Network Administrator

NFF Inc • , DC

18d • $80,000 - $110,000 • Onsite

About The Position

NFF is seeking a Network Administrator to provide dedicated network administration and engineering support to one or more assigned customers. The role serves as a trusted technical resource for customer IT and operations staff and maintains customer networks using documented processes that support configuration control, change management, traceability, and integrity.

The position administers and troubleshoots Palo Alto and Cisco firewalls, Cisco routing and switching infrastructure, and enterprise wireless networks. It measures network performance and capacity, validates monitoring coverage, maintains topology diagrams and configuration documentation, and establishes performance baselines. The role also supports network security and compliance activities, vulnerability remediation, configuration hardening, and integration of cloud and hybrid IT systems.

The Network Administrator coordinates with external organizations and service providers, collaborates with NFF engineering and account management, and supports incidents and customer service delivery. The position requires onsite work at customer facilities multiple days per week within commuting distance of Washington, DC, along with participation in planned maintenance windows and occasional after-hours or urgent support.

Requirements

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in network administration, architecture, management, and deployment.
• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) or higher.
• Hands-on experience administering Palo Alto Networks firewalls, including PAN-OS and Panorama.
• Hands-on experience administering Cisco firewalls (ASA and/or Firepower/FTD) and Cisco enterprise switching.
• Working knowledge of routing protocols (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP), VPN technologies, and network segmentation.
• Familiarity with enterprise WiFi technologies, including 802.11 standards, wireless controllers and access points, RF fundamentals, and wireless authentication (802.1X/RADIUS).
• Experience with network monitoring, performance, and capacity management tools.
• Demonstrated experience with change management and configuration control processes and procedures.
• Ability to support multiple customers, prioritize competing demands, proactively respond to issues, and adjust to shifting deadlines.
• Must reside within commuting distance of Washington, DC and be able to work onsite at customer facilities multiple days per week and on an ad hoc basis as needed.
• Ability to work independently without supervision and interact comfortably with all levels of customer staff, from engineers to IT leadership.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical staff.
• Proficiency in Visio, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Must possess an active or previously held Public Trust and be able to obtain or reinstate a Public Trust as required by the customer.
• Ability to work in telecom closets, data centers, and equipment rooms, including physical cable tracing, labeling, patching, and rack-and-stack installation of network equipment.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs, use ladders, and work in tight, confined, or overhead spaces.
• Ability to stand, walk, kneel, and bend for extended periods while performing onsite work in varying customer site conditions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting federal government customers and familiarity with federal security frameworks such as NIST, FISMA, and TIC.
• Experience in a managed services, NOC, or technology VAR/systems integrator environment.
• Experience with AWS networking, including VPC design, subnets, route tables, security groups, Transit Gateway, and hybrid connectivity (Site-to-Site VPN, Direct Connect).
• Familiarity with Ekahau or similar wireless planning and survey tools, and experience performing predictive, pre-deployment, and post-deployment wireless site surveys.
• Relevant industry certifications such as Cisco CCNP Enterprise or Security, Palo Alto PCNSA/PCNSE, CompTIA Security+, ITIL, AWS, or Microsoft Azure.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or another technical discipline.

Responsibilities

• Provide dedicated network administration and engineering support to assigned NFF customers and serve as a technical resource for customer IT and operations staff.
• Maintain and upgrade customer networks using documented processes for configuration control, change management, traceability, and integrity.
• Administer, configure, and maintain Palo Alto and Cisco firewalls, including rule bases, policies, VPNs, and firmware or software upgrades.
• Administer, configure, and troubleshoot Cisco routing and switching infrastructure, including VLANs, trunking, routing protocols, and access-layer through core.
• Administer, configure, and troubleshoot enterprise wireless networks, including controllers, access points, SSIDs, and wireless security policies.
• Capture and analyze performance and capacity measurements for network components, including circuit utilization, latency, and device CPU and memory utilization.
• Validate network monitoring and management coverage, identify components that cannot be monitored, and recommend risk mitigation.
• Develop, validate, and maintain physical and logical network topology diagrams and configuration documentation.
• Establish and maintain network performance and capacity baselines using real-time data collection and monitoring tools.
• Support network security operations, including risk analysis and assessment, system monitoring, intrusion detection and prevention, and firewall design, development, and maintenance.
• Support customer security and compliance activities, including vulnerability remediation, configuration hardening, and providing documentation and evidence to customer security officers.
• Provide technical support for planning and integration of new IT systems hosted in cloud IaaS/PaaS and hybrid environments.
• Coordinate with external organizations, partner agencies, carriers, and service providers in support of external network links and services.
• Work with NFF engineering and account management to resolve incidents, escalate issues, and provide a consistent customer experience.
• Participate in planned maintenance windows and respond to after-hours or urgent issues as needed.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account.
• Short-term disability, long-term disability, supplemental life insurance, and ADD&D.
• Comprehensive 401(k) plan.
• Paid Time Off and flexible paid time off options for eligible employees.
• Competitive salary.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: No Education Listed