Principal Network Engineer

Northrop Grumman•Sunnyvale, CA

90d•$103,600 - $155,400•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman's Corporate Sector's Chief Information & Digital Office (CIDO) is seeking a Principal Network Engineer to support its IT Infrastructure & Operations organization's Network Communications and Visibility (NCV) team in Sunnyvale, CA. The candidate selected for this position will be required to work on-site, full-time at the Sunnyvale campus. The role will involve enterprise-wide responsibilities across the Northrop Grumman network footprint. The successful candidate will design, implement, and maintain high availability network infrastructure, work directly with customers and vendors, and contribute to continuous improvement of our secure communications environment.

Requirements

Associate’s degree with 7 years of relevant experience, Bachelor’s degree with 5 years of relevant experience, Master’s degree with 3 years of relevant experience, or a PhD with 1 year of relevant experience; a High School Diploma or equivalent with 9 years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a completed degree.
Applicants must have a current U.S. Government Secret level security clearance (at a minimum), to include a closed investigation date completed within the last 6 years, or must be enrolled in the DoD Continuous Evaluation Program (CEP) in order to be considered; the required security clearance must be maintained as a condition of continued employment.
Experience with managed network solutions and large-scale technical network engineering project experience.
Experience with Cisco Router and Switch equipment, Firewall Cisco Network Equipment, Cisco Wireless Technology, and Cellular Technology.
A strong knowledge of the TCP/IP protocol, Cisco Router and Switch products.
Knowledge and experience with LAN/WAN protocols and technologies such as multicast, QoS, CoS & OSPF.

Nice To Haves

Experience with SDWAN methodologies/equipment a plus.
Experience leading enterprise projects for large networks.
Experience in designing network solutions.
Experience leading network implementation projects.
Project Management certification.
Experience using test equipment such as the Network Associates Sniffer, cable and fiber optics test sets, and other protocol analyzers.
A strong knowledge of Cisco and Palo Alto Firewalls.
Current U.S. government Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

Plan, design, and deploy site and enterprise level network solutions in accordance with Northrop Grumman standards and best practices.
Produce comprehensive design review packages, including schematics, bill-of-materials, and implementation schedules.
Install and commission Cisco core network equipment (routers, multilayer switches, firewalls, wireless controllers, and access points).
Coordinate fiber‑optic and copper cabling projects with suppliers and internal construction teams.
Provide Tier 2/3 troubleshooting for WAN, LAN, and SD‑WAN environments, ensuring 99.9 % availability of firewalls, routing, and wireless services.
Execute corrective actions, hardware replacements, and software upgrades while maintaining accurate documentation in our configuration management database (CMDB).
Serve as the primary technical liaison with vendors (Cisco, Aruba, Juniper, etc.) for escalations, service definitions, and new service onboarding.
Work closely with the Sunnyvale sector customer base to translate business requirements into robust technical solutions.
Implement and enforce security policies for network segmentation, access control, and vulnerability remediation in line with DoD and NIST guidelines.
Participate in after-action reviews, recommend process enhancements, and mentor junior engineers on best-in-class networking practices.