Network Operations (Junior)
About The Position
Valiant Solutions is seeking a Junior Network Operations technician to serve as the first line of response for a federal enterprise Network Operations Center supporting roughly 50 sites nationwide. This position triages incoming incidents and service requests in ServiceNow, performs first-tier diagnostics such as connectivity verification and switch port resets, and escalates to Tier 2 and Tier 3 engineers against defined service levels. Tier 1 acts as the incident response manager for this program, meaning the role owns the ticket from intake through resolution rather than simply passing it along. The position is a structured entry point into federal network operations, with direct exposure to Cisco enterprise routing and switching, Zero Trust network access control, and an enterprise IPv6 modernization effort driven by OMB M-21-07. This position is based in Silver Spring, MD, and allows for partial remote work.
Requirements
- 3 years of Network Operations Center or technical help desk experience.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related field, per the GSA MAS Network Engineer I floor.
- In lieu of the Bachelor's degree, a high school diploma or GED plus two additional years of relevant experience, for 5 years in total.
- Experience working tickets in an IT service management platform.
- Networking fundamentals: the OSI model, IP addressing and subnetting, VLANs, DNS, and DHCP.
- Basic Cisco IOS command line navigation for interface status and port configuration.
- Ticket handling in ServiceNow or a comparable IT service management platform.
- Alarm triage in an enterprise monitoring tool such as SolarWinds.
- Clear technical writing for knowledge base articles and ticket documentation.
- Microsoft Office and collaboration tool proficiency.
- Written and verbal communication skills sufficient to explain network and security concepts to both engineers and non-technical government stakeholders.
- Ability to brief senior government leadership, including the Contracting Officer's Representative and Technical Lead, on incident root cause, risk, and remediation.
- Clear technical writing for Methods of Procedure, topology diagrams, standard operating procedures, and monthly status report inputs.
- Ability to work as a contractor employee in a non-personal services environment, identifying as contractor staff in all meetings, correspondence, and system records.
Nice To Haves
- Technical school or trade certifications are highly preferred.
- CompTIA Network+
- Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST)
- CompTIA A+
- CCNA
Responsibilities
- Serve as the incident response manager for incoming tickets, owning triage, categorization, and routing to Tier 2 and Tier 3 engineers.
- Perform first-tier diagnostics, including connectivity verification, interface status checks, and switch port resets.
- Monitor the enterprise monitoring platform for alarms and open tickets proactively when thresholds are crossed.
- Escalate against defined service levels so that Priority 1 incidents receive a response within 15 minutes.
- Track ticket aging and flag overage tickets before they breach a service level.
- Open, update, and close tickets in ServiceNow ITSM, capturing clear problem statements, actions taken, and resolutions.
- Process network service requests submitted through the service catalog.
- Provide status updates to requesters and government stakeholders throughout the incident lifecycle.
- Supply ticket metrics and service level performance data for the weekly and monthly status reports.
- Write and maintain How-To articles for common troubleshooting steps so that repeat issues resolve faster.
- Keep topology diagrams and asset inventories current as devices are added, replaced, or retired.
- Support the device inventory validation effort across Cisco Catalyst and Nexus switches, Cisco Firepower Threat Defense firewalls, Cisco ISE appliances, and Ubiquiti UniFi and Meraki switches.
- Assist senior engineers with monitoring configuration, dashboard upkeep, and change documentation.
Benefits
- Valiant pays 99% of the Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage for Full-time Employees
- Valiant contributes 25% towards Health Coverage for Family and Dependents
- 100% Paid Short Term Disability and Life Insurance Policy for Full-time Employees
- 100% Paid Certifications
- 401K Matching up to 4%
- Paid Time Off
- Paid Federal Holidays
- Wellness & Fitness Program
- Valiant University – Online Education and Training Portal
- FSA programs for: Medical Costs, Dependent Care, Transit, and Parking
- Referral Bonuses
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Associate degree
