Principal Network Engineer

JCS Solutions LLC•Fort Meade, MD

1d•$104,000 - $149,000•Onsite

About The Position

JCS Solutions is seeking a Principal Network Engineer to lead the engineering, deployment, modernization, and sustainment of a large-scale enterprise wireless network supporting a Department of Defense environment. This role serves as a technical leader responsible for wireless architecture, RF engineering, secure network access, performance optimization, troubleshooting, and operational transition activities. The successful candidate will provide expertise across Aruba wireless technologies, Aruba Central On-Premises, Aruba ClearPass, Cisco ISE integration, certificate-based authentication, enterprise wireless security, and large-scale wireless deployments. The engineer will work closely with network, cybersecurity, identity management, and operations teams to deliver highly secure, reliable, and scalable wireless services. This position requires strong technical leadership, hands-on engineering capabilities, and the ability to support mission-critical enterprise networking environments while communicating effectively with technical teams, program leadership, and government stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree with 12+ years of relevant experience or Master's degree with 10+ years of relevant experience. Additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Active DoD Secret security clearance.
Active DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II certification.
Significant hands-on experience designing, deploying, and troubleshooting enterprise wireless networks across multiple locations.
Strong experience with Aruba wireless technologies, including Aruba access points, gateways/controllers, Aruba Central, and related management platforms.
Strong knowledge of 802.11 wireless networking and RF engineering principles.
Experience with wireless coverage analysis, interference mitigation, capacity planning, roaming optimization, and performance troubleshooting.
Experience implementing enterprise wireless authentication and access control solutions.
Experience with 802.1X, RADIUS, certificate-based authentication, and Aruba ClearPass or comparable network access control solutions.
Working knowledge of TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, switching, firewalls, and network segmentation.
Experience leading technical implementations and deployment activities.
Experience troubleshooting complex enterprise networking issues.
Experience developing engineering documentation and technical operational procedures.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively with technical teams, customers, and government stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Aruba Professional or Aruba Expert certifications.
Relevant Cisco networking certifications.
Relevant cybersecurity certifications.
Experience with Aruba AOS 10 environments.
Experience supporting large-scale Aruba Central On-Premises deployments.
Experience supporting distributed Aruba ClearPass clusters.
Experience implementing FIPS-compliant configurations.
Experience supporting Cisco ISE coexistence and migration efforts.
Experience supporting phased Comply-to-Connect implementations.
Experience with Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7 technologies.
Experience conducting high-density RF surveys.
Experience optimizing wireless voice roaming performance.
Experience using wireless survey tools such as Ekahau or AirMagnet.
Experience implementing and managing WIDS/WIPS capabilities.
Experience supporting guest wireless access separation and WPA3 security.
Experience supporting DoD STIG and RMF compliance requirements.
Experience working with REST APIs, SNMPv3, wireless telemetry, and enterprise monitoring platforms.
Experience using Python, Ansible, or similar automation platforms.
Experience supporting large-scale DoD, federal, or classified network environments.

Responsibilities

Design, deploy, configure, and optimize enterprise Aruba wireless infrastructure, including access points, gateways, controllers, management platforms, redundancy solutions, and lifecycle upgrades.
Engineer and sustain Aruba Central On-Premises and Aruba AOS 10 environments, including provisioning workflows, high availability configurations, and enterprise configuration standards.
Lead RF design efforts, site surveys, channel planning, power optimization, capacity analysis, roaming optimization, and wireless quality-of-service initiatives supporting mission-critical applications.
Support enterprise wireless modernization efforts across geographically distributed locations.
Integrate Aruba ClearPass and Cisco ISE using 802.1X/EAP-TLS, RADIUS, certificate-based authentication, endpoint profiling, and Comply-to-Connect policies.
Engineer wireless security controls including WPA3, network segmentation, WIDS/WIPS, secure guest access, and approved cryptographic configurations.
Coordinate with cybersecurity teams to support DoD security controls, STIG compliance, vulnerability remediation, testing, and accreditation activities.
Integrate wireless services with wired switching, routing, VLANs, firewalls, DNS, DHCP, identity systems, and enterprise monitoring platforms.
Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis efforts involving RF performance, wireless client connectivity, roaming issues, authentication failures, certificate services, and network performance degradation.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams.
Review engineering designs, implementation plans, technical risks, and operational impacts.
Plan and execute engineering changes, technology upgrades, testing activities, deployment waves, and operational handoffs.
Communicate technical recommendations and risks to program leadership and government stakeholders.
Develop and maintain wireless architecture documentation.
Create RF designs, implementation plans, test plans, site survey reports, troubleshooting guides, standard operating procedures, security designs, and transition documentation.
Maintain accurate engineering documentation and operational baselines.