Senior Network Engineer (Tier 3) – On‑Site in DC

Piper Companies; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 165,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Zachary Piper Solutions in Washington, DC, seeks a Network Engineer Tier 3 to support a federal government contractor focused on cybersecurity operations, engineering, and compliance for the DOE and NNSA. This on-site role is based in Washington, DC.

The Network Engineer Tier 3 will deliver advanced network engineering, administration, and security support across complex enterprise environments to ensure availability, performance, and protection of critical infrastructure for national security

Qualifications

• 8+ years of enterprise network engineering and infrastructure support in secure environments.
• Experience configuring and supporting Cisco routers and switches (IOS/NX-OS), Palo Alto next-gen firewalls, VPN technologies, and TACLANE/GEM One solutions.
• Strong knowledge of F5 load balancers, GTM/DNS, L2/L3 networking, routing/switching, security, packet analysis and performance optimization.
• Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/Cybersecurity/Engineering or equivalent experience.
• Active DOE Q Clearance or Top Secret Clearance required.

Responsibilities

• Install, configure, maintain, and optimize enterprise LAN/WAN infrastructure including Cisco devices, VPNs, and load balancers.
• Monitor performance, troubleshoot complex connectivity issues, and implement improvements.
• Secure network infrastructure through patching, hardening, incident response, and compliance with security requirements.
• Support data center operations, virtualization, backup, DR, and network expansion projects.
• Collaborate with engineers and government customers to provide technical recommendations and infrastructure reporting.

Skills

Cisco IOS

Cisco NX-OS

Palo Alto Firewall

VPN technologies

F5 Load Balancers

GTM/DNS

Routing & Switching

Security concepts

Incident Response

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/Cybersecurity/Engineering

Tools

TACLANE

GEM One

Cisco routers

CDP/Firewall management

Job description

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Network Engineer Tier 3 to support a federal government contractor focused on cybersecurity operations, engineering, and compliance for the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). This position is on-site in Washington, DC. The Network Engineer Tier 3 will provide advanced network engineering, administration, and security support across complex enterprise environments, ensuring the availability, performance, and security of critical infrastructure. Join a mission-driven team supporting national security initiatives and the protection of some of the nation's most critical assets.

Responsibilities for the Network Engineer Tier 3 include:

• Install, configure, maintain, and optimize enterprise LAN/WAN infrastructure including Cisco routers, switches, firewalls, VPNs, and load balancers
• Monitor network performance, troubleshoot complex connectivity issues, and implement performance improvements following industry best practices
• Manage and secure network infrastructure through security patching, systems hardening, incident response support, and compliance with security requirements
• Support data center operations, virtualization environments, backup and disaster recovery initiatives, and network expansion projects
• Collaborate with engineers, stakeholders, and government customers to provide technical recommendations, project support, and infrastructure reporting

Required Qualifications for the Network Engineer Tier 3 include:

• 8+ years of experience with enterprise network engineering, network administration, and infrastructure support in secure environments
• Experience configuring and supporting Cisco routers and switches (IOS/NX-OS), Palo Alto Next-Generation Firewalls, VPN technologies, and General Dynamics TACLANE and/or GEM One solutions
• Strong knowledge of F5 Load Balancers, GTM/DNS services, Layer 2/Layer 3 networking, routing and switching protocols, network security, packet analysis, and performance optimization
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience)
• Active DOE Q Clearance or Top Secret Clearance required

Compensation for the Network Engineer Tier 3 includes:

• Salary Range: $165,000 - $175,000 depending on experience
• Full Benefits Package: PTO, Paid Holidays, Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Tuition Reimbursement, and Sick Leave as required by law

#LI-ER1 #LI-ONSITE

Keywords: Network Engineer, Network Specialist Senior, Cisco IOS, Cisco NX-OS, Palo Alto Firewall, VPN, F5 Load Balancer, GTM, Big DNS, DOE, NNSA, Top Secret Clearance, DOE Q Clearance, LAN, WAN, Routing, Switching, BGP, VLAN, IPsec, TLS, SSL, TACLANE, GEM One, Linux, Unix, Windows Server, Network Security, Incident Response, Packet Analysis, Systems Hardening, Data Center Operations, Network Performance Tuning, Federal Government, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Engineering, Washington DC, Onsite Jobs, Secure Networks, Enterprise Networking