Wide Area Network Engineer Lead

National Reconnaissance Office (NRO); Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 133,000 - 181,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hiring incentives

Job summary

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in Chantilly, VA is seeking a WAN Project Manager to lead planning, execution, and delivery of complex network infrastructure projects across the NRO and IC. You will manage a contractor team, oversee budgets and schedules, coordinate security accreditation, and drive modernization efforts including cloud connectivity and SD-WAN.

These responsibilities require strong program management, systems engineering, and collaboration across diverse partners.

Qualifications

• Experience applying project management methodologies (PMI, Agile, or hybrid) to IT infrastructure projects.
• Expertise in LAN/WAN technologies, routing, MPLS, VPN, SD-WAN, and QoS.
• Experience with cloud networking across AWS, Azure, or GCP and hybrid/multi-cloud environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end WAN project management and systems engineering for network connectivity across NRO, DoW, IC.
• Coordinate with internal and external partners and translate requirements into technical specs.
• Manage budgets, schedules, risks, issues, and program status reporting to leadership.
• Oversee contractor teams delivering enterprise network solutions and modernization.
• Guide cloud integration, security accreditation, and transition-to-operations planning.
• Ensure capacity, redundancy, and design of WAN and enterprise services.

Skills

Project Management

Networking

Cloud & Hybrid

Systems Engineering

Communication

Job description

WE ARE THE NRO

For sixty years, the NRO has developed, acquired, launched and operated the satellites that are the foundation for America's advantage and strength in space. Using a diversified architecture of spacecraft, NRO collects and delivers the best space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance content on the planet.

Learn more at NRO.gov.

Basic Eligibility For A Position With The NRO

• You must be a U.S. Citizen
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance
• You will be subject to pre-employment and periodic drug testing
• You will be subject to pre-employment and periodic polygraph examinations

Where You Will Work

The NRO Communications Directorate (COMM) is charged with looking across the NRO’s multi-billion-dollar global enterprise to develop and execute fully integrated IT solutions. As the NRO’s Long Haul and Campus Area Network (CAN)/Local Area Network (LAN) service provider, the Network Services Group (NSG) provides communications services, include engineering, deployment, installation, test, sustainment, and operations for one of the world’s largest network, enabling intelligence operations to over 70,000 users at 1000+ NRO, Department of War (DoW) and mission partner locations. The NRO Cadre is collecting resumes for consideration against current and future opportunities for Non-Supervisor, Wide Area Network Engineer Lead, GGS-12-13, occupational series 2210. More information on the occupational series can be viewed on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website.

This is a full-time position that is open from 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-27. Resumes must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on 2026-10-27.

Who May Apply

• This position is open to the public.
• Federal government employees MUST currently be at the grade level or higher as indicated in this announcement. This is NOT a promotion opportunity for current Federal government employees. If selected for the position, Federal government employees will transition laterally at their current grade level and step.
• Federal applicants who exceed the advertised grade may voluntarily request acceptance at the lower grade per IAW DoW 1400.25 Volume 2006.
• The NRO is only accepting external applicants for this job announcement. Current NRO Cadre employees should apply internally.
• This position MAY qualify for the appointment of a reemployed federal annuitant IAW DoWI 1400.25 Volume 300.

What You Will Be Doing

The Network Services Group (NSG) within NRO/COMM is a distributed group comprised of civilian, military, and contractor employees responsible for the design, development, operations and maintenance of the NRO's network infrastructure which provides service across the NRO, CIA, IC, DoW and US Mission Partners. This position serves as the Wide Area Network (WAN) Project Manager. The WAN Project Manager is responsible for leading the planning, execution, and delivery of complex network infrastructure projects supporting the design, implementation, security accreditation and transition to operations of the Network Services Group’s mission and enterprise WAN IT systems and assets. The WAN Project Manager is responsible for the oversight of a contractor support team leading network WAN solutions for new customer requested items across the NRO, IC mission partners, ODNI and DoW. This is a tremendous opportunity to work at the NRO enterprise level working across all NRO, DOW & the IC to address the unique needs of a broad and diverse mission. The WAN Project Manager is responsible for project lifecycle management including scope definition, resource allocation, schedule management, risk mitigation, and stakeholder coordination. This individual will integrate bandwidth requirements, track End of Life (EOL) for WAN network hardware/software, and manage the implementation of new enterprise network capabilities including cloud connectivity, virtualized services, and hybrid infrastructure solutions.

