Senior Network Engineer

GovCIO is currently hiring for a Senior Network Engineer with an active Secret clearance, to provide Tier 3 support and engineering expertise for the design, testing, and implementation of the Next Generation Network for federal customer. This position is located in Merrifield, VA and is a fully onsite position.

This position requires administering network (Cisco ACI), compute (Cisco UCS), and virtualization (VMware, UCS Director) environments, performing network diagnostics and analysis, troubleshooting production outages with service providers, terminating fiber and network cables, and independently designing, writing, and updating system documentation and network diagrams. Additional duties include providing operational support for data centers, managing network applications on client workstations, optimizing VPN and network performance, implementing server load balancing and WAN optimization, and securing network access.

Responsibilities:

• Provides Tier 3 support and engineering expertise for the design, testing, and implementation of the Next Generation Network across all DEA offices
• Installs, configures, and troubleshoots diverse network architectures and devices; manages and maintains SD-WAN, DMVPN, Layer 2/3, and wireless networks; and implements network security measures, including access control models and firewalls
• Supports classified and unclassified environments, ensuring operational continuity, security compliance, and high availability
• Acts as a technical escalation point for complex network incidents, outages, and performance issues
• Participates in architecture reviews, design sessions, and implementation planning
• Collaborates with Security, Cloud, Systems, and Application teams to ensure integrated solutions
• Supports global operations, including after-hours support and maintenance windows as required
• Develops and maintains engineering documentation, diagrams, and operational runbooks

Required Skills and Experience:

• High School with 10+ years of network engineering (or commensurate experience)
• 5+ years of experience with hands-on enterprise network experience
• Active Secret Clearance with ability to obtain and hold DEA suitability
• Professional certification (e.g., CCNP, CCDP)
• Installing, configuring, and troubleshooting various network architectures
• Knowledge of the inner workings of the major network routing protocols, including dynamic routing
• Experience with a variety of firewalls
• Solid background in network administration and architecture
• Knowledge of building, developing, and maintaining SD-WAN environments
• Familiarity with access control models and network security
• Experience with network diagnostic, monitoring, and analysis tools
• Solid understanding of network operating systems (Aruba, Juniper, Cisco)
• Solid understanding of VPN
• Sharp troubleshooting skills
• Terminating fiber and network cables
• Ability to work independently
• Designing, writing, and updating both system documentation and network diagrams