Northrop Grumman Defense Systems is seeking a self-motivated, energetic individual to work at our Colorado Springs, CO location as a Senior Principal Network Engineer supporting the JTAGS program. As a member of this team, you will focus primarily on the design, installation and configuration, and sustainment of network products: switches, routers and firewalls. Installation activities include initial setup following standard configuration guidelines, security hardening, cabling, labelling, documentation and checkout. Ongoing tasks include problem resolution, firewall changes, connection additions, and monitoring.
The candidates will be responsible for (but not limited to) the following tasks:
- Maintain smooth operation of local area, worldwide and virtual private networks (VPN)
- Plan, evaluate, and coordinate installation and/or reconfiguration of hardware and software elements of data and/or voice communication network
- Maintain technical expertise in all areas of networks and computer hardware and software interconnection and interfacing, such as routers, multiplexers, firewalls, hubs, bridges, gateways, etc.
- Propose solutions to management to ensure all communications requirements based on future needs and current usage, configuring such solutions to optimize cost savings
- Prepare or ensure that appropriate network documentation exists, including operational instructions
- Provide regular monitoring and network analysis regarding short- and long-range planning for in-house systems
- Coordinate third-party maintenance for network equipment
- Design network or portion of network that include selection of hardware and software packages
Basic Qualifications:
- Minimum of 8 Years with Bachelor’s Degree; 6 Years with Masters; additional years of experience in lieu of a degree
- Active DoD Secret security clearance
- Active DoD 8140 approved IAT Level II (or higher) compliant certification. Examples include: CCNA Security, CompTIA Security+, Security+CE, CCNP, and CISSP
- Understanding of IPv4/IPv6 and network design, including IP subnetting and protocols including BGP, OSPF and EIGRP
- Familiar with network management protocols, like SNMP, SSH, syslog, RADIUS/TACACS and network simulation tools and load testing (e.g. CML, GNS3)
- Understanding of communication architecture and communication hardware
- Experience with, and knowledge of, Cisco IOS and Cisco Nexus Operating systems
- Experience with Cisco appliances, specifically Firepower firewalls and TACACS+ services
- Intimate knowledge and experience designing, maintaining, and troubleshooting Network switching and routing protocols.
- Ability to travel up to 10%
- Ability to work off-shift hours to support the mission if needed
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in deploying, configuring, and security hardening Cisco Network Devices
- In depth understanding of IPV4 Network sub/super netting, CIDR, and DNS
- Understanding of advanced features like GRE, IPSEC, IP quality-of-service, VLANs, and multicast
- Experience with WAN operations and protocols
- Experience with Linux and Windows operating systems
Skills Required
- Minimum of 8 years with Bachelor's Degree; 6 years with Master's; additional years experience in lieu of degree
- Active DoD Secret security clearance
- Active DoD 8140 approved IAT Level II (or higher) compliant certification (e.g., CCNA Security, CompTIA Security+, Security+CE, CCNP, CISSP)
- Understanding of IPv4/IPv6, IP subnetting and protocols including BGP, OSPF and EIGRP
- Familiarity with SNMP, SSH, syslog, RADIUS/TACACS and network simulation/load testing tools (e.g., CML, GNS3)
- Understanding of communication architecture and communication hardware
- Experience with Cisco IOS and Cisco Nexus operating systems
- Experience with Cisco appliances, specifically Firepower firewalls and TACACS+ services
- Designing, maintaining, and troubleshooting network switching and routing protocols
- Ability to travel up to 10%
- Ability to work off-shift hours to support the mission if needed
- Experience in deploying, configuring, and security hardening Cisco network devices
- In-depth understanding of IPv4 sub/super netting, CIDR, and DNS
- Understanding of GRE, IPSEC, IP quality-of-service, VLANs, and multicast
- Experience with WAN operations and protocols
- Experience with Linux and Windows operating systems
Northrop Grumman Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Northrop Grumman and has not been reviewed or approved by Northrop Grumman.
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Retirement Support — 401(k) matching is considered strong, with additional defined-benefit coverage for certain cohorts and options like catch-up contributions. Retirement programs are repeatedly highlighted as a core strength of the total rewards.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO, company-paid holidays, and compressed work schedules (such as 9/80) provide meaningful time away and flexibility. These scheduling options are cited as a major quality-of-life benefit across many locations.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave alongside caregiver leave, adoption assistance, and back-up care supports a range of family needs. These programs have been expanded recently, signaling continued investment in family support.
Northrop Grumman Insights
What We Do
We are a close-knit community of big thinkers collaborating to keep the world safe. Our passion, creativity and expertise bring next-level technology solutions to life in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, space, and logistics and modernization for our customers around the globe. On the Northrop Grumman team, you’ll join our pursuit of excellence immersed in a dynamic culture of innovation and respect. Your unique perspective will help achieve our shared vision for the future of global security. Every step of the way, you'll be supported by world-class training, employee resource groups and a comprehensive benefits package that enables greater health and happiness for you and your family. Worldwide and across disciplines, we’re challenging what’s possible for technology to protect people and places from undersea to outer space and into cyberspace. And we see the impact of our performance every day. We are Northrop Grumman, and we work on what matters—now, you too can make a difference. Explore opportunities in engineering, IT, manufacturing, business management, cybersecurity and more with us. Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.