Major Duties

• Project Management & Program Execution: Lead end-to-end program management and systems engineering of Wide Area Network requirements for deploying connectivity between space intelligence collection downline locations and processing/dissemination locations for the NRO, Department of War (DoW) and Intelligence Community (IC). Develop project charters, work breakdown structures, integrated master schedules, and resource-loaded plans. Apply program management principles to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery of network capabilities.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Requirements Coordination: Facilitate technical exchange meetings and requirements workshops with internal and external partners and stakeholders to include other directorates and offices across the NRO, IC mission partners, foreign mission partners, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and DoW. Coordinate translating mission requirements into technical specifications for network connectivity, cloud integration, and enterprise services supporting current and future missions network connectivity requirements for current and future missions.
• Budget & Schedule Management: In coordination with the Program COTR, build and manage the budget and master schedule, create and manage risks, issues and opportunities and manage capability roadmaps. Provide regular program status reporting to leadership including earned value management metrics, variance analysis, and forecast-to-complete projections.
• Oversees the performance of a contractor team that provide program management, engineering and implementation for enterprise and mission network solutions.
• Technology Integration & Modernization: Maintain current and detailed knowledge of advanced IT industry best practices, R&D programs throughout the agency, and commercial standards developments with regards to WAN technologies, cloud architectures (AWS, Azure, hybrid cloud), software-defined networking (SDN), network function virtualization (NFV), and enterprise services. Identify opportunities to improve enterprise-level systems to support mission, business and enterprise processes utilizing emerging technologies including zero-trust architectures, secure access service edge (SASE), and multi-cloud networking.
• Systems Engineering & Technical Oversight: Provide technical direction for network design activities including topology planning, capacity modeling, redundancy/resiliency design, and security architecture. Ensure integration of cloud connectivity solutions, server infrastructure, virtualization platforms, and enterprise services (DNS, DHCP, NTP, authentication services) into the WAN environment. Coordinate security accreditation activities and transition-to-operations planning.

What You Will Need

All applicants must submit written statements (narrative format) of accomplishments that would satisfy the technical qualifications. You must address each technical qualification separately. You are required to respond to all of the technical qualifications. If you fail to do so, you will be rated as ineligible. Please limit your written statements to no more than two pages per technical qualification.

• Project Management Expertise: Demonstrated experience applying project management methodologies (PMI, Agile, or hybrid approaches) to successfully deliver complex IT infrastructure projects. Knowledge of project management principles including scope management, schedule development, resource management, risk management, stakeholder management, and earned value management. Experience developing project plans, managing budgets, tracking milestones, and reporting program status to senior leadership.
• Networking Technologies & Protocols: Demonstrated expertise in LAN/WAN technologies and protocols including TCP/IP, routing protocols (EIGRP, BGP, OSPF), MPLS, VPN technologies, IPSEC, GRE, SD-WAN, VoIP, H.323, SSL/TLS, and Type 1 Encryption. Familiarity with Satellite Communications (SATCOM) systems and transport technologies. Understanding of network design principles including segmentation, quality of service (QoS), traffic engineering, and high availability architectures.
• Cloud & Hybrid Infrastructure: Knowledge of cloud networking architectures and services across major cloud service providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) including virtual private clouds (VPC), cloud interconnects, direct connect/express route, cloud VPN, transit gateways, and cloud-native networking services. Experience integrating on-premises WAN infrastructure with cloud environments in hybrid and multi-cloud architectures. Understanding of cloud security controls, identity and access management (IAM), and cloud network monitoring.
• Systems Engineering & Technical Leadership: Relevant experience in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems or a closely related discipline. Ability to apply systems engineering principles and practices including requirements analysis, functional decomposition, interface management, configuration management, and verification & validation. Experience providing technical leadership to engineering teams and making architectural decisions for complex systems
• Communication & Collaboration: Excellent written and oral communication skills to effectively engage with technical and non-technical audiences. Ability to forge relationships across diverse customer base including mission partners, senior leadership, and contractor teams. Experience facilitating working groups, presenting technical briefings, documenting decisions, and negotiating solutions across organizational boundaries.

Qualifying experience may have been acquired in any public or private sector job, but will clearly demonstrate past experience in the application of the particular competencies/knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to successfully perform and is typically in or directly related to the duties of the position as described above. Experience must be reflected in your resume. Applicants submitting a resume that exceeds the two-page limit per OPM Memorandum, "Merit Hiring Plan," dated May 29, 2025, https://www.opm.gov/chcoc/latest-memos/merit-hiring-plan.pdf will not be eligible for consideration. For more information regarding resume writing, see "Guidance for Applicants on 2-Page Resume" and visit the Resume Help Center.

Other Information

• Overtime Statement: MAY be required to work other than normal duty hours, which may include evenings, weekends, and/or holidays.
• Travel Statement: MAY be required to travel in military or commercial aircraft to perform temporary duty assignments.
• Financial Disclosure: MAY be required to file an OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, upon appointment and will be required to file annually.
• Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) coded positions: If selected for a DAWIA coded position, the incumbent must meet appropriate certification requirements IAW the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) no later than 24 months after accepting this position. Individual shall maintain, at a minimum 80 continuous Learning Points every 24 months via the services acquisition management system. DAWIA requirements may be located at the Defense Acquisition University website.
• Geographic Mobility Agreement: MAY be subject to directed reassignment as required to address mission effectiveness, and/or career development.
• Information Assurance (IA): Must achieve the appropriate IA certification within six months of assignment.
• Emergency Essential: Certain positions MAY be deemed emergency essential and incumbents must be willing to meet all position requirements.

Location

CHANTILLY, VA

Telework is not available and you must be able to work at the specified location(s).

Salary

2026 salary range for the Washington, DC area: GG-13 $132,751– $181,428

This position meets the qualifications for Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Targeted Local Market Supplement (TLMS) STEM pay for NRO Cadre employees and candidates as authorized by the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security's (OUSD(I&S)). Cadre employees and candidates are eligible to receive STEM pay if they are currently serving in a STEM designated position. Should a Cadre employee or candidate earning STEM pay change positions within the organization, they must be assigned to another STEM qualifying position in order to continue to remain eligible for STEM pay. Otherwise, Cadre employees and Candidates Generally would be transitioned to the DCIPS GG Pay Scale. For more information on STEM pay, visit DCIPS STEM Compensation.

The NRO is accepting applications from U.S. Citizens and current federal government employees for this position. To qualify for the position, federal government employees MUST currently be at the advertised grade level(s) and may ONLY apply for a lateral reassignment at their current grade level and step. Federal applicants who exceed the advertised grade may voluntarily request acceptance at the lower grade per IAW DoW 1400.25 Volume 2006.

Hiring Incentives

The NRO may offer hiring incentives and other entitlements at management's discretion.

Trial Period

All new DCIPS employees will be required to serve a 2-year trial period.

Veterans' Preference

DoW Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans' Preference to preference eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoW Instruction 1400.25, Vol 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans' preference, as defined by section 2108 of Title 5 USC, you must submit documents verifying your eligibility upon request.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.

• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for federal employees & job applicants

Reasonable Accommodation Policy

Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the remaining hiring process, applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits.

Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations when:

• An applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to apply for a job.
• An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential job duties or to gain access to the workplace.
• An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to receive equal access to benefits, such as details, training, and office-sponsored events.

You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Please send your request to [email protected].

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Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): We use this information to determine qualifications for employment. This is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361.

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