Network Engineer

SkyePoint Decisions•Laurel, MD

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

SkyePoint Decisions is seeking a Network Engineer to support a Department of State customer. The position primarily supports operations and maintenance of foreign post network integrations with the DoS Core and other integrations within a large, complex network infrastructure and cloud environment. Engineering and design responsibilities are performed as warranted. The role has a hybrid schedule of approximately three days onsite, at the customer’s discretion, and may be based in Beltsville, Maryland, or Springfield, Virginia. The Network Engineer operates and maintains enterprise network, cloud infrastructure, and voice systems; monitors performance and availability; troubleshoots incidents and service requests; and evaluates, designs, and documents network solutions. The role collaborates with architecture and engineering teams, provides technical guidance and client training, develops contingency plans, and researches and recommends network equipment, cloud services, and related technologies. It also designs and manages hybrid cloud connectivity, including secure connections between on-premises data centers and cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a network engineering- or computer engineering-related discipline and 10+ years of IT network engineering and architecture experience, including Tier III and above, network infrastructure design and implementation, and large, complex networks and cloud environments; alternatively, a master’s degree and 8+ years of related experience; additional experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree.
Expertise operating, maintaining, and supporting scalable, secure, high-performance enterprise network architectures, including LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, and cloud-based solutions.
Cisco CCNA, CCNP, and/or CCIE certification.
Strong or deep knowledge of Layer 2 and Layer 3, routing and switching, tunneling, and networking protocols and technologies including BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, static routing, L2TP, IPsec, VPN, DMVPN, GRE, spanning tree, EtherChannel, VLAN trunking, 802.1Q, HSRP, VRRP, GLBP, VPC, MPLS, and VLANs; experience with enterprise-grade routers and switches.
Deep knowledge of Cisco switching and routing product lines.
Proficiency implementing and maintaining security measures, including firewalls, VPNs, IDS/IPS, and zero-trust architectures across on-premises and cloud environments.
Strong experience operating, supporting, and troubleshooting large or complex end-to-end networks, including hybrid cloud architectures.
Experience operating and maintaining cloud network architectures in AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
Knowledge of cloud networking services such as AWS VPC, Azure Virtual Network, Transit Gateway, Cloud Interconnect, and related technologies.
U.S. citizenship.
Active interim Secret clearance and ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance.

Nice To Haves

Low Earth Orbit satellite design, including Starshield design and implementations.
Firsthand experience developing and performing quality assurance reviews of engineering change orders for replacement or enhancement of perimeter security hardware and software.
Experience performing root cause analysis, risk identification, and risk mitigation.
Expert knowledge of cabling standards and fiber-optic and copper cable termination.
Understanding of SDN, IoT, 5G, and cloud-native networking.
Expertise in one or more of unclassified voice systems, secure voice systems including red switch, TDM switching, or VoIP.
Experience supporting government customers in secure environments and familiarity with NIPRNET and SIPRNET operating standards and applicable guidelines.
DNS or Infoblox experience.
Industry-recognized certifications such as CCIE, CCNP, CCDP, JDCI, CCVP, AWS Certified Advanced Networking, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect, or similar cloud networking certifications.
Familiarity with automation tools and scripting languages such as Python, Ansible, Terraform, and CloudFormation to streamline network operations in on-premises and cloud environments.
Expertise with network performance monitoring tools such as NeuralStar, SolarWinds, Nagios, NetFlow, CloudWatch, and Azure Monitor, and advanced troubleshooting techniques.
Experience with Infrastructure as Code tools for cloud network deployment and management.
Knowledge of cloud security best practices, including network segmentation, encryption in transit, and cloud-native security services.
Experience with multi-cloud and hybrid cloud architectures and connectivity solutions.
Familiarity with the Department of State environment, including data and voice networks, IT security systems, policies and procedures, Foreign Affairs Handbooks, and Foreign Affairs Manuals.
Interpersonal skills, including effective collaboration, self-awareness, and strong presentation skills.

Responsibilities

Perform day-to-day operations and maintenance of enterprise network, cloud infrastructure, and voice components and systems.
Monitor and tune infrastructure, establish standards, and maintain network and cloud systems to support performance and availability.
Use monitoring, performance analysis, network management, and software and hardware equipment to troubleshoot and isolate problems and assess activity across on-premises and cloud environments.
Isolate and resolve network incidents and service requests supporting global operations.
Evaluate, design, and document network solutions to address operational requirements and customer needs.
Collaborate with architects and engineering teams to design and implement solutions within the capacity and operational limitations of installed equipment and cloud services.
Develop and maintain contingency plans for network hardware failures, isolated or major outages, and cloud service disruptions.
Provide internal consulting, technical guidance, information, and support to application developers, computer operations, management, and departmental clients.
Consult with and train clients on operating and using network systems and cloud architectures.
Plan, research, evaluate, and recommend network equipment, cloud services, and related hardware and software technologies.
Design and implement hybrid cloud network architectures integrating on-premises infrastructure with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud as needed.
Configure and manage cloud networking components, including virtual networks, subnets, security groups, load balancers, and cloud-native connectivity solutions.
Implement and maintain secure connectivity between on-premises data centers and cloud environments using VPNs, Direct Connect, ExpressRoute, or similar technologies.

Benefits

Certification incentive program
Paid time off (PTO)
Floating federal holiday options
Health insurance options, including HMO and high-deductible plans with Health Savings Accounts
Flexible Spending Accounts
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Short- and long-term disability insurance
Life insurance
401(k) matching
Flexible work environment