Job Description
Job Description
Senior Network Engineer
Location: Onsite – Washington, DC Area
Clearance Requirements: Candidate must currently hold Public Trust (DOJ Preferred)
Employment Type: Contract - 26 weeks
Overview
A federal program supporting the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division is seeking an experienced Senior Network Engineer to lead the design, configuration, monitoring, and optimization of a complex enterprise network infrastructure. This role requires deep expertise in advanced networking technologies, strong experience with monitoring and management platforms, and the ability to ensure secure, high‑performance network operations in a mission‑critical environment.
The ideal candidate is proactive, highly technical, and well‑versed in tools such as Nagios, Cisco Prime, Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), and Splunk.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design, configuration, and maintenance of enterprise‑level network environments to ensure reliability, scalability, and security.
- Configure and administer Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls in alignment with organizational requirements and industry best practices.
- Implement and support advanced network protocols including OSPF, BGP, VLANs, QoS, and IPSec.
- Utilize Nagios to monitor network device health, performance trends, and service availability.
- Develop proactive monitoring strategies to detect anomalies and reduce operational downtime.
- Troubleshoot network incidents and provide timely resolution to minimize service disruptions.
- Use Cisco Prime Infrastructure for network configuration, performance monitoring, and inventory management.
- Automate network provisioning, monitoring, and configuration tasks to enhance efficiency.
- Configure and manage Cisco ISE to enforce network access control policies across wired and wireless environments.
- Integrate Cisco ISE with other security tools to support centralized authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA).
- Develop and refine Splunk dashboards, alerts, and reports for network performance, security events, and incident response.
- Maintain detailed documentation of network configurations, processes, troubleshooting guides, and incident resolutions.
- Identify opportunities for network optimization and implement solutions that improve performance and scalability.
- Automate routine tasks such as backups and performance checks using scripting tools.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, or related discipline (or equivalent experience/certifications).
- 5+ years of hands‑on experience supporting large‑scale enterprise networks.
- Strong expertise with Nagios for monitoring and performance analysis.
- Advanced experience using Cisco Prime for network management and automation.
- In-depth proficiency with Cisco ISE for access control and network security.
- Experience using Splunk for log management, analysis, and dashboard development.
- Advanced knowledge of networking protocols such as OSPF, BGP, MPLS, VLANs, QoS, and IPSec.
- Hands-on experience with Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls.
- Strong understanding of network security practices including ACLs, VPNs, IDS/IPS, and related technologies.
- Proficiency with scripting languages such as Python or Bash for automation.
- Excellent analytical, troubleshooting