Principal Network Engineer - Top Secret Clearance

General Dynamics - IT; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

401K with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

General Dynamics - IT, in Arlington, VA, seeks a Principal Network Engineer to support a large enterprise network at the Pentagon. You will provide senior-level technical expertise, execute upgrades, strengthen security, and lead troubleshooting across Cisco/Juniper environments with SDN and VPNs.

Requires TS clearance and a Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years’ experience. You will collaborate with the Core Transport Network Engineering team, implement best practices, and mentor junior staff while

Qualifications

• 8+ years of related experience.
• Active Top Secret clearance with ability to obtain SCI.
• Bachelor’s Degree; additional 4 years of experience may substitute for degree.
• Current IAT Level II certification and CCNA/CCNP/ACSA or related certification.

Responsibilities

• Serve as SME in routing, switching, and network performance.
• Implement system improvements and advise leadership and clients.
• Deploy and maintain network hardware and configurations.
• Lead troubleshooting and incident resolution; mentor junior staff.

Skills

Cisco/Juniper

SDN

DNS/DHCP/IPAM

Firewall/VPN

Vuln remediation

CLI scripting

Communication

TS clearance

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

SolarWinds

NetScout

NetCool

NetBrain

Infovista

ClearPass

Aruba

Arista

Job description

We are seeking a Principal Network Engineer to support a large, complex enterprise network of more than 8,000 devices. You will provide senior-level technical expertise, execute upgrades and enhancements, strengthen network security, and lead troubleshooting efforts across diverse technologies.

As a Principal Network Engineer, you will provide technical expertise to the Core Transport Network Engineering team and provide best-practice strategies while executing network enhancements, upgrades, and troubleshooting efforts in a large and complex network environment. You will be responsible for the health and maintenance of a large, complex networking infrastructure.

The Principal Network Engineer will provide comprehensive network administration, security enhancements and remediation, and troubleshooting of network devices such as routers, switches, load balancers, VPNs, 802.11 Wireless, and VoIP. This position requires an understanding of best practices pertaining to network security and may require the development, deployment, and integration of network security services. Successful candidates should be able to work both independently and as part of a team.

Selected candidate will provide on‑site support at the Pentagon.

MEANINGFUL WORK AND PERSONAL IMPACT:

• Serve as a subject‑matter expert in routing, switching, and network performance.
• Implement system improvements and advise leadership and clients.
• Support daily monitoring, troubleshooting, and incident resolution.
• Deploy and maintain network hardware and configurations.
• Collaborate with Security teams on vulnerability remediation.
• Develop automation scripts to improve efficiency.
• Lead technical efforts across multiple projects and mentor junior staff.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED (Required):

Bring your technical writing expertise along with a drive for innovation to GDIT. The Principal Network Engineer must have:

Clearance:

Active Top Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain SCI required.

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree. An additional 4 years of experience may be substituted in lieu of degree.

Certifications: Current IAT Level II certification. In addition, candidate must possess current CCNA, CCNP, ACSA, or related technical certification.

Experience:

8+ years of related experience.

Technical Skills:

• Extensive experience with Cisco and Juniper, SDN, L2/L3 protocols, DNS/DHCP/IPAM/NTP, firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs, vulnerability remediation.
• Proficiency with tools such as SolarWinds, NetScout, NetCool, NetBrain, Infovista, ClearPass, Aruba, and Arista.
• Strong CLI configuration, hardware troubleshooting, scripting, and remote‑access support skills.
• Excellent communication and customer service abilities.
• Experience supporting DOW, DISA, or JSP Network environments.

GDIT IS YOUR PLACE

At GDIT, the mission is our purpose, and our people are at the center of everything we do.

• Growth: AI-powered career tool that identifies career steps and learning opportunities.
• Support: An internal mobility team focused on helping you achieve your career goals.
• Rewards: Comprehensive benefits and wellness packages, 401K with company match, and competitive pay and paid time off.
• Community: Award‑winning culture of innovation and a military‑friendly workplace.

OWN YOUR OPPORTUNITY

• Explore an enterprise IT career at GDIT and you’ll find endless opportunities to grow alongside colleagues who share your desire to drive operations forward.