Senior SDN Network Engineer – Onsite Architect

Nightwing; Maryland; On-site; USD 122,000 - 253,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Vision, Dental

401k plan

PTO & Holidays

Job summary

Nightwing is seeking a Senior Network Engineer / Systems Engineer to dive into complex software-defined networking architectures and modular platform internals. You will help extend and optimize an SDN controller platform to meet mission-critical requirements for national security programs.

The role is onsite at our National Business Park, Maryland location, with responsibilities spanning architecture, prototyping, integration, and performance optimization of next-generation network control

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Network Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related STEM field.
• 7+ years of experience in network engineering, systems engineering, or software-defined networking.
• Deep hands-on experience with SDN controller platforms including architecture, deployment, and customization.
• Strong understanding of model-driven architectures and service abstraction layers in SDN controllers.
• Expertise in network protocols including OpenFlow, NETCONF, RESTCONF, BGP, OSPF, and SNMP.
• Proficiency with YANG data modeling for network device configuration and state management.
• Strong knowledge of OSGi framework and Apache Karaf runtime environments.
• Experience analyzing large-scale Java codebases and understanding architectural patterns.
• Solid understanding of Java programming and ability to read/modify Java code for prototyping.
• Knowledge of RESTful API design and implementation.
• Experience with distributed systems, microservices architectures, and data consistency challenges.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to architectural details.
• Proven ability to evaluate technical trade-offs and make sound architectural recommendations.
• Excellent documentation and communication skills for conveying complex technical concepts.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Active TS/SCI security clearance with Polygraph.

Responsibilities

• Conduct deep technical analysis of SDN controller architectures, including core modules and plugins.
• Evaluate platform capabilities against mission requirements to identify gaps.
• Architect and design custom modules, plugins, and features for networking needs.
• Perform detailed code analysis of controller internals and data models.
• Assess additions vs. separate components for platform evolution.
• Prototype southbound protocol plugins for devices and protocols.
• Develop northbound API extensions and applications leveraging programmability.
• Analyze platform performance and identify bottlenecks for high-scale deployments.
• Define structures for network device configuration and operational state.
• Evaluate integration points with external systems and orchestration tools.
• Document architectural decisions and trade-offs.
• Collaborate with engineers to implement and test extensions.
• Stay current with SDN community developments and best practices.

Skills

SDN controller

OpenFlow

NETCONF

RESTCONF

BGP

OSPF

SNMP

YANG modeling

Java programming

Distributed systems

Microservices

Architectural design

Documentation

Security clearance TS/SCI

U.S. citizenship

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Network/Systems Engineering

Tools

OSGi framework

Apache Karaf

Job description

Nightwing is seeking a Senior Network Engineer / Systems Engineer to dive into complex software-defined networking architectures and modular platform internals. You will help extend and optimize an SDN controller platform to meet mission-critical requirements for national security programs.

The role is onsite at our National Business Park, Maryland location, with responsibilities spanning architecture, prototyping, integration, and performance optimization of next-generation network control