Network Engineer, Lead - Firewall Infrastructure | Top Secret w/SCI eligibility

Overview

AMERICAN SYSTEMS, a 100% employee-owned federal government contractor, is seeking a Lead Network Engineer, Firewall Infrastructure to support a critical national security mission in a highly classified environment in Dallas, TX.

This is a hands-on network engineering role focused on enterprise firewall infrastructure, routing and switching, secure connectivity, and network access control. The selected candidate will lead the configuration, administration, troubleshooting, and operational support of a complex enterprise network environment.

We are seeking an experienced network professional with strong hands-on experience supporting routers, switches, firewalls, VLANs, VPNs, ACLs, network segmentation, and high-availability network architectures. Candidates should be comfortable resolving complex Layer 2 and Layer 3 network issues, administering firewall platforms, and maintaining reliable, resilient network services.

Responsibilities

As a Lead Network Engineer, Firewall Infrastructure with AMERICAN SYSTEMS, you will:

• Lead network engineering, administration, and operational support activities in a highly classified environment.
• Design, implement, configure, and maintain enterprise network infrastructure, including:
  • Routers, switches, and firewalls
  • VLANs, ACLs, VPNs, and network segmentation
  • High-availability, resilient network architectures
• Administer, monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain enterprise firewall environments.
• Configure and manage firewall policies, access rules, NAT, VPNs, security zones, logging, and monitoring.
• Support and troubleshoot Cisco Firepower and Firepower Management Center (FMC). Cisco Firepower experience is preferred.
• Troubleshoot complex Layer 2 and Layer 3 issues involving routing, switching, firewall connectivity, access controls, and enterprise network services.
• Support AAA, authentication, authorization, accounting, and network access control requirements.
• Configure and troubleshoot 802.1X, VPN, and NAC solutions.
• Support Cisco ISE environments, including authentication, authorization, policy enforcement, and network access control.
• Support network-related RMF, STIG, secure configuration, vulnerability remediation, and compliance activities.
• Develop and maintain network diagrams, implementation plans, standard operating procedures, configuration documentation, and technical reports.
• Partner with cybersecurity, systems administration, and mission teams to deliver reliable and resilient network services.
• Support network outages, root cause analysis, change implementation, remediation efforts, and incident-response activities related to network infrastructure.
• Monitor network performance and recommend improvements to availability, reliability, performance, and infrastructure resiliency.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and guidance to network engineering and operations personnel.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship required.
• Active Top Secret clearance required, with eligibility to obtain SCI and SAP access.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related technical field, or additional relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
• 8+ years of experience in network engineering, network operations, network infrastructure, or firewall administration.
• Active DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II certification, e.g., Security+ CE, CySA+, SSCP, or an equivalent certification.
• Active Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification or higher-level Cisco networking certification. 
• Strong hands-on experience with enterprise network infrastructure, including:
  • Routing and switching
  • Layer 2 and Layer 3 troubleshooting
  • VLANs, subnetting, IP addressing, and network design
  • Access control lists (ACLs) and VPN technologies
  • Network segmentation and resilient network architectures
• Hands-on experience administering and troubleshooting enterprise firewall platforms.
• Experience with one or more of the following firewall technologies:
  • Cisco Firepower and Firepower Management Center (FMC) preferred
  • Palo Alto Networks
  • Fortinet
  • Check Point
  • Other commercial or government enterprise firewall platforms
• Experience with firewall policy administration, rule management, NAT, VPNs, security zones, logging, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
• Experience supporting AAA, 802.1X, network access control, RMF, STIG, and secure configuration requirements.
• Cisco ISE experience preferred, particularly with:
  • Authentication
  • Authorization
  • Accounting
  • Policy enforcement
  • Network access control
• Experience troubleshooting Cisco routers, switches, firewalls, and enterprise network infrastructure.
• Ability to work independently, lead technical efforts, and resolve complex network and firewall infrastructure issues.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Additional Experience We Value

The following experience is helpful but not required:

• Experience supporting highly compartmented or special-access classified environments.
• Advanced Cisco networking certifications, such as CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Security, or CCIE.
• Experience with Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Check Point, or other enterprise firewall technologies.
• Experience with Cisco ISE, NAC, 802.1X, or related access control platforms.
• Experience supporting network modernization, infrastructure upgrades, technology refreshes, network migrations, or data center transformation efforts.
• Experience developing network diagrams, implementation plans, configuration documentation, and standard operating procedures.
• Experience with network change management, outage resolution, root cause analysis, and incident response in classified environments.
• Familiarity with VMware or other virtualized environments.

Pay Transparency StatementAMERICAN SYSTEMS is committed to pay transparency for our applicants and employee-owners. The salary range for this position is USD $155,000.00/Yr. - USD $180,000/Yr. Actual compensation will be determined based on several factors permitted by law. AMERICAN SYSTEMS provides for the welfare of its employees and their dependents through a comprehensive benefits program by offering healthcare benefits, paid leave, retirement plans, insurance programs, and education and training assistance. EEO StatementEEO Race/Sex/Disability Status/Veteran Status