Senior Network Engineer--Routing & Switching

P W Communications Inc•Fort Meade, MD

4d•$86,000 - $92,000•Hybrid

About The Position

PW Communications is seeking a Senior Network Engineer specializing in routing and switching to support the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Defense Enclave Services (DES) contract. The DES team develops and deploys operational capabilities for an integrated, modernized enterprise environment supporting DISA and Fourth Estate Agencies. This role engineers, implements, and sustains enterprise network infrastructure across a large, distributed environment, with hands-on responsibility for the routed and switched core. The engineer designs and implements network changes and resolves complex issues escalated to the senior engineering tier. The position supports network engineering efforts that include planning, designing, and evaluating network components; developing routing and switching design specifications; evaluating and recommending technologies; performing needs assessments; and installing, modifying, testing, and servicing network equipment. The successful candidate works independently on complex engineering assignments, translates requirements into implementable designs, and serves as an escalation point for routing, switching, and transport issues. Work is performed under general direction, with latitude for independent technical judgment. The role contributes to significant project milestones and recommends technical solutions and improvements affecting program results. It requires in-depth analysis of complex technical problems, strong knowledge of enterprise routing and switching, and clear communication of technical information, recommendations, risks, and status to engineering leadership, peer teams, and stakeholders. The role also provides daily supervision and direction to staff. The position is based in Fort Meade, Maryland, and offers a hybrid telework arrangement. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and hold an active DoD Secret clearance.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and 8 or more years of relevant experience, or a master's degree and 6 or more years of experience; specific experience, education, and training may be considered in lieu of a degree.
Significant hands-on experience engineering, implementing, and troubleshooting enterprise routing and switching infrastructure at scale.
Strong working knowledge of TCP/IP, subnetting, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, VLANs, spanning tree, link aggregation, VRFs, multicast, QoS, NAT, and high-availability design.
Experience installing and configuring network hardware, performing software upgrades, and carrying out lifecycle replacement.
Experience developing implementation plans, test procedures, and rollback plans, and executing changes in production environments during maintenance windows.
Demonstrated troubleshooting ability, including packet capture and protocol analysis, in multi-vendor environments.
Hands-on experience with one or more of Cisco, Aruba, Palo Alto, Dell, Infoblox, and Brocade.
Experience documenting network designs and procedures with Visio, PowerPoint, or similar tools.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Current IAT Level II or higher certification, such as Security+ CE.
Active DoD Secret clearance.
U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Enterprise or equivalent certification.
Experience with enterprise network modernization, migration, or large-scale transformation and integration efforts.
Experience with software-defined networking, SD-WAN, or SD-Access (Cisco Catalyst Center / DNA Center) environments.
Experience with network segmentation, access control, and identity-based networking.
Experience integrating enterprise networking with cloud infrastructure, including hybrid connectivity and secure cloud routing.
Experience with network automation and scripting using Python, Ansible, or infrastructure-as-code approaches.
Experience applying DISA STIGs, vulnerability remediation, and configuration hardening to network devices.
Experience with Jira, Confluence, or similar project and knowledge management tools.
Certification in one or more of the following: IAT Level II CASP+ CE, CCNA-Security, CCNP Security, CCSP, CISA, CISSP (or Associate), CND, CySA+, GCED, GCIH, GICSP, GSEC, Security+ CE, or SSCP.

Responsibilities

Establish network information requirements through analysis supporting the development of enterprise-wide or large-scale CAN, MAN, and WAN infrastructure.
Design network architecture, including software, hardware, and communications, to meet total requirements and present and future cross-functional requirements and interfaces.
Ensure network systems are compatible with and comply with open systems architecture standards, OSI and ISO reference models, and applicable standards profiles, including IEEE OSE, as they apply to network-layer information management solutions and interfaces.
Ensure the network and transport layers of the common operating environment are compliant.
Analyze workflows, network usage, organization, and planning problems, and develop appropriate corrective actions.
Provide daily supervision and direction to staff.
Plan, design, and evaluate network components and develop routing and switching design specifications.
Evaluate and recommend technologies to enhance network capabilities, perform needs assessments, and install, modify, test, and service network equipment.
Engineer, implement, sustain, and troubleshoot enterprise routing and switching infrastructure across a large, distributed environment.
Develop implementation plans, test procedures, and rollback plans, and execute production changes during maintenance windows.
Document network designs and procedures and communicate technical recommendations, risks, and status to leadership, peers, and stakeholders.
Serve as an escalation point for complex routing, switching, and transport issues.