Northrop Grumman (SkillBridge) - Principal Network Cloud Communications

Northrop Grumman • Linthicum Heights, MD

1d • $89,400 - $155,400 • Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman’s Corporate Sector Chief Information & Digital Office (CIDO), within IT Infrastructure & Operations’ Classified Solutions team, is seeking a Principal Network Communications professional. The role supports the design, integration, security, sustainment, and operational performance of classified network environments spanning Microsoft Azure Government Secret Cloud and AWS Government Secret Cloud, as well as connectivity from air-gapped classified networks into enterprise and program-specific enclaves.

The position is an on-site role in secure facilities at Redondo Beach, California; Rolling Meadows, Illinois; BWI Linthicum, Maryland; or Melbourne, Florida. The role is a primary technical contributor for complex network solutions enabling secure cloud adoption, hybrid classified connectivity, and mission execution across secured environments. It requires a current U.S. Government Secret clearance at minimum and involves classified government-contract work.

This posting is associated with Northrop Grumman’s SkillBridge program. Eligible service members receive on-the-job training and support a schedule equivalent to 40 hours per week; participants continue to receive military compensation and benefits and are not eligible for compensation from Northrop Grumman during the program. The program offers hands-on experience and may provide a path to a full-time opportunity at the conclusion of training.

The role may require after-hours support for maintenance windows, incident response, and mission-critical cutovers. Physical duties include lifting and moving equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.

Requirements

• Master’s degree and 3 years of relevant experience; or bachelor’s degree and 5 years; or associate degree and 7 years; or high school diploma (or equivalent) and 9 years of experience in network engineering, network administration, or secure infrastructure operations.
• Current U.S. Government Secret security clearance at minimum, with a closed investigation completed within the last 6 years, or enrollment in the U.S. Government Continuous Evaluation Program.
• Experience designing and maintaining LAN/WAN networks, managing routing protocols in large LAN/WAN environments, and working with routers, switches, and firewalls.
• Meet U.S. Government 8140 (formerly 8570) IAT/IAM Level II requirements, typically CompTIA Security+ or equivalent, or be able to complete them within six months of hire.
• Experience designing, implementing, and maintaining LAN/WAN networks; managing routing and switching in complex environments; and administering routers, switches, firewalls, VPN technologies, and network security controls.
• Experience with network security requirements, boundary protection, change control, and documentation in regulated or classified environments.
• Willingness to work on-site; virtual and telecommute options are not available.
• Ability to lift and move equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
• U.S. citizenship is required for positions requiring a government clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in Network Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related technical discipline.
• Active Top Secret clearance and ability to obtain and maintain SCI, SAP/SAR access, or polygraph eligibility as required by the program.
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate, AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty, or Cisco Enterprise Cloud Connectivity Specialist certification.
• Knowledge of NISPOM Chapter 8, ICD 503, RMF, STIGs, JAFAN, JSIG, and related requirements for classified information systems and network operations.
• Experience with network analysis, monitoring, and troubleshooting tools such as Wireshark, SolarWinds, Grafana, Prometheus, or comparable platforms.
• Familiarity with Ansible and Terraform for automated deployments.
• Experience with native load-balancing tools.
• Experience designing, implementing, and troubleshooting advanced WAN and routing solutions, including BGP, OSPF, MPLS, encrypted transport, and complex carrier or transport services.
• Experience configuring TACLANES.
• Experience supporting Assessment and Authorization activities, security control implementation, and technical documentation for classified networked systems.
• Experience supporting secure connectivity between on-premises classified networks and cloud-hosted secret environments while maintaining enclave separation and mission assurance.
• Experience collaborating across network, cloud, cybersecurity, systems administration, and program teams to deliver integrated classified infrastructure solutions.

Responsibilities

• Perform advanced network administration and engineering for classified government contracts, including design, implementation, hardening, troubleshooting, and sustainment of infrastructure supporting Azure Government Secret Cloud, AWS Government Secret Cloud, and air-gapped classified enclaves.
• Administer and optimize LAN, WAN, VPN, boundary defense, routing, switching, and encryption technologies for secure connectivity between classified on-premises networks and secret cloud environments.
• Plan, design, configure, implement, and document network solutions for enterprise and program-specific enclaves, including secure transport, segmentation, and resilient access patterns.
• Lead configuration, testing, accreditation support, and deployment of routing, switching, firewall, and security-appliance solutions in classified environments.
• Develop and present technical network design recommendations to management, program stakeholders, and partner teams.
• Conduct capacity planning, performance analysis, and growth forecasting for classified network infrastructure and cloud-connected enclaves, and provide recommendations to program managers and technical leadership.
• Develop and maintain network standards, implementation patterns, security documentation, and operational procedures for cloud-connected and air-gapped classified networks.
• Resolve complex network incidents, service degradations, and security-related events, coordinating with cybersecurity, systems administration, cloud, and program teams to restore operations.
• Independently determine technical approaches, implementation sequencing, and issue resolution for complex network assignments under general direction.
• Engage customers to define technical requirements, translate mission needs into network designs, develop implementation plans, and support delivery of secure classified connectivity.
• Implement, integrate, and troubleshoot advanced LAN/WAN technologies, including segmentation, VLANs, trunking, spanning tree, dynamic routing, secure tunneling, and boundary enforcement controls.
• Track engineering, incident, and implementation activities in approved workflow and ticketing systems such as ServiceNow and JIRA.
• Escalate high-risk technical issues, architectural constraints, and mission-impacting dependencies that threaten program objectives, security posture, or timelines.
• Lift and move equipment up to 50 pounds for device deployment, relocation, and break/fix work.
• Provide after-hours support as required for maintenance windows, incident response, and mission-critical cutovers.
• Design and support secure connectivity between enterprise classified infrastructure and secret cloud environments while preserving air-gap controls, enclave segmentation, and applicable security constraints.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity, systems, cloud, and compliance stakeholders on network assessment, authorization, implementation, and sustainment.
• Produce and maintain engineering artifacts, including diagrams, implementation plans, interface documentation, and troubleshooting guidance.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Company-paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
• Potential eligibility for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary annual bonus, depending on the position

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: High school or GED