Senior Network Administrator w/Secret Clearance

Archer; Radford (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer is seeking a Senior Network Administrator to join our team supporting an ITES task order. You will design, implement, and maintain complex networking infrastructures across multiple customer environments, with emphasis on Cisco technologies, Palo Alto firewalls, and SDN concepts.

The role requires collaboration with government customers, strong documentation practices, and hands-on administration of network devices including Nexus, Catalyst, ASR, ISR, and Firepower.

Qualifications

• Three years designing, implementing, documenting, and maintaining complex networks.
• Three years configuring and migrating Palo Alto Firewalls.
• Three years using network monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, Cisco Prime, Panorama, Men and Mice).
• Five years hands-on Cisco technologies: Nexus (9K/7K/5K/2K), Catalyst, ASR/ISR, and Cisco Firepower.
• Three years of SDN experience.
• Three years writing SOPs, DR procedures, and documentation for issue resolution.
• Three years network automation/scripting (Python, Perl, TCL, Ansible).
• Three years supporting cybersecurity compliance (STIGs, SRGs, RMF, SCA‑V, CORA).
• Experience supporting government/federal environments (IC/DoD).

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and support complex networking solutions across multiple environments.
• Lead planning, deployment, and maintenance of new network infrastructure and configurations.
• Create and maintain SOPs, DR procedures, and policies for secure operations.
• Monitor and tune network performance, ensure security hardening.
• Analyze network utilization with monitoring tools like SolarWinds, Cisco Prime, Panorama.
• Manage firmware upgrades and preventive maintenance for vendor equipment in the data center.
• Administer and troubleshoot Palo Alto Firewalls and Cisco devices (Nexus, Catalyst, ASR, ISR, Firepower).
• Support software/hardware integrations and recommend upgrades.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders for scalable network systems.
• Lifecycle management of equipment and services, including documentation and version control.
• Share knowledge within the team and assist colleagues with issues.

Skills

Teamwork

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent

CompTIA Security+

Computing Environment Certification (MCSE, Server+, CCNA, RedHat, Palo, etc.)

Tools

SolarWinds

Cisco Prime

Palo Alto Panorama

Men and Mice

Python

Perl

TCL

Ansible

Cisco Firepower

Nexus switches

Catalyst switches

ASR/ISR routers

Job description

Archer is collaborating with TekSynap to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role. We are seeking a Senior Network Administrator to join our team supporting an ITES task order.

Experience

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Three (3) years of experience designing, implementing, documenting, and maintaining complex networking infrastructures.
• Three (3) years of experience configuring, maintaining, and migrating Palo Alto Firewalls.
• Three (3) years of experience using network monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, Cisco Prime, Palo Alto Panorama, Men and Mice).
• Five (5) years of hands‑on experience with Cisco technologies: Cisco Nexus (9K, 7K, 5K, and 2K), Cisco Catalyst switches, Cisco Aggregation Services Router (ASR) and Integrated Services Router (ISR) routers, and Cisco Firepower.
• Three (3) years of experience or working knowledge of Software‑Defined Networking (SDN).
• Three (3) years of experience writing and maintaining SOPs, DR procedures, and documentation for common problem resolution.
• Three (3) years of experience with network automation and scripting tools (Python, Perl, TCL, Ansible).
• Three (3) years of experience supporting cybersecurity compliance including STIGs, SRGs, RMF, SCA‑V, and CORA assessments.
• Strong teamwork, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience supporting government agencies, customers, or contracts within federal environments. This includes the Intelligence Community (IC), Department of Defense (DoD), Federal Civil agencies, and military organizations. Prior experience supporting the same or similar contract, with an in-depth understanding of the customer environment, requirements, and operational landscape, is highly desirable.

Certifications

• CompTIA Security+.
• Computing Environment (CE) Certification (i.e., MCSE, Server+, CCNA, RedHat, Palo, etc.) – can be waived for 30 days after project join date.

Clearance

• Secret – IT-II Non-Critical Sensitive Clearance or Tier 3 (T3) investigation.

Desired Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent years of experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and support complex networking solutions across multiple customer environments and locations.
• Lead the planning, deployment, and maintenance of new network infrastructure and configurations.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and policies to support consistent and secure network operations.
• Monitor and tune network performance, ensuring systems are hardened and compliant with security requirements.
• Analyze network utilization and performance metrics using tools like SolarWinds, Cisco Prime, Palo Alto Panorama, and others.
• Manage firmware upgrades and conduct preventive maintenance for vendor equipment across the data center.
• Administer and troubleshoot Palo Alto Firewalls and Cisco network devices, including Nexus, Catalyst, ASR, ISR routers, and Cisco Firepower.
• Support software/hardware integrations and recommend improvements for expanding and upgrading the existing enterprise environment.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure optimal operation and scalability of network systems.
• Assist in the lifecycle management of network equipment and services, including documentation and version control.
• Contribute to a collaborative team environment by sharing knowledge and assisting team members in solving technical issues.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Locations: Radford Army Ammunition Plant, Radford VA
• Type of environment: Office
• Noise level: Medium
• Work schedule: Schedule is day shift Monday – Friday