Senior Network Engineer

Socket.dev; Ashburn (VA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Agile Defense in Ashburn, VA is seeking a Senior Network Engineer to join our DHS-focused mission support team. You will design, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot WAN, LAN, SD-WAN, VPNs, WLAN, and perimeter security to meet customer standards.

The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in MIS/CS/Engineering or related field with 10+ years of network engineering experience; 14+ years without a degree. Expertise in TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, VPNs, VLANs, Cisco tech, firewall control, and SDN

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in MIS, CS, Engineering, or related field with 10+ years of network engineering, or 14+ years without degree.
• Minimum ten years of network engineering experience supporting a large federal agency.
• Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, VPNs and VLANs.

Responsibilities

• Engineer, maintain, configure, and troubleshoot WAN/LAN, SD-WAN, VPNs, WLAN, and perimeter security per DHS standards.
• Provide Tier 2/3 escalation support; perform RCA and coordinate vendor support.
• Lead planning, installation, and cutover of network upgrades and cloud interconnects (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Maintain network diagrams, topology maps, SOPs, and change tickets (ServiceNow/Remedy).
• Support on-call rotation 24/7/365 and emergency change requests as needed.
• Travel within the United States up to 35% of the time.

Skills

Networking protocols

SD-WAN

Firewall management

VPN support

Troubleshooting

On-call support

Education

Bachelor’s degree requirement

Tools

Cisco hardware/software

Firewall technologies

SDN (Cisco ACI/VMware NSX)

Job description

About Agile Defense

At Agile Defense we know that action defines the outcome and new challenges require new solutions. That’s why we always look to the future and embrace change with an unmovable spirit and the courage to build for what comes next.

Our vision is to bring adaptive innovation to support our nation's most important missions through the seamless integration of advanced technologies, elite minds, and unparalleled agility—leveraging a foundation of speed, flexibility, and ingenuity to strengthen and protect our nation’s vital interests.

Requisition #: 1798

Job Title: Senior Network Engineer

Location: Hybrid, Ashburn, VA

Clearance Level: Ability to successfully receive a DHS Customs and Border Protection background check (CBP BI), Public Trust

Job Description

Serve as a Senior Network Engineer enabling the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) mission and enterprise network infrastructure. The applicant will be responsible for engineering, maintaining, configuring, and troubleshooting wide-area networks (WAN), local-area networks (LAN), SDWAN, Virtual Private Networks, wireless networks (WLAN), and perimeter security controls in accordance with customer standards and mandates.

Education and Background

• Bachelor’s degree in management information systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (e.g. Networking and Telecommunications) with 10+ years of experience performing network engineering or 14+ years of network engineering experience without a bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of verifiable network engineering experience supporting a large, complex Federal agency. Strong knowledge of networking protocols, such as TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, VPNs and VLANs.
• Expertise and experience with Cisco technology and Firewall technologies. Ability to perform firewall changes.
• Hands-on experience with SDN technologies such as Cisco ACI or VMware NSX. Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to troubleshoot complex network issues.
• Delivers high-level technical leadership to meet or exceed establishes project goals.

Years of Experience

10 years

Required Skills

• Network Engineering & Maintenance: Configure, deploy, and support enterprise-grade switches, routers, firewalls, VPN gateways, adhere to logging baselines and load balancers across DHS operational environments.
• Troubleshooting & Incident Management: Provide Tier 2/Tier 3 escalation support for network outages, circuit degradations, and performance issues; conduct root cause analyses (RCA) and coordinate vendor support.
• Architecture & Upgrades: Support the planning, installation, and cutover of network hardware upgrades, SD-WAN transitions, cloud interconnects (AWS/Azure/GCP), remote field sites and infrastructure modernization.
• Software Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN): Design, implement, and maintain an SD-WAN solution that extends the principles of software-defined networking and supports multiple network transports (e.g., Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), Broadband Internet, MPLS, 4G/LTE/5G, and satellite) at remote sites. Use SD-WAN network virtualization capabilities, the SD-WAN solution to route traffic based on application type, pre-defined routing policies, and network performance requirements
• Documentation & Asset Management: Maintain accurate network diagrams (Visio), topology maps, inventory databases, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and change control tickets (ServiceNow/Remedy).
• Support On-Call & Escalation Management: support 24/7/365 on-call rotation readiness to respond to Tier 3 critical network incidents within SLA limits and coordinating cross-functional escalation pathways. When needed to restore services, the Senior Network Engineer will provide a solution and implement an Emergency Change Request (ECR), Emergency Break Fix (EBF), or Change Request.
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA) or Post Incident Reporting: Participate in the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) or post incident analysis of problems for mission critical applications, mission essential applications, and mission essential network infrastructure as well as recurring issues on the enterprise IT infrastructure.
• Project Support: Partner with program and project managers to align network engineering deliverables, milestone schedules, and resource planning with enterprise project objectives.
• Scheduled and Adhoc Travel: Ability to travel within the United States either on short notice or scheduled, up to 35% of the time.

Preferred Skills

• Active CBP BI or within the past 3 years
• Active Industry certifications, such as CCNA, CCNP (routing and switching)
• Nice to have: experience and expertise with Zero Trust (Zscaler) and Palo Alto technologies
• Previous experience CBP highly desired, followed by DHS or DoW
• Advance skills in 3 or more of the following:
• Cisco SD-WAN
• Cisco Hyperflex
• Cisco StealthWatch
• Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure
• Cisco Firepower
• Willing to be cross trained in the above technologies,

Working Conditions

Ability to sit for long periods of time

Our Core Values

• Happy - Be Infectious. Happiness multiplies and creates a positive and connected environment where motivation and satisfaction have an outsized effect on everything we do.
• Helpful - Be Supportive. Being helpful is the foundation of teamwork, resulting in a supportive atmosphere where collaboration flourishes, and collective success is celebrated.
• Honest - Be Trustworthy. Honesty serves as our compass, ensuring transparent communication and ethical conduct, essential to who we are and the complex domains we support.
• Humble - Be Grounded. Success is not achieved alone, humility ensures a culture of mutual respect, encouraging open communication, and a willingness to learn from one another and take on any task.
• Hungry - Be Eager. Our hunger for excellence drives an insatiable appetite for innovation and continuous improvement, propelling us forward in the face of new and unprecedented challenges.
• Hustle - Be Driven. Hustle is reflected in our relentless work ethic, where we are each committed to going above and beyond to advance the mission and achieve success.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities