Network Site Reliability Engineer (w/ active Secret)
About The Position
Critical Solutions is seeking a Network Site Reliability Engineer to support a federal customer. The role supports the reliability and operational integrity of complex enterprise network environments by developing accurate, implementation-ready network configuration deliverables for WAN and BAN solutions. The engineer applies established engineering solutions, technical standards, and configuration baselines to customer- and site-specific requirements while accounting for existing network environments and mission needs. The environment is focused heavily on Cisco Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking. The position requires strong networking fundamentals and the ability to interpret and correlate existing and proposed network information to develop technically accurate configurations for the target environment. The engineer must understand the technical function and network impact of configuration commands, rather than relying solely on template substitution, and apply that knowledge across varying network requirements and environments. The position is full-time and 100% onsite. Norfolk, Virginia is the listed location; other acceptable locations are Bremerton, Washington; Jacksonville, Florida; Honolulu, Hawaii; San Diego, California; and Washington, D.C. Candidates must be U.S. citizens with an active DoD Secret clearance or higher and must undergo and pass the federal agency's background investigation and fingerprinting process.
Requirements
- Must be a U.S. citizen.
- Must possess an active DoD Secret Security Clearance or higher.
- Must possess and maintain an active DoD 8570 IAT Level II certification and an active CCNA certification.
- A bachelor's and master's degree with relevant experience in data engineering, computer science, information systems, software engineering, mathematics, or a related technical discipline, with at least four years of relevant experience; additional directly related experience may be considered in place of a degree.
- Strong working knowledge of Cisco enterprise networking concepts and technologies, including Cisco IOS/IOS-XE configuration; Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching; VLAN configuration and assignment; 802.1Q trunking and native VLAN concepts; VTP; STP/RSTP/MST; EtherChannel, including LACP and PAgP; access and trunk port configuration; inter-VLAN routing; IPv4 addressing and subnetting; static and dynamic routing; OSPF, EIGRP, and BGP; route advertisement and route selection; ACLs; first-hop redundancy; network interface and port-channel configuration; and TCP/IP networking concepts.
- Must undergo and successfully pass the federal agency background investigation and fingerprinting process.
Nice To Haves
- Experience configuring or supporting Cisco Catalyst switches and Cisco routers.
- Experience working in a large, complex enterprise network environment.
- Experience with standardized or template-based network configuration development.
- Experience with network configuration validation, technical or peer review, and change management processes.
- Experience with network automation, automated script development, or scripting languages such as Python, Bash, or PowerShell.
- Experience with CI/CD tools and practices, including Jenkins, GitLab, or similar technologies.
- Experience with automation, configuration management, or Infrastructure as Code technologies such as Ansible, Terraform, CloudFormation, Chef, or Puppet.
- Familiarity with containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, or Red Hat OpenShift.
- Experience with Linux/Unix environments and command-line tools.
- Experience with commercial cloud environments such as AWS or Azure.
- Experience with application administration, configuration, or integration.
- Experience with Atlassian and/or Azure DevOps products and associated workflows.
Responsibilities
- Develop accurate, implementation-ready network configurations for complex enterprise WAN and BAN environments.
- Apply established engineering solutions, technical standards, and configuration baselines to site-specific network requirements.
- Review and correlate existing and proposed network information to determine appropriate configuration requirements.
- Develop and modify configurations across Cisco Layer 2 and Layer 3 network environments.
- Understand the technical function, dependencies, and network impact of configuration commands rather than relying solely on template substitution.
- Interpret and apply network addressing, routing, switching, interface, security, and redundancy requirements.
- Create and maintain network configuration documentation reflecting existing and proposed network environments.
- Ensure configuration deliverables are technically accurate, complete, consistent, and appropriate for the target network environment.
- Participate in technical and peer reviews to validate configuration accuracy and technical viability before implementation.
- Apply established standards, technical knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned across varying network requirements.
- Adapt to evolving network standards, engineering solutions, configuration templates, platforms, and customer requirements.
- Collaborate with SRE, network engineering, development, and other technical teams supporting enterprise network services.
- Contribute network engineering expertise to SRE initiatives involving standardization, optimization, reliability, and automation.
- Support the evolution of automated network capabilities and processes in collaboration with automation and development teams.
Benefits
- 100% premium coverage for medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
- Supplemental insurance.
- 401(k) matching.
- Flexible time off, including PTO and holidays.
- Higher education and training reimbursement.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
