Principal Network Engineer - Wireless

Leidos; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 116,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Principal Network Engineer – Wireless to lead the engineering, deployment, and modernization of a large-scale, geographically distributed enterprise wireless network supporting a DoD environment. This role provides technical leadership for Aruba wireless architecture, RF performance, secure network access, integration, troubleshooting, and transition to operations across multiple sites.

Required DoD security clearance and extensive Aruba/RF expertise are essential to deliver

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 12+ years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with 10+ years.
• Current IAT Level II or higher certification, such as Security+ or CISSP.
• Hands-on experience designing and troubleshooting large-scale wireless networks.
• Strong Aruba wireless platform experience and management tools.
• Knowledge of 802.11, RF engineering, roaming and performance troubleshooting.
• Experience with enterprise authentication and access control (802.1X, RADIUS, certificates).
• Familiarity with wired dependencies (TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, switching, firewalls).
• Proven ability to lead technical implementation and document engineering work.

Responsibilities

• Lead Aruba wireless architecture deployment and optimization across sites.
• Engineer Central On-Premises and AOS 10 configurations with HA and standards.
• Drive RF design, site surveys, channel/power planning and QoS.
• Integrate ClearPass and ISE with 802.1X/EAP-TLS and credential management.
• Coordinate with cybersecurity on controls, STIGs, and accreditation evidence.
• Provide technical direction and mentoring; review designs and risks.
• Plan engineering changes, testing, deployment waves, and handoffs.

Skills

Aruba wireless

RF design

802.11 knowledge

Aruba Central

NAC security

Network security

DoD networking

TCP/IP understanding

Troubleshooting

mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Tools

AOS 10

Aruba Central On-Premises

ClearPass

Cisco ISE

802.1X authentication

Ekahau

AirMagnet

Job description

Leidos is seeking a Principal Network Engineer – Wireless to lead engineering, deployment, and modernization of a large-scale, geographically distributed enterprise wireless network supporting a Department of Defense environment. The engineer will provide technical leadership for Aruba wireless architecture, RF performance, secure network access, integration, troubleshooting, and transition to operations.

The environment includes Aruba AOS 10, Aruba Central On-Premises, distributed Aruba ClearPass, Cisco ISE coexistence, certificate-based 802.1X authentication, Comply-to-Connect enforcement, wireless intrusion detection and prevention, and enterprise monitoring. The engineer will collaborate with network, identity, cybersecurity, and operations teams to deliver secure, reliable wireless services at scale.

Clearance Requirements

• Active DoD Secret clearance; ability to obtain additional access if required by the assigned environment.

Primary Responsibilities

Wireless Architecture and Deployment

• Design, deploy, configure, and optimize enterprise Aruba wireless infrastructure, including access points, gateways, management platforms, redundancy, and lifecycle upgrades.

• Engineer and sustain Aruba Central On-Premises and AOS 10 configurations, provisioning workflows, high availability, and enterprise configuration standards.

• Lead RF design, site surveys, channel and power planning, capacity analysis, roaming optimization, and wireless QoS for voice and mission-critical applications.

Network Access Control and Security

• Integrate Aruba ClearPass and Cisco ISE with 802.1X/EAP-TLS, RADIUS, certificate-based authentication, endpoint profiling, and Comply-to-Connect policies.

• Engineer wireless security controls, including network segmentation, WPA3, WIDS/WIPS, secure guest access, and approved cryptographic configurations.

• Coordinate with cybersecurity teams on applicable DoD security controls, STIGs, vulnerability remediation, testing, and accreditation evidence.

Integration, Troubleshooting, and Leadership

• Integrate wireless services with wired switching, VLANs, routing, DNS/DHCP, firewalls, identity systems, and enterprise monitoring platforms.

• Lead complex troubleshooting and root cause analysis involving RF, client connectivity, roaming, authentication, certificates, and network performance.

• Provide technical direction and mentoring to engineering teams; review designs and implementation plans and communicate technical risks and recommendations to program and government stakeholders.

• Plan and execute engineering changes, upgrades, testing, deployment waves, and operational handoffs with validation and rollback procedures.

Documentation Responsibilities

Develop and maintain wireless architecture and RF designs, configuration baselines, access‑control and security designs, implementation and test plans, site‑survey results, troubleshooting guides, standard operating procedures, and as‑built/transition documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 12+ years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with 10+ years. Additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

• Current IAT Level II or higher certification, such as Security+ or CISSP.

• Significant hands‑on experience designing, deploying, and troubleshooting enterprise wireless networks across multiple sites.

• Strong experience with Aruba wireless platforms and management, including access points, gateways/controllers, and Aruba Central or comparable enterprise management tools.

• Strong knowledge of 802.11 and RF engineering, including coverage, interference, capacity, roaming, and wireless performance troubleshooting.

• Experience with enterprise wireless authentication and access control, including 802.1X, RADIUS, certificates, and Aruba ClearPass or comparable NAC platforms.

• Working knowledge of wired network dependencies, including TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, switching, firewalls, and network segmentation.

• Experience leading technical implementation activities, troubleshooting complex issues, and producing engineering and operational documentation.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to coordinate across technical teams and customer stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Aruba professional or expert certifications; relevant Cisco or security certifications.

• Experience with AOS 10 and clustered Aruba Central On-Premises deployments at large enterprise scale.

• Experience with distributed ClearPass clusters, FIPS configurations, Cisco ISE coexistence, and phased Comply-to-Connect rollout.

• Experience with Wi‑Fi 6/6E/7, high‑density RF surveys, voice roaming optimization, and tools such as Ekahau or AirMagnet.

• Experience with WIDS/WIPS, guest wireless separation, WPA3, and DoD STIG/RMF processes.

• Experience with REST APIs, SNMPv3, enterprise monitoring, Python/Ansible automation, or wireless telemetry integration.

• Experience supporting large‑scale DoD or classified network environments.

Key Success Factors

• The successful engineer combines hands‑on Aruba and RF expertise with the ability to lead complex deployments, isolate problems across wireless, wired, and identity layers, and deliver a secure, reliable service that operations teams can sustain.

If you’re looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We’re not hiring followers. We’re recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We’re already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

October 8, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $116,350.00 - $210,325.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.