Principal Network Engineer - Wireless

Leidos Inc; Odenton (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Principal Network Engineer - Wireless to lead the design, deployment, and modernization of a large-scale DoD enterprise wireless network. You will provide technical leadership for Aruba architecture, RF performance, secure access, and integration with identity and cybersecurity controls.

You'll collaborate with network, security, and operations teams to deliver reliable wireless services, implement 802.1X with certificate-based authentication, and guide transitions to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 12+ years of relevant experience, or Master's with 10+ years.
• Hands-on experience designing, deploying, and troubleshooting enterprise wireless networks across many sites.
• Experience with Aruba platforms and Aruba Central or On-Premise management.
• Strong knowledge of 802.11 RF engineering: coverage, interference, roaming, performance.
• Experience with 802.1X, RADIUS, certificates, and NAC platforms (ClearPass/ISE).
• Working knowledge of wired dependencies: TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, switching, firewalls, segmentation.
• Experience leading technical implementations and producing engineering/operational documentation.
• Strong communication and cross-team coordination skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and optimize Aruba wireless infrastructure across multiple sites.
• Maintain Aruba Central On-Premises and AOS 10 configurations with HA.
• Lead RF design, site surveys, channel/power planning, roaming optimization.
• Integrate Aruba ClearPass and Cisco ISE with 802.1X authentication.
• Coordinate with cybersecurity for DoD controls, STIGs, and accreditation evidence.
• Provide technical direction and mentoring; review designs and risks.
• Plan engineering changes, upgrades, testing, deployment waves, and handoffs.
• Develop and maintain documentation: designs, baselines, test plans, site-survey results.

Skills

Aruba wireless architecture

RF design & optimization

NAC integration (ClearPass/ISE)

802.1X / certificate-based auth

Security & DoD compliance knowledge

Automation (Python/Ansible)

Wireless troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's/Master's degree in CS/EE/related field

Tools

Ekahau

AirMagnet

Ansible

Job description

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.

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.

• 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.

Clearance Requirements

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

• Must meet applicable DoD cybersecurity workforce qualification requirements for the assigned position.

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.

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 $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.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.