The Role
Designs and implements enterprise network security architecture across a large DoD environment. Leads segmentation, zero-trust, access control, firewall, intrusion prevention, encryption, secure connectivity, wireless security, and cloud integration initiatives. Evaluates security gaps, directs complex modernization projects, develops implementation and migration plans, supports RMF and compliance activities, and provides technical leadership, mentoring, stakeholder briefings, and comprehensive architecture and operational documentation.
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Job Summary
JCS Solutions is seeking a Principal Network Security Engineer to design, engineer, and implement enterprise network security capabilities across a large, distributed Department of Defense network environment. This role serves as a senior technical leader responsible for advancing network security architecture through strategic engineering efforts that strengthen segmentation, access control, zero-trust initiatives, resiliency, and enterprise-wide security posture.
The successful candidate will assess current network security architectures, identify capability gaps, develop implementation strategies, and lead engineering teams through complex modernization efforts. This position requires expertise in network security architecture, firewall technologies, intrusion prevention, network access control, segmentation, encryption, and secure connectivity across enterprise environments.
This role requires a hands-on engineer capable of developing solutions, directing technical teams, communicating with stakeholders and approval authorities, and delivering secure, scalable, and sustainable network security capabilities.
Location: Ft. Meade, MD
Clearance: Secret
Salary: $104,000.00 - $149,000.00
Certification: Active DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II certification.
What’s in it for you:
What you will do:
Network Security Engineering and Architecture
JCS is both a Great Place to Work and a Top Places to Work certified company.
Our employees embody our core values, and we are looking for others who do too!
Commitment to Non-Discrimination
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected status protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
Job Summary
JCS Solutions is seeking a Principal Network Security Engineer to design, engineer, and implement enterprise network security capabilities across a large, distributed Department of Defense network environment. This role serves as a senior technical leader responsible for advancing network security architecture through strategic engineering efforts that strengthen segmentation, access control, zero-trust initiatives, resiliency, and enterprise-wide security posture.
The successful candidate will assess current network security architectures, identify capability gaps, develop implementation strategies, and lead engineering teams through complex modernization efforts. This position requires expertise in network security architecture, firewall technologies, intrusion prevention, network access control, segmentation, encryption, and secure connectivity across enterprise environments.
This role requires a hands-on engineer capable of developing solutions, directing technical teams, communicating with stakeholders and approval authorities, and delivering secure, scalable, and sustainable network security capabilities.
Location: Ft. Meade, MD
Clearance: Secret
Salary: $104,000.00 - $149,000.00
Certification: Active DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II certification.
What’s in it for you:
- Join a premier technology firm specializing in innovative solutions.
- Be part of a collaborative, inclusive, and innovative work culture.
- Enjoy tremendous growth potential in a high-performing team environment.
- A robust benefits package:
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Life insurance
- Short-and-long term disability
- Paid time off (PTO)
- 401k retirement plan with employer match
- Annual Professional Development Reimbursement Program
- And more!
What you will do:
Network Security Engineering and Architecture
- Design, engineer, and implement enterprise network security architectures spanning next-generation firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, web and TLS proxies, VPN and encryption services, network access control, DNS security, and east-west security controls.
- Evaluate existing network security architecture and identify security gaps, improvement opportunities, risks, and implementation approaches.
- Lead network segmentation and secure connectivity initiatives, including data-flow mapping, security-zone design, enclave development, firewall rule review, ACL rationalization, and routing coordination.
- Design and implement network access control and device-posture enforcement solutions, including identity validation, device authentication, policy enforcement, remediation workflows, and phased implementation strategies.
- Advance zero-trust networking principles, least-privilege access, micro-segmentation, and encrypted communications strategies.
- Evaluate and recommend emerging security technologies to improve enterprise security capabilities.
- Engineer secure connectivity between on-premises, cloud, and remote environments utilizing VPN, TLS, IPsec, cloud interconnects, and boundary protection technologies.
- Optimize security controls to reduce false positives, improve visibility, strengthen enforcement capabilities, and maintain network performance.
- Lead network security projects from concept through implementation.
- Perform requirements analysis, dependency identification, architecture review, design coordination, planning, validation, and operational transition activities.
- Develop implementation plans, cutover strategies, rollback plans, validation procedures, and stakeholder communication plans.
- Coordinate maintenance windows, testing efforts, change activities, and contingency planning for security infrastructure modifications.
- Collaborate with network engineering, cybersecurity, operations, project management, and subject matter experts to successfully deliver network security initiatives.
- Support security accreditation, compliance, STIG implementation, vulnerability remediation, POA&M activities, and authorization requirements.
- Serve as the senior technical authority for network security architecture and design decisions.
- Provide technical direction, mentoring, and engineering guidance to network engineers, security engineers, administrators, and analysts.
- Manage multiple concurrent technical efforts and maintain accountability against project schedules.
- Present security architecture recommendations, implementation strategies, risks, and technical decisions to government leadership, cybersecurity authorities, and approval boards.
- Improve engineering processes, documentation standards, implementation playbooks, migration runbooks, and operational handoff procedures.
- Develop and maintain network security architecture diagrams and logical/physical design documentation.
- Create data-flow diagrams, segmentation models, security-zone designs, and secure connectivity documentation.
- Maintain firewall policy standards, ACL documentation, and rule-set baselines.
- Develop implementation plans, rollback procedures, test plans, validation packages, risk registers, and dependency documentation.
- Create accreditation artifacts, technical standards, SOPs, runbooks, as-built documentation, and transition-to-operations documentation.
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience with 12+ years of relevant experience, or Master's degree with 10+ years of experience.
- Specific experience, education, and training may be considered in lieu of a degree.
- Active DoD Secret security clearance.
- Current DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II certification or higher.
- Significant experience designing and implementing network security architecture in complex, large-scale enterprise environments.
- Experience serving as a senior technical lead directing network and security engineers, administrators, analysts, or implementation teams.
- Experience leading security engineering projects from planning through implementation.
- Hands-on engineering experience with:
- Next-generation firewalls
- Intrusion detection and prevention systems
- Proxies and TLS inspection solutions
- VPN and encryption services
- Network access control platforms
- Experience with network segmentation and secure connectivity initiatives.
- Experience with data-flow analysis, firewall policy reviews, ACL management, security-zone design, stakeholder coordination, and implementation planning.
- Strong knowledge of:
- TCP/IP
- Routing protocols
- Switching
- VLANs
- DNS/DHCP/IPAM
- NAT
- QoS
- Software-defined networking
- Cloud-connected environments
- Hands-on experience with two or more of the following technologies:
- Palo Alto
- Cisco
- Aruba
- Dell
- Infoblox
- Brocade
- Working knowledge of:
- NIST
- FedRAMP
- FISMA
- RMF
- DISA STIGs
- DoD cybersecurity requirements
- Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and deliver complex technical initiatives.
- Experience documenting network and security architectures using Visio, PowerPoint, Cameo, or similar tools.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Experience briefing senior leadership, cybersecurity authorities, stakeholders, and approval boards.
- Experience with wireless security and authentication, including WPA2/WPA3, 802.1X, RADIUS, and enterprise NAC platforms.
- Experience integrating wireless infrastructure with enterprise networking services, including DNS, DHCP, NTP, routing, and monitoring platforms.
- Experience developing and executing engineering designs, implementation plans, migration procedures, test plans, and production deployments.
- Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills with the ability to resolve complex wireless connectivity, authentication, and network performance issues.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Experience providing technical guidance and developing engineering documentation.
- Must meet applicable cybersecurity workforce qualification requirements for the assigned position.
- CISSP, Palo Alto PCNSE, Cisco CCNP Security, or equivalent advanced security certification.
- Experience implementing Comply-to-Connect, 802.1X, or comparable network access control and device-posture enforcement solutions at enterprise scale.
- Experience with zero-trust architecture, micro-segmentation, SASE, or secure cloud connectivity designs.
- Experience integrating network security platforms with SIEM, SOAR, ITSM, and analytics platforms.
- Experience utilizing Python, Ansible, REST APIs, or similar technologies for security automation and infrastructure-as-code initiatives.
- Experience with automated firewall policy management.
- Experience supporting enterprise certificate management, PKI environments, encrypted-traffic inspection, and key management services.
- Experience supporting RMF, eMASS, continuous monitoring, audits, assessments, and inspection activities.
- Experience utilizing Jira, Confluence, or similar project management and knowledge-sharing platforms.
- Experience developing engineering execution frameworks, implementation playbooks, migration runbooks, technical standards, and risk-reduction methodologies.
JCS is both a Great Place to Work and a Top Places to Work certified company.
Our employees embody our core values, and we are looking for others who do too!
- Customer Experience: Strive for excellence and delight our clients
- Innovation: Embrace creative thinking to enable continual growth and powerful solutions
- Accountability: Take ownership of and pride in our actions and service delivery
- Inspire: Be inspired to be your best self and have fun in the process
- Integrity: Do the right thing, the right way, every time!
- Stewardship: The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to our care.
Commitment to Non-Discrimination
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected status protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience with 12+ years of relevant experience, or master's degree with 10+ years of experience
- Active DoD Secret security clearance
- Current DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II certification or higher
- Experience designing and implementing network security architecture in complex, large-scale enterprise environments
- Experience serving as a senior technical lead directing network and security engineering teams
- Experience leading security engineering projects from planning through implementation
- Hands-on experience with next-generation firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, proxies and TLS inspection, VPN and encryption services, and network access control platforms
- Experience with network segmentation, secure connectivity, data-flow analysis, firewall policy reviews, ACL management, security-zone design, stakeholder coordination, and implementation planning
- Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, routing protocols, switching, VLANs, DNS, DHCP, IPAM, NAT, and QoS
- Experience with software-defined networking and cloud-connected environments
- Hands-on experience with at least two of Palo Alto, Cisco, Aruba, Dell, Infoblox, or Brocade
- Working knowledge of NIST, FedRAMP, FISMA, RMF, DISA STIGs, and DoD cybersecurity requirements
- Experience documenting network and security architectures using Visio, PowerPoint, Cameo, or similar tools
- Experience briefing senior leadership, cybersecurity authorities, stakeholders, and approval boards
- Experience with wireless security and authentication, including WPA2/WPA3, 802.1X, RADIUS, and enterprise NAC platforms
- Experience integrating wireless infrastructure with DNS, DHCP, NTP, routing, and monitoring platforms
- Experience developing and executing engineering designs, implementation plans, migration procedures, test plans, and production deployments
- Strong troubleshooting, analytical, written, and verbal communication skills
- Experience providing technical guidance and developing engineering documentation
- Must meet applicable cybersecurity workforce qualification requirements for the assigned position
- CISSP, Palo Alto PCNSE, Cisco CCNP Security, or equivalent advanced security certification
- Experience implementing Comply-to-Connect, 802.1X, or comparable enterprise-scale network access control and device-posture enforcement solutions
- Experience with zero-trust architecture, micro-segmentation, SASE, or secure cloud connectivity designs
- Experience integrating network security platforms with SIEM, SOAR, ITSM, and analytics platforms
- Experience with Python, Ansible, REST APIs, or similar security automation and infrastructure-as-code technologies
- Experience with automated firewall policy management
- Experience supporting certificate management, PKI, encrypted-traffic inspection, and key management services
- Experience supporting RMF, eMASS, continuous monitoring, audits, assessments, and inspections
- Experience using Jira, Confluence, or similar project management and knowledge-sharing platforms
- Experience developing engineering execution frameworks, implementation playbooks, migration runbooks, technical standards, and risk-reduction methodologies
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The Company
What We Do
JCS is a premier technology firm specializing in enterprise-wide capabilities, digital transformation, software solutions, and IT services. We hold contracts in support of federal, state, and local government organizations in addition to assisting industry leaders in the private sector. Vision: Elevate the customer, the employee, and the community Mission: Delivering superior, mission-focused technology solutions to empower our clients. Our Services: • IT Services & Solutions • Cyber Security • Advanced Data Analytics • Health IT • Professional Services • Digital Transformation • Partner Network and Technology Certifications JCS is an 8(a) Certified Small Business, Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), Minority-Owned Small Business (MOSB), and Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) based out of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area. JCS is ISO 9001:2015, ISO/IEC 20000-1: 2018, ISO/IEC 27000: 2013 certified and appraised at CMMI Level 3 for both Development and Services. JCS is a Microsoft Gold and ServiceNow Premium partner. We are also certified as a “Great Place to Work.”
