Network & Cybersecurity Engineer

Airbus•Bingen, WA

5d•$97,000 - $155,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Airbus is looking for a hands-on Network Engineer to own the stability, security, and real-time diagnostics of the communications linking their Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to ground control stations. This role involves engineering resilient VPN, firewall, and wireless architectures across Linux and Windows devices operating in unpredictable field environments. The position is ideal for individuals with a background in tactical/expeditionary communications, WISP field networking, or remote SCADA environments who enjoy designing systems that are reliable in remote locations. The Airbus Helicopters Flexrotor Program offers a sophisticated small tactical unmanned aerial system (STUAS) with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR). The workplace is located in the Columbia River Gorge in Bingen, WA, offering an innovative environment with flexibility and a focus on teamwork.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.
Minimum of five (5) years of experience in network engineering, systems administration, or field communications, with direct, hands-on responsibility for network stability and troubleshooting (not primarily help-desk/tier-1 support).
Demonstrated experience configuring and troubleshooting VPNs, firewalls, and routing across both Windows and Linux environments.
Experience with wireless/RF networking and satellite communications (e.g., Starlink, VSAT, or similar), including working with degraded, intermittent, or high-latency links.
Experience designing or scaling network architectures, not solely maintaining existing ones.
Scripting or automation experience (PowerShell and/or Python) sufficient to build basic diagnostic tools and health checks, or to partner effectively with a software engineering team on more complex tooling.
Demonstrated ability to stabilize and improve an existing, imperfect network environment rather than only building greenfield systems.
Strong working knowledge of TCP/IP networking fundamentals: routing, subnetting, NAT, DNS, DHCP.
Proficiency configuring and troubleshooting VPNs (e.g., n2n or similar peer-to-peer/supernode-based VPN architectures), firewalls, and network security policies.
Experience with VPN technology: n2n (or similar peer-to-peer/supernode VPN).
Experience with firewall platforms: pfSense, iptables/nftables, Windows Defender Firewall/advanced security (or equivalents).

Nice To Haves

Experience operating in field, remote, or expeditionary environments — tactical communications, WISP field networking, industrial/SCADA remote-site networking, or similar.
Experience supporting non-technical end users (operators) in troubleshooting network issues, with an eye toward simplifying and self-service enablement.
Experience securing field-deployed, tactical, aerospace, or defense networks, including VPNs, firewalls, encrypted communications, network segmentation, and secure remote access.
Familiarity with DoD cybersecurity practices such as RMF, NIST SP 800-53, and DISA STIGs as they relate to network infrastructure and system hardening.
Experience supporting vulnerability assessments, security configuration reviews, patching, or remediation of network and operating-system security findings.
Cisco CCNA or CCNP (or equivalent vendor certification).
Relevant military communications/signal corps training or certification.
Relevant network or cybersecurity certification such as Security+, CCNP Security, CISSP, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and evolution of network architecture across VPNs, firewalls, RF relays, Starlink links, and Ground Control Station (GCS) connectivity as deployments scale to a larger fleet.
Configure and maintain VPN servers and clients, firewalls, routing, and related network services across mixed Windows and Linux environments.
Design network architecture for scalability, ensuring configurations, infrastructure, and deployment approaches remain repeatable and maintainable as the fleet grows.
Collect, manage, and route data flows between field-deployed UAS/GCS systems and home-base or office infrastructure.
Maintain network topology documentation, interface definitions, and configuration standards across GCS variants and deployment sites.
Diagnose and resolve network issues including degraded or intermittent RF and satellite links, interference, obstruction, latency, packet loss, routing, and connectivity problems, primarily through remote troubleshooting.
Establish network monitoring, logging, alerting, and health-check capabilities to identify and surface network issues proactively.
Build, or partner with Software Engineering to develop, diagnostic tools and dashboards that provide operators with clear and actionable visibility into network health.
Serve as the technical escalation point for network issues beyond operator or first-line troubleshooting capability.
Provide occasional in-field support for complex network or communications issues that cannot be resolved remotely.
Identify recurring network failure modes, perform root-cause analysis, and implement corrective actions that improve system reliability and reduce operator IT support burden.
Apply secure network design practices including network segmentation, secure remote access, VPN/encryption, firewall configuration, authentication, and access control across UAS and ground network infrastructure.
Configure and harden Windows, Linux, VPN, firewall, and other network devices using established security baselines and configuration-control practices.
Support vulnerability identification and remediation, security logging and monitoring, patching, and network security improvements across deployed systems.
Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, secure configuration standards, troubleshooting guides, and operator documentation that enable field personnel to resolve common issues without requiring deep networking expertise.
Ensure cybersecurity, network configurations, monitoring capabilities, and documentation remain standardized and maintainable across GCS variants and deployment locations.