System One; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) plan

Dental and Vision

Job summary

System One is seeking a NOC Technician to serve as the senior escalation resource for complex Tier 1 and Tier 2 incidents in a demanding Washington, DC environment. The role requires leadership during major outages, deep packet analysis, and collaboration with multiple teams to ensure rapid restoration of services.

You will maintain runbooks, develop preventive measures, and coordinate with vendors during maintenance windows while supporting on-site operations four days a week.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, or related field from an accredited college or university, OR equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of experience in network operations, network engineering, or systems administration.
• 5+ years of experience working in a 7x24x365 NOC or similar mission-critical environment.
• Advanced industry certifications such as Cisco CCNP, CCNP Security, JNCIP, or equivalent.
• Expert-level knowledge of network protocols, routing, and switching (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, spanning-tree, VLAN).

Responsibilities

• Serve as the final escalation point for complex Tier 1 and Tier 2 incidents requiring advanced technical expertise.
• Lead troubleshooting and resolution of critical network outages, performance degradation, and complex technical issues.
• Perform root cause analysis on major incidents and develop preventive measures to avoid recurrence.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to junior NOC technicians during critical incidents.
• Design and implement solutions for network optimization, automation, and performance improvements.
• Conduct in-depth packet analysis and protocol troubleshooting to diagnose complex connectivity issues.
• Configure and troubleshoot advanced network devices including core routers, multilayer switches, firewalls, and load balancers.
• Participate in and lead Major Incident Management calls with stakeholders and executive leadership.

Skills

Senior escalation

Network troubleshooting

Packet analysis

Security knowledge

Load balancing

Traffic optimization

Vendor coordination

Python scripting

ITIL awareness

Cloud networking

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

SolarWinds

Nagios

Splunk

NetFlow/sFlow analysis

Job description

Job Title: NOC Technician
Location: Washington, DC
Type: Direct Hire
Work Model: 4 days on-site
Hours: 40.0 hours per week
Security Clearance: Ability to obtain a Public Trust or higher security clearance
Contact: [e-mail]

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the final escalation point for complex Tier 1 and Tier 2 incidents requiring advanced technical expertise
• Lead troubleshooting and resolution of critical network outages, performance degradation, and complex technical issues
• Perform root cause analysis on major incidents and develop preventive measures to avoid recurrence
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to junior NOC technicians during critical incidents
• Design and implement solutions for network optimization, automation, and performance improvements
• Conduct in-depth packet analysis and protocol troubleshooting to diagnose complex connectivity issues
• Configure and troubleshoot advanced network devices including core routers, multilayer switches, firewalls, and load balancers
• Participate in and lead Major Incident Management calls with stakeholders and executive leadership
• Develop, maintain, and improve NOC procedures, runbooks, and technical documentation
• Perform advanced network and system performance analysis using multiple monitoring and diagnostic tools
• Collaborate with Network Engineering, Security, and Systems Administration teams on complex cross-functional issues
• Evaluate and recommend improvements to network architecture, monitoring capabilities, and operational processes
• Mentor and train Tier 1 and Tier 2 technicians on troubleshooting techniques and best practices
• Participate in change advisory board (CAB) reviews and provide technical assessments of proposed changes
• Execute complex network changes during maintenance windows with minimal service disruption
• Monitor and optimize network capacity, bandwidth utilization, and traffic patterns
• Coordinate with vendors and external service providers to resolve carrier and equipment issues
• Develop and maintain disaster recovery procedures and participate in failover testing
• Implement network security measures and respond to security incidents in coordination with security teams
• Create and present technical reports on network performance, incidents, and trends to management
• Participate in on-call rotation as the senior technical escalation resource
• Stay current with emerging technologies and industry best practices to continuously improve operations

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, or related field from an accredited college or university, OR equivalent experience
• 7+ years of experience in network operations, network engineering, or systems administration
• 5+ years of experience working in a 7x24x365 NOC or similar mission-critical environment
• Demonstrated experience as a senior escalation point for complex technical issues
• Supporting large-scale enterprise networks with thousands of users
• Advanced industry certifications such as Cisco CCNP, CCNP Security, JNCIP, or equivalent
• Expert-level knowledge of network protocols, routing, and switching (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, spanning-tree, VLAN)
• Advanced troubleshooting skills using packet analysis tools (Wireshark, tcpdump)
• Deep understanding of network security technologies including firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPN, and NAT
• Extensive experience with enterprise network equipment from multiple vendors (Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, Arista, F5)
• Proficiency with network monitoring and management platforms (SolarWinds, Nagios, Splunk, NetFlow/sFlow analysis)
• Knowledge of TCP/IP stack, network services (DNS, DHCP, NTP), and application protocols
• Expertise in load balancing, traffic engineering, and high-availability architectures
• Strong understanding of data center networking, fabric technologies, and virtualization
• Routing policy implementation and traffic optimization techniques
• Advanced troubleshooting skills across multiple technology domains (network, systems, applications, security)
• Ability to interpret network diagrams, technical specifications, and vendor documentation
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills for solving complex problems under pressure
• Leadership and mentoring skills for guiding junior team members
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills across stakeholder levels
• Proven incident management ability, including leading bridge calls and coordinating resources during major incidents
• Proficiency with scripting and automation tools (Python, Ansible, PowerShell, Bash)
• Deep understanding of ITIL framework (Incident, Problem, Change Management)
• Knowledge of cloud networking architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP) and DevOps practices
• Ability to work effectively under extreme pressure and make rapid technical decisions
• Flexibility to work rotating shifts including nights, weekends, and holidays
• Strong documentation skills and commitment to accurate technical records

DESIRED SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:

• Experience in federal government IT environments
• Active security clearance or ability to obtain Public Trust or higher clearance
• Expert vendor certifications (CCIE, JNCIE, PCNSE, F5-CTS)
• Experience with SD-WAN technologies (Cisco Viptela, VMware VeloCloud, Silver Peak)
• Knowledge of CDN architectures and DDoS mitigation technologies
• Advanced security certifications (CISSP, GIAC, CEH)
• Experience with network automation frameworks (Ansible, Terraform, NSO)
• Deep knowledge of IPv6 implementation and dual-stack environments
• Experience with multicast routing and troubleshooting
• Expertise in VoIP and unified communications (SIP, H.323, QoS)
• Wireless technologies (802.11 standards, wireless controllers)
• Application performance monitoring and optimization
• Knowledge of database systems and log analysis (SQL)
• Familiarity with DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, container networking (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Knowledge of compliance frameworks (NIST, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, FedRAMP, FISMA)
• Experience designing and implementing network monitoring solutions
• Background in capacity planning and traffic forecasting
• Incident Commander or ITIL Expert certification
• Teaching or publishing in technical fields
• Experience with ticketing/ITSM platforms (ServiceNow, Remedy, Jira)
• Telecommunications and carrier tech (SONET, DWDM, Metro Ethernet)

System One, and its subsidiaries including Joulé and Mountain Ltd., are leaders in delivering outsourced services and workforce solutions across North America. We help clients get work done more efficiently and economically, without compromising quality. System One not only serves as a valued partner for our clients, but we offer eligible employees health and welfare benefits coverage options including medical, dental, vision, spending accounts, life insurance, voluntary plans, as well as participation in a 401(k) plan.

System One is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, family care or medical leave status, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.