Roles & Responsibilities:

• The Sr Principal Network Engineer serves as a senior technical resource responsible for sustaining and troubleshooting a fully defined network architecture, including secure external connectivity through next-generation firewalls (preferably Palo Alto) and DoD end-to-end encryption devices such as TACLANE.
• Manages and handles COMSEC material in accordance with DoD directives, and cross-trains as a tester to support system and integration test activities alongside multi-disciplinary engineering teams
• The engineer also performs end-to-end fault isolation to distinguish product issues from customer network issues under a CLS contract.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, or related STEM discipline with 8+ years of relevant network engineering experience OR Master’s degree in STEM and 6+ years of experience OR 12 years of experience in lieu of a degree.
• U.S. citizenship and Active DoD Secret Clearance
• Extensive hands-on experience configuring, operating, and troubleshooting Cisco-based network infrastructure, including enterprise-/mission-scale switches and routers (IOS/IOS-XE/NX-OS).
• Deep understanding of TCP/IP networking, routing protocols (e.g., OSPF, BGP, EIGRP), VLANs, trunking, spanning-tree, and QoS.
• Demonstrated experience supporting and troubleshooting a fully defined/fielded network architecture in a production or mission environment.
• Proven ability to perform end-to-end fault isolation and root cause analysis, including clearly determining whether issues originate within the supported product/system or in the customer’s external network.
• Experience supporting systems under a Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) or similar sustainment contract, including incident/ticket management and documentation of findings.
• Working knowledge of firewall concepts (e.g., security zones, ACLs, NAT, VPNs) and secure external connectivity.
• Familiarity with DoD end-to-end encryption devices (e.g., TACLANE or equivalent) and their role in secure network architectures.
• Willingness and ability to cross-train as a system/test engineer and support execution of formal and informal test activities (e.g., test setup, test execution, defect documentation).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to interface with customers, operations staff, and internal engineering/test teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Current Cisco certification (e.g., CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Security, or higher).
• Current DoD 8570/8140-compliant cybersecurity certification, such as: CompTIA Security+
• Ability to obtain and maintain a higher DoD clearance status as required
• (ISC)² CISSP (or Associate of CISSP)
• Hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks firewalls, including configuration of security policies, NAT, VPNs, and routing, and troubleshooting using logs, packet captures, and CLI/GUI tools.
• Experience integrating Cisco routing/switching with Palo Alto (or similar next-generation firewalls) to provide secure external connectivity for deployed systems.
• Experience in a senior network engineer role, including reviewing/approving network changes and mentoring junior engineers.
• Experience operating in DoD or other secure/regulated network environments, including exposure to RMF, DISA STIGs, or equivalent cybersecurity/compliance requirements.
• Proficiency with network monitoring and analysis tools (e.g., Wireshark, SolarWinds, NetFlow, SNMP) for proactive issue detection and performance troubleshooting.
• Hands-on experience with TACLANE or similar DoD end-to-end encryption devices, including configuration, operational management, and integration with routing and firewall policies.
• Experience managing and handling COMSEC material, including key loading/changes, adherence to handling and storage procedures, and coordination with COMSEC custodians.
• Experience supporting system and integration test activities, such as:
• Building and configuring test network environments
• Executing test procedures and capturing objective evidence
• Reproducing and troubleshooting defects found during test
• Experience coordinating with multi-disciplinary teams (systems engineering, software, cybersecurity, logistics, test) to resolve complex field and test issues under CLS or similar support constructs.