SOC Operator - Govt Customer (TS -SCI Required. On-Site Chantilly VA - 5 days per week)

Dell Technologies • McLean, VA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The SOC Operator serves as the first line of defense for monitoring, detecting, and resolving network and infrastructure incidents for a federal customer. This on-site role is based in Chantilly, Virginia, and requires an active TS/SCI clearance. The operator tracks alerts across enterprise systems, performs initial diagnostics, and applies standard operating procedures to restore service promptly. They manage incident tickets, maintain detailed shift documentation, communicate real-time updates to stakeholders, and escalate issues beyond their triage scope to engineering teams, field technicians, or third-party vendors. The position operates in a 24/7 environment.

The role provides access to enterprise-class hardware, sandbox environments, and emerging software stacks, along with sponsored training, conference attendance, and certification support. It is part of a multidisciplinary engineering culture that values bias for action, intellectual curiosity, and autonomous problem-solving.

Requirements

• Solid grasp of the OSI model, TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, and basic routing and switching concepts.
• Proficiency with network troubleshooting commands such as ping, traceroute, nslookup, netstat, and ipconfig/ifconfig.
• Practical familiarity with enterprise monitoring and alerting platforms such as SolarWinds, PRTG, Nagios, Datadog, or Zabbix.
• Experience managing ticket lifecycles, following ITIL incident management practices, and using service desk tools such as ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, or Remedy.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills for shift handoffs, detailed ticket updates, and accurate escalation under pressure.
• Active TS/SCI clearance and ability to maintain access as required by the program.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

• Foundational networking credentials such as CompTIA Network+, Cisco CCNA, or ITIL 4 Foundation.
• Hands-on comfort working in Linux/Unix and Windows server environments.
• Familiarity with Python, Bash, or PowerShell for automating routine triage tasks or parsing logs.
• Foundational experience capturing and reading packet data using tools such as Wireshark or tcpdump.
• Introductory exposure to enterprise hardware components such as chassis, transceivers, and cabling.

Responsibilities

• Continuously monitor enterprise network dashboards, servers, and circuit links in a 24/7 environment for alarms, performance anomalies, and outages.
• Perform initial technical triage using standard runbooks, including CLI network diagnostics, interface-state checks, basic configuration validation, and service restarts.
• Create, update, and prioritize incident records in the ticketing platform, documenting symptoms, diagnostic steps, and resolution paths.
• Escalate complex issues to Tier 2/Tier 3 engineers, field technicians, and telecommunication carriers, and track progress against established SLAs.
• Publish incident notifications to stakeholders and provide real-time updates throughout the incident lifecycle.
• Conduct thorough shift-handoff briefings and contribute updates to operational knowledge base articles and standard operating procedures.

Benefits

• Access to enterprise-class hardware, sandbox environments, and emerging software stacks.
• Sponsored training, conference attendance, and certification support.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: No Education Listed