We are seeking a Subject Matter Expert (SME) Network Architect to join our team supporting a large-scale federal modernization program. This role owns enterprise and solution-level network architecture, designing secure, resilient network environments that support mission-critical systems and shared services across both cloud and on-premises boundaries, and driving the standards, target-state direction, and modernization roadmap that keep the network ready to scale.
This is a hands-on architecture role. You'll be expected to produce real technical designs and see them through implementation, not just set direction from a distance.
This is a hybrid role based out of Washington, DC. Candidates must be U.S. citizens.
Key Responsibilities
1. Network Architecture & Design
- Develop, review, and implement secure, resilient enterprise network architectures supporting mission systems and shared services.
- Produce and assess physical/logical diagrams, routing/segmentation, interfaces, connectivity, capacity, availability, and monitoring requirements.
- Design hybrid connectivity architecture spanning on-premises and cloud environments.
2. Standards & Target-State Direction
- Define and maintain network architecture standards, reference patterns, and technical decisions.
- Set target-state network direction and modernization roadmap, balancing scale, security, resilience, and performance.
- Align network architecture with enterprise architecture governance and repository requirements.
3. Technical Reviews & Governance
- Support technical reviews, architecture compliance reviews, phase gates, and implementation-readiness reviews.
- Evaluate proposed deviations and provide recommendations grounded in risk and architectural impact.
4. Gap Analysis & Modernization
- Analyze current-state network gaps, technical debt, lifecycle risk, single points of failure, and performance bottlenecks.
- Provide recommendations for modernization, standardization, and optimization, including cost/performance tradeoffs.
5. Cross-Domain Coordination
- Coordinate with cloud/platform, cybersecurity, identity, endpoint/mobility, applications, data, and ITSM teams, as well as external carriers and providers.
- Resolve complex cross-domain design conflicts under fixed milestones.
6. Documentation & Operational Handoff
- Maintain standards, reference patterns, technical decisions, configurations, risks, and dependencies in approved repositories.
- Support implementation, testing, migration, and stabilization, and troubleshoot complex cross-domain problems, communicating root cause, options, and corrective actions.
Requirements
- 12+ years of experience in network engineering, including significant architecture responsibility at enterprise scale.
- Strong fundamentals in TCP/IP, routing, switching, segmentation, DNS/DHCP/IPAM, load balancing, resiliency, performance, monitoring, and security.
- Demonstrated experience producing technical network designs and supporting implementation, testing, troubleshooting, and operational transition.
- Ability to work across cloud and on-premises boundaries and through formal security/architecture review processes.
- Strong documentation and communication skills, with experience presenting designs and tradeoffs to both engineers and leadership.
- U.S. Citizenship Required.
Nice to Have
- Direct federal, government, or large distributed enterprise network experience.
- Relevant Cisco, Juniper, cloud networking, SD-WAN, wireless, security, or architecture certifications.
- Experience with network automation, infrastructure as code, software-defined networking, zero trust, SASE/SSE, and observability.
- Experience with enterprise architecture repositories and technology standards/roadmaps.
Benefits
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Referral program
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Skills Required
- 12+ years of experience in network engineering with significant architecture responsibility at enterprise scale.
- Strong fundamentals in TCP/IP, routing, switching, segmentation, DNS/DHCP/IPAM, load balancing, resiliency, performance, monitoring, and security.
- Demonstrated experience producing technical network designs and supporting implementation, testing, troubleshooting, and operational transition.
- Ability to work across cloud and on‑premises boundaries and through formal security/architecture review processes.
- Hands‑on architecture experience (produce designs and see through implementation).
- Strong documentation and communication skills; experience presenting designs and tradeoffs to engineers and leadership.
- U.S. Citizenship required.
- Direct federal, government, or large distributed enterprise network experience.
- Relevant Cisco, Juniper, cloud networking, SD‑WAN, wireless, security, or architecture certifications.
- Experience with network automation, infrastructure as code, SDN, zero trust, SASE/SSE, and observability.
- Experience with enterprise architecture repositories and technology standards/roadmaps.
What We Do
Passion and Purpose. We are a start-up borne out of a group of architects and engineers providing solutions that transform with digital breakthroughs. We Partner - Partnership to us means being all in - on the ground, in the weeds, producing and delivering mission solutions. We Innovate - driving digital innovation and experimentation to improve decision services for the American people. We Engage – co-creating to deliver HCD (human centered design) to solve tour customers digital challenges. We Deliver – and take pride and accountability in everything we do. We are Ignite IT. Ignite IT deploys teams that are customer-obsessed, delivering a CX (Customer Experience) renaissance to our Private and Public Sector customers. We combine Commercial BX (Business of Experience) with customer delivery experts to benefit agencies to innovate and improve services and launch new digital solutions. We have built a company foundation dependent on each of our employee’s success, and provide a healthy, engaging, community where learning and knowledge sharing are encouraged. We empower our employees to be bold, continually innovate and propose new ideas to improve processes and services. We engage daily on work that touches millions of people, always focusing on positive impacts and results. We enable mission services that enable Enterprise companies to succeed in digital transformation, protect Border Agents, deploy the Army Reserve and National Guard, providing decision dominance to make America safer. We apply these digital services across the Private and Public Sectors to include include HHS, DHS, AOUSC and Army. We aim to continually raise the bar for our customers to expect more from their digital services. For more information, visit www.igniteitservices.com
