Principal Network Engineer / Senior Principal Network Engineer

Northrop Grumman; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 103,600 - 155,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

Savings plan

Paid time off

Education assistance

Training and development

Job summary

Northrop Grumman is looking for a Principal Cyber Network Engineer or Senior Principal Cyber Network Engineer in Chantilly, VA. The ideal candidate will monitor and maintain mission-critical network infrastructure, providing tier-2 and tier-3 support.

Key responsibilities include developing, implementing, and supporting solutions for mission-critical systems. Candidates must have an active TS clearance and extensive experience in network troubleshooting and administration.

A comprehensive benefits package and competitive salary ranges from $103,600 to $193,900 depending on experience.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship with active TS clearance required.
• 5 to 8 years of experience in relevant fields depending on degree level.
• IAT-2 Certification (e.g., COMPTIA Security+).

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering and administrative support onsite.
• Develop solutions for mission-critical infrastructure.
• Analyze systems to drive change and create efficiencies.

Skills

Troubleshooting based on OSI model

Cisco CLI commands

Juniper JunOS commands

Making Ethernet cables

Pulling fiber

Risk Management Framework (RMF)

Authority to Operate (ATO) processes

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Ph.D.

Tools

Linux

Windows

Virtualization technologies

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: SCI

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a candidate to join our diverse team of engineers, system administrators, and operators as a Principal Cyber Network Engineer or Senior Principal Cyber Network Engineer professional in Chantilly, VA.

The successful candidate will be expected to monitor, maintain, and provide Tier‑2 and Tier‑3 support of a mission‑critical network infrastructure, collect data for analysis, perform network upgrades, and produce documentation and diagrams of the work they perform.

The successful candidate should thrive in a fast‑paced, quick‑response work environment with high expectations and diverse assignments, and possess the ability to communicate and collaborate with multiple teams across all technical levels. The candidate must be able to lead the way to maintain and develop creative solutions to complex problems.

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering and administrative support onsite for a team of developers and testers, often deviating from industry standard procedures to meet mission needs while maintaining system security standards.
• Develop, implement, and support solutions for systems that support mission critical and mission essential infrastructure.
• Analyze existing systems & networks and make proactive recommendations to drive change and create efficiencies.
• Create and maintain clear, accurate network diagrams and topology documentation to support troubleshooting, change management, and cross‑team collaboration.
• Collaborate with mission system developers to create and deploy solutions in support of customer mission needs.
• Maintain, evaluate, test, and apply STIG configurations for network devices.
• Respond to security findings and Break‑Fix events across the infrastructure.
• Create and maintain network documentation including but not limited to Standard Operating Procedures and VISIO diagrams.

Principal Network Engineer Basic Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen with an active TS clearance with SCI eligibility; ability to obtain a Poly to be considered.
• 5 years with Bachelor’s degree; 3 years with Master’s; 1 year with a Ph.D.; 9 years of experience in lieu of a degree.
• IAT‑2 Certification (e.g., COMPTIA Security+).
• Experience troubleshooting technical issues based on the OSI model.
• Experience making Ethernet cables, pulling fiber, and racking equipment.
• Firm understanding of Cisco CLI commands.
• Firm understanding of Juniper JunOS commands and/or firewall concepts.
• Experience with Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Authority to Operate (ATO) processes.
• Experience working in an integrated team environment with other systems, software, and specialty engineers to develop solutions.

Senior Principal Network Engineer Basic Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen with an active TS clearance with SCI eligibility; ability to obtain a Poly to be considered.
• 8 years with a Bachelor’s degree; 6 years with a Master’s; 4 years with a Ph.D.; 12 years of experience in lieu of a degree.
• IAT‑2 Certification (e.g., COMPTIA Security+).
• Experience troubleshooting technical issues based on the OSI model.
• Experience making Ethernet cables, pulling fiber, and racking equipment.
• Firm understanding of Cisco CLI commands.
• Firm understanding of Juniper JunOS commands and/or firewall concepts.
• Experience with Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Authority to Operate (ATO) processes.
• Experience working in an integrated team environment with other systems, software, and specialty engineers to develop solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with current Poly.
• Understanding of dynamic routing protocols.
• Firm understanding of Juniper JunOS commands and/or firewall concepts.
• Previous experience troubleshooting network procedures and best practices; experience with network challenges associated with systems integration, including COTS integration, and capacity analysis.
• Experience with Linux and Windows operating systems.
• Experience with virtualization technologies (e.g., Red Hat KVM, VMware, libvirt/virsh, Docker, and Kubernetes).
• Previous experience contributing to building ATO packages.
• Experience working in Agile and O&M environments.

Benefits

Northrop Grumman provides a comprehensive benefits package, including health plan, savings plan, paid time off, education assistance, training and development, a 9/80 work schedule where available, and additional benefits.

Salary

Primary Level Salary Range: $103,600.00 – $155,400.00

Secondary Level Salary Range: $129,300.00 – $193,900.00

EEO Statement

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit https://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.