Security and Network Engineer

California Institute of Technology; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 167,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement savings plan

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

California Institute of Technology's IPAC unit in Pasadena seeks a Security and Network Engineer to advance cybersecurity, systems engineering, and high-performance networking for NASA, NSF, and private observatories. You will help design, secure, and improve IPAC's computing and network infrastructure in collaboration with other engineers.

Join a close-knit team of around ten engineers to coordinate compliance efforts, develop security plans, and implement robust perimeters and secure pipelines

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• Extensive hands-on experience in network design, systems administration, or enterprise infrastructure engineering.
• Strong understanding of network architecture, routing and switching, systems infrastructure, and cybersecurity principles.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate NASA ATO compliance, documentation, and reporting to maintain ATO status.
• Design and audit System Security Plans (SSPs) and POA&M tracking for missions and IPAC infrastructure.
• Translate NIST SP 800-53, FIPS, and NASA IT directives into enforceable network architectures and workflows.
• Design, deploy, audit, and maintain firewall rules and security perimeters across enterprise edge (Palo Alto).
• Design, configure, and troubleshoot Arista and Cisco networks; monitor performance and reliability.
• Support Linux-based systems and data center infrastructure for performance and security.
• Monitor threats with centralized logging and security alerting; respond to vulnerabilities.
• Provide senior technical guidance across network, systems, and security engineering.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Network engineering

Systems engineering

Cybersecurity

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology or Computer Science or Computer Engineering

Tools

Arista

Cisco

Linux

Job description

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

Job Summary

IPAC at Caltech is seeking a Security and Network Engineer to support the cybersecurity, systems engineering, and high-performance network infrastructure powering world-class NASA, NSF, and privately funded ground and spaceborne observatories. As a member of the IPAC Support Group (ISG) Data Center Engineering team, you will play a key technical role in designing, maintaining, securing, and improving IPAC's computing and network infrastructure while working alongside other network, systems, and database engineers to build and defend the vital pipelines that connect the global astronomical community to invaluable scientific data.

IPAC, situated within the Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy at Caltech (www.caltech.edu), provides science operations, pipeline processing, user support, and data services for high-profile missions including the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, SPHEREx, Euclid, the Near-Earth Object Surveyor, and the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). Our diverse portfolio of research archives includes multi-petabyte datasets like the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA), alongside highly curated reference repositories like the NASA Extragalctic Database (NED) and the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which are key research references for modern astrophysics and exoplanet science.

This role encompasses cybersecurity, systems engineering, and network engineering, with responsibility for developing technical solutions to complex infrastructure challenges. As part of a close-knit team of about ten engineers, you will help shape IPAC's infrastructure and security architecture, coordinate federal compliance activities, and provide technical expertise across the organization.

Essential Job Duties

• Manage NASA ATO Compliance & Reporting: Coordinate IPAC's compliance, documentation, and reporting requirements necessary to achieve and maintain our NASA Authority to Operate (ATO) status. Lead the generation, aggregation, and continuous monitoring of evidence required to demonstrate compliance with federal mandates.
• Develop Security Plans & Frameworks: Design, maintain, and audit comprehensive System Security Plans (SSPs) and related Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) tracking for individual space missions, research projects, and IPAC-wide infrastructure.
• Implement NIST & NASA Frameworks: Translate federal compliance guidelines, specifically NIST SP 800-53 security controls, FIPS requirements, and NASA‑specific IT security directives, into enforceable network architectures, system configurations, and operational workflows.
• Manage Enterprise Security Perimeters: Design, deploy, audit, and maintain firewall rules, intrusion prevention systems, and secure zone configurations across our enterprise edge, utilizing Palo Alto firewalls and related security platforms.
• Network Engineering & Infrastructure: Design, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot enterprise network infrastructure, including Arista and Cisco routing and switching environments. Evaluate network performance, availability, and reliability, identify complex technical issues, and recommend and implement improvements.
• Systems Engineering & Administration: Support the design, integration, administration, and maintenance of Linux‑based systems and data center infrastructure. Analyze and resolve complex systems issues and develop solutions to improve performance, security, and operational efficiency.
• Monitor & Mitigate Threats: Implement and manage network‑level monitoring, centralized logging, and security alerting tools to proactively analyze vulnerabilities, detect anomalies, and defend our data center environments.
• Technical Collaboration & Support: Serve as a senior technical resource to other engineers and project teams, providing expertise across network, systems, and security engineering. Participate in infrastructure planning, complex troubleshooting, and technical improvements, and provide guidance to colleagues as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in network engineering, systems engineering, cybersecurity, or related IT infrastructure disciplines (or an equivalent combination of education and experience).
• Extensive hands‑on experience in network design, systems administration, or enterprise infrastructure engineering, including Arista, Cisco, Linux, or similar technologies.
• Strong understanding of network architecture, routing and switching, systems infrastructure, and cybersecurity principles.
• Demonstrated ability to independently analyze and resolve complex technical problems and develop solutions to improve infrastructure performance, reliability, and security.
• Experience managing enterprise firewalls, network security controls, or related security infrastructure.
• Working familiarity with federal cybersecurity compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST SP 800-53, RMF).
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to provide technical guidance and work effectively across engineering teams.
• Qualify as a US PERSON as defined by ITAR regulations: A US person is a citizen of the United States, a lawful permanent resident alien of the US ("Green Card" holder), or an individual granted refugee or asylee status under US law.

Preferred Qualifications

Beyond these basic qualifications, there are skills and experiences which will give you a head start here. We are a specialized environment looking for a well‑rounded engineer who thrives in a shared‑responsibility model. If you have experience in a few of these areas, you will hit the ground running, but even if these don't yet describe you and your experience, we would still like to hear from you:

• Security Policy Development and Implementation: Experience drafting, updating, and enforcing organizational IT security policies, acceptable use guidelines, and incident response procedures in an academic or research setting.
• Compliance Frameworks & ATO Lifecycle: Practical experience steering systems through the federal cybersecurity Risk Management Framework (RMF) to secure or maintain an ATO. Direct familiarity with auditing NIST SP 800-53 controls, FIPS standards, or related NASA cybersecurity guidelines.
• Network Design & Administration: Experience designing, configuring, and troubleshooting enterprise LAN/WAN environments, routing and switching infrastructure, and network performance and availability.
• Security & Vulnerability Tooling: Hands‑on experience with the deployment, configuration, and operational oversight of enterprise security tools, such as Rapid7 for vulnerability scanning and reporting, and CrowdStrike for endpoint protection.
• Systems & Scripting: Strong Linux systems administration skills (Red Hat or Debian) and experience leveraging scripting/programming languages (e.g., Python, Bash) for systems management, security analysis, log parsing, or task automation.
• Cloud Infrastructure & Security: Experience implementing and monitoring infrastructure and security controls within public cloud environments (e.g., AWS).
• Mission Alignment: A genuine interest in science, astronomy, or space exploration. Understanding mission objectives helps us build better systems for the scientists and staff we support.
• Teamwork & Collaboration: A strong collaborative mindset, a willingness to share operational duties, mentor colleagues, and communicate technical and compliance requirements clearly within an active engineering group.

Required Documents

• Resume.

Life at IPAC and Caltech

Caltech is an award‑winning workplace and one of the best places to work in the greater Los Angeles area. We offer an exciting and dynamic work environment, career development opportunities, competitive pay programs, great benefits, and the opportunity to participate in many campus programs and activities.

People choose to work at IPAC for many reasons, and the casual, employee‑centric culture often leads to fulfilling, long‑term careers and lasting relationships. We seek the best and brightest talent to join our workforce and become members of our community.

Hiring Range

$142,400 - $166,700 Per Year

The salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.

As one of the largest employers in Pasadena, CA, Caltech is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc), tuition reimbursement, and more. Non‑benefit eligible employees will have access to some benefits such as onsite counseling and sick time. Learn more about our benefits and staff perks.

EEO Statement

Caltech is an equal opportunity employer and, as a federal contractor, takes affirmative action to employ qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Disability Accommodations

Caltech complies with the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We consider reasonable accommodation measures that may be necessary for eligible applicants and employees to perform the essential functions of a position.

If you would like to request an accommodation to complete this application, interview, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please contact Caltech Recruiting at [e-mail].

Additionally, if you do not meet the basic qualifications of a role but believe you can perform the essential functions of the job with reasonable accommodation, please reach out to Caltech Recruiting at [e-mail].