Network Engineer (Senior)

Key Tasks & Responsibilities

• Engineer, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Cisco Nexus data-center switching environments and Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) fabrics, including APICs, tenants, VRFs, bridge domains, endpoint groups, contracts, and external connectivity.
• Install, configure, refresh, and troubleshoot top-of-rack and data-center switches, network appliances, and software-defined networking configurations.
• Configure and troubleshoot VLANs, trunks, port channels, virtual port channels, routing, access controls, and redundant paths supporting servers, storage, virtualization, cloud, and enterprise networks.
• Support network architecture planning, integration, testing, and performance analysis; gather requirements and develop implementation procedures, cutover plans, validation steps, rollback procedures, and outage contingencies.
• Execute approved installations, refreshes, configuration changes, and equipment replacements, and lead relocation cutovers at USMEPCOM and MEPS locations from staging through post-cutover verification.
• Coordinate with cabling personnel on rack layouts, patching, fiber, copper, and network drops; support site surveys and maintain network diagrams, as-built documentation, and equipment inventories.
• Test devices before production deployment and apply approved firmware, OS, and security updates in accordance with DISA STIGs.
• Monitor network availability, performance, and capacity; diagnose and resolve complex Layer 2/Layer 3, fabric, routing, latency, and packet-loss issues, including WAN, SD-WAN, firewall, VPN, wireless, and cloud connectivity.
• Participate in Outage Response Team activities, providing diagnosis, workarounds, restoration support, and root-cause input; coordinate escalation with Cisco, DISA, carriers, cloud providers, and vendors.
• Identify recurring problems, capacity constraints, points of failure, and modernization opportunities, and recommend corrective actions.
• Follow approved ITSM processes, maintain configurations and technical documentation, and provide technical guidance to network administrators and support personnel.

Education & Experience

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Networking, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of relevant network engineering, network administration, data-center networking, or enterprise infrastructure experience.
• Ability to work a hybrid schedule in N. Chicago, IL.

Preferred:

• Hands-on experience with Cisco Nexus, ACI, software-defined networking, and policy-based data-center network architectures.
• Experience with Cisco routing and switching technologies, including EIGRP, OSPF, BGP, VLAN routing, and Quality of Service.
• Experience developing method-of-procedure documents, implementation and test plans, rollback procedures, and cutover checklists for refreshes, migrations, and relocations.
• Experience with network-monitoring, configuration-management, and observability platforms.
• Experience applying DISA STIGs and supporting DoD RMF, ATO, IAVA, CND Directive, and POA&M requirements in a federal or DoD environment.
• Strong troubleshooting, documentation, change-management, and stakeholder-coordination skills.

Certifications

• Required: Current Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification.
• Preferred: CCNP Data Center, CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Security, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE), CompTIA Security+, ITIL Foundation, or equivalent credentials.

Security Clearance

• Active Secret clearance or higher is required.

Other (Travel, Work Environment, DoD 8570 Requirements, Administrative Notes, etc.)

Work Environment / Travel:

• Hybrid position based in N. Chicago, IL.
• After-hours availability may be required during outages, maintenance windows, installations, equipment refreshes, and relocation cutovers.

Administrative Notes:

Period of Performance: March 1, 2027 – February 28, 2033

Contract Start Date: March 1, 2027

Note: By applying to this position, the candidate acknowledges and consents to having their resume included in an active competitive Government contract bid.