Senior Staff Network Systems Engineer

Rippling, Inc.; Palo Alto, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 195,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Forterra is seeking a Senior Network Systems Engineer to deploy, operate, and troubleshoot Vektor's network infrastructure across field sites and cloud environments. You’ll work hands-on with routers, switches, radios, and Linux appliances, configuring and automating them to perform under real-world constraints.

The role requires ~50% travel to customer sites for installations and ongoing support, with a focus on uptime, security, and scalable network operations across L2–L3 layers.

Qualifications

• 11+ years of professional Network/Systems engineering experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on network engineering experience with routers and switches.
• Strong L2/L3 fundamentals - routing, VLANs, QoS, NAT/PAT, IPv4/IPv6.
• Experience with IPsec/StrongSwan/WireGuard VPNs.
• Automation and scripting with Ansible or Terraform; Bash/Python/Go.
• Working knowledge of PKI and security standards (FIPS).
• AWS experience - VPC design, EC2, Security Groups, Transit Gateway.
• Willingness to travel 10–25% domestically to field sites.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain L2/L3 network infrastructure across the install base.
• Configure Linux-based network appliances using systemd-networkd, Netplan, iptables, StrongSwan, and WireGuard.
• Build and maintain IaC (Ansible, Terraform) to automate provisioning and configuration.
• Collect, analyze, and act on network telemetry using Grafana and Telegraf.
• Deploy and manage AWS GovCloud and Commercial infrastructure for cloud services.
• Travel to customer sites ~50% for installation, commissioning, and support.
• Collaborate across engineering, mentor teammates, and enforce best practices.

Skills

Network engineering

Systems engineering

Routing protocols

VPN/IPsec

Ansible/Terraform

Scripting

AWS

Security basics

Travel readiness

Tools

Ansible

Terraform

Grafana

Telegraf

iptables

StrongSwan

WireGuard

Linux

EC2

VPC

Job description

About Forterra

At Forterra, we are unleashing autonomy at scale to transform the battlefield. Our mission is to build the foundational platforms that enable an intelligent ecosystem to coordinate, adapt, and execute with speed and precision even in the uncertainty and disruption of modern conflict. In an era marked by rapid technological change and evolving threats, we design for flexibility, survivability, and operational dominance.

Forterra delivers weapons, sensors, and battlefield effects through integrated autonomous networks reaching operational areas faster, safer, and without placing human lives at risk. Our systems operate with distributed control, dynamic routing, and real-time responsiveness, enabling sustained advantage across complex mission environments.

About the role

Forterra is expanding its mission through Vektor, a next-generation, edge-deployed, software-defined communications and smart data-brokering layer built for disrupted, degraded, intermittent, and low bandwidth (DDIL) environments. Joining the Vektor team means helping shape how humans and autonomous systems stay connected when it matters most.

We are seeking a Senior Network Systems Engineer to deploy, operate, and troubleshoot Vektor's network infrastructure across field sites and cloud environments. You'll be hands-on with routers, switches, radios, and Linux-based appliances — configuring them, automating them, and making sure they perform under real-world constraints. This role requires approximately 50% travel to customer and field locations for site installations, maintenance, and support.

What you'll do

We're looking for engineers who are equally comfortable behind a terminal and behind a rack, care deeply about uptime and security, and enjoy solving problems that span Layer 2 through the application stack. As a core member of the infrastructure team, you will:

• Design, deploy, and maintain L2/L3 network infrastructure across Vektor's install base — routing, switching, VLANs, trunking, QoS, and VPN tunnels.
• Configure and operate Linux-based network appliances using systemd-networkd, Netplan, iptables, StrongSwan, and WireGuard.
• Build and maintain infrastructure-as-code (Ansible, Terraform) to automate provisioning and configuration of network and compute resources.
• Collect, analyze, and act on network telemetry using Grafana, Telegraf, and related tooling.
• Deploy and manage AWS GovCloud and Commercial infrastructure (EC2, VPC, Transit Gateway, Security Groups) that supports Vektor's cloud-side services.
• Travel to customer and field sites (~50%) for installation, commissioning, troubleshooting, and ongoing support of deployed systems.
• Collaborate across engineering in design reviews and deployment planning, mentor teammates, and drive best practices for network operations and automation.

Minimum Qualifications

• 11+ years of professional Network/Systems engineering experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on network engineering experience (vendor-agnostic routers and switches)
• Strong L2/L3 fundamentals - routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, or Babel), VLANs, trunking, QoS, NAT/PAT, multicast, IPv4 + IPv6
• Experience with site-to-site and remote access VPN (IPsec / StrongSwan, WireGuard)
• Hands-on infrastructure automation (Ansible or Terraform) and scripting (Bash, Python, or Go)
• Working knowledge of cryptography fundamentals - PKI, IPsec, FIPS compliance requirements
• AWS experience - VPC design, EC2, Security Groups, Transit Gateway
• Willingness and ability to travel 10-25% domestically to field and customer sites

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with MANET radios and mesh networking in defense or tactical environments
• Familiarity with NIST/CMMC compliance frameworks
• Experience with VXLAN overlays
• Knowledge of IGMP/PIM for multicast routing
• Experience with DHCP/DNS infrastructure at scale
• Exposure to telemetry pipelines (InfluxDB, Telegraf, Grafana)

US Salary Range

$195,000 - $230,000

The salary range for this role is an estimate and is based on a wide variety of compensation factors. The salary offered to candidates will vary based on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) relevant work experience, education, specialized training, critical expertise, training, and more. Equity in Forterra is included in most of our full-time, high-demand roles and is therefore considered part of Forterra’s overall compensation package. In addition to base salary and equity, Forterra offers competitive benefits for full-time employees including:

• Premium Healthcare Benefits: Three plan options, including an HSA-eligible plan, with Forterra covering 80% of the plan premium for you and your dependents.
• Basic Life/AD&D, short and long-term disability insurance plans 100% covered by Forterra, plus the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your dependents.
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar including a winter break in December.
• Competitive paid time off (PTO) offering 20 days accrued per year.
• A minimum of 7 weeks fully paid parental leave for birth/adoption.
• A $9k annual tuition reimbursement or professional development stipend.
• Fully stocked beverage refrigerators with all the Celsius your little heart desires.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, including traditional, Roth 401(k), and after-tax deferral with company match up to 4%.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about our salary and benefits offering during the hiring process.

CLEARANCE ELIGIBILITY - This position may require eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

For more information about U.S. Security Clearances: click here .

Forterra is an equal-opportunity employer, providing and promoting equal employment opportunity in all personnel practices. Forterrans are unique, talented individuals who are united through a shared passion to deliver autonomous systems that enable national resilience and a robust supply chain.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any factor, including veteran and disability status, and criminal history, in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal laws.

Forterra is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.