Tier 3 Network Engineer (Top Secret)

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking Tier 3 Network Engineers to support a critical program for Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Agency in Washington, D.C. and Manassas, VA. The team is seeking a skilled engineer to design, implement, and maintain secure, high-performance network infrastructures in support of stockpile management, nonproliferation and nuclear security. 

This job opens for applications on 6/13/2025. Applications for this job will be accepted for at least 30 days from the posting date   

Clearance: Active Top Secret Clearance and/or DOE Q

Location: Washington, D.C. (100% on-site)  

Positions: 3 Tier III

Responsibilities of the Network Engineer:    

• Work closely with cross-functional teams to diagnose issues, enhance performance, and maintain the scalability and dependability of the network, while overseeing continuous upgrades and strengthening security measures 
• Deploy, configure, maintain, and enhance LAN and WAN infrastructure, including routers, switches, VPN devices, load balancers, and security systems.
• Apply security patches promptly across all network infrastructure components, such as routers, switches, voice/video systems, and security appliances.
• Utilize network monitoring tools to assess performance, troubleshoot issues, and implement optimizations aligned with industry best practices.
• Maintain a current inventory of network assets, tracking both hardware and software components to support effective asset management and lifecycle planning.
• Contribute to network project planning by offering design insights, technical evaluations, and support during engineering discussions.
• Oversee data center network infrastructure, assist with storage and virtualization platforms, and collaborate with cross-functional teams on infrastructure scaling and enhancements.
• Diagnose and resolve network issues and outages impacting voice, video, and data services; coordinate and schedule necessary upgrades and performance enhancements.
• Exhibit skills in routing, switching, and firewall configuration, supporting the deployment and maintenance of secure, high-performance LAN/WAN environments.

 Qualifications of the Network Engineer: 

• Active Top Secret and/or DOE Q clearance
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college in a related discipline and 5-8+ years of network engineering experience
• Certifications: Sec+, CCNA (highly preferred)
• Extensive experience configuring Cisco routers and switches (IOS/NX-OS), as well as Palo Alto Next-Generation Firewalls and VPNs.
• Hands-on experience with General Dynamics Taclanes and/or GEM One encryption devices.
• Proficient in F5 Load Balancer technologies, including GTM and BIG-IP DNS.
• Strong technical background in both Windows and Unix/Linux environments, with expertise in network security, traffic analysis, incident response, vulnerability assessment, packet inspection, and system hardening.
• In-depth knowledge of Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking protocols, encryption standards, and communication protocols, including but not limited to: TLS/SSL, IPsec, SSH, BGP, VLAN, LLDP, LACP, ARP, 802.1X, DNS, AES, and NTP.
• Skilled in network design, implementation, troubleshooting, and performance optimization.

Compensation of the Network Engineer: 

• Total compensation based on experience level - $150,000-$170,000 **based on experience level**
• Full Benefits: PTO, 11 Paid Holidays, Medical, Dental, and Vision, 401k with ADP
• Long-term program (3.5 years remaining)

Keywords: network design, network implementation, LAN, WAN, routing protocols, top secret, DOE Q, Q clearance, F5, load balancer, VLAN, NTP, CCNA, CCNP, Sec+, Net+, onsite, on-site, Manassas, D.C., Virginia, ts/sci, security clearance, switching protocols, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, VLAN, STP, RSTP, MSTP, subnetting, IP addressing, IPv4, IPv6, NAT, PAT, DHCP, DNS, TCP/IP, UDP, ICMP, ARP, MAC addressing, QoS, multicast, unicast, broadcast, firewall configuration, VPN, IPsec, SSL/TLS, SSH, network security, intrusion detection, intrusion prevention, SIEM, packet analysis, Wireshark, SNMP, NetFlow, syslog, network monitoring, network troubleshooting, performance tuning, load balancing, F5, GTM, BIG-IP, Cisco IOS, NX-OS, Juniper, Palo Alto, Fortinet, Check Point, network automation, Python scripting, Ansible, SDN, SD-WAN, cloud networking, AWS networking, Azure networking, GCP networking, virtualization, VMware, Hyper-V, network segmentation, 802.1X, RADIUS, TACACS+, wireless networking, Wi-Fi, 802.11 standards, network topology, cabling standards, fiber optics, Ethernet, PoE, data center networking, high availability, redundancy, failover, network documentation, change management, configuration management, network compliance, NIST, ISO 27001, ITIL, DevOps, NetDevOps