NGE - Network Design Engineer Architect / Lead

Northern Technologies Group, Inc.•Colorado Springs, CO

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The NGE - Network Design Engineer Architect / Lead supports the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) under the Integrated Research and Development for Enterprise Solutions (IRES) contract. Serving as the principal network authority and Lead Network Integrator for the Next Generation Environment (NGE), this position drives network architecture, modernization, and cross-performer technical governance across MDA's unified digital ecosystem. The role leads network engineering efforts and serves as a primary technical interface among Government NGE leadership, MDA stakeholders, military leadership, and industry partners across the multi-contractor program consortium.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen.
Must possess an active DoW Secret security clearance.
12+ years of full-time general work experience; requirement may be reduced with completion of advanced education.
6+ years of directly related experience designing and leading large-scale enterprise or DoW networks across data center, WAN/backbone, and campus/branch domains.
1+ year of experience working in a management or leadership role.
Expert-level knowledge of routing and switching technologies, including BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, EVPN-VXLAN and/or MPLS, QoS, IPv6, multicast, and network resiliency patterns.
Demonstrated success implementing Zero Trust segmentation, 802.1X/NAC, identity-aware firewall policy, and FIPS-validated cryptography.
Familiarity with hybrid/multi-cloud networking patterns and IL4/IL5/IL6 operational constraints, with a strong understanding of RMF and STIG compliance.
Must possess a current IAT III or IAM II baseline certification, such as CISSP, CASP+ CE, or CISM.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to brief senior leaders and translate technical concepts into mission impact.

Nice To Haves

Active DoW Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility, or the ability to obtain one.
Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or Information Technology.
Experience performing within ITIL, TOGAF, or other architecture frameworks.
Experience supporting the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) or other DoW organizations.
Experience with software-defined networking (SDN), automation, and cross-domain solutions.
CCIE certification in Enterprise Infrastructure, Security, or Data Center.
CCNP certification in Enterprise, Service Provider, or Security, or equivalent expert credentials such as JNCIE, NSE 7/8, or PCNSE.
ITIL 4 Foundation certification and an architecture framework credential, with TOGAF/DoDAF familiarity.
Cloud networking foundations, such as AWS or Azure associate-level credentials, supporting hybrid network designs.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Lead Network Integrator across the program enterprise, aligning network technical roadmaps and Interface Control Documents (ICDs) among government stakeholders, military leadership, and multiple industry performers and teammate companies.
Serve as a direct technical advisor to the Government NGE Technical Director and Government Network Design Lead; translate mission capability needs into actionable network architecture roadmaps, technical baseline decisions, and engineering trade studies.
Oversee, guide, and mentor a multidisciplinary team of network design and implementation engineers; manage technical task assignments, design reviews, peer code/configuration audits, and engineering deliverables.
Architect scalable multi-site data center fabrics utilizing Spine-Leaf topologies, Cisco Nexus (NX-OS) platforms, and EVPN-VXLAN overlay technologies.
Integrate data center networking with VMware NSX and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) to establish software-defined networking and distributed micro-segmentation.
Design enterprise load balancing, traffic distribution, and SSL offloading/decryption architectures using F5 BIG-IP technologies, including LTM, GTM, and APM.
Establish high-availability application routing across hybrid cloud boundaries.
Architect resilient WAN transport and secure branch interconnects leveraging Versa Networks SD-WAN/SASE solutions, MPLS, and zero-trust edge boundary controls.
Govern enterprise IP address management, automated DNS resolution, and DHCP provisioning frameworks using Infoblox DDI integrated with hybrid cloud orchestration pipelines.
Define network segmentation, micro-segmentation, ICAM integration, dynamic policy enforcement using 802.1X/NAC, and FIPS-validated cryptography including IPsec and MACsec.
Align network designs with the DoW Zero Trust Strategy, NIST SP 800-53, and DISA STIG requirements in support of continuous Authorization to Operate (cATO).
Lead Network Architecture Review Boards (ARB) and Engineering Change Boards.
Establish authoritative High-Level Designs (HLD), Low-Level Designs (LLD), Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), and Interface Control Documents (ICDs) using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) concepts.
Brief senior leaders and translate complex technical concepts into mission impact.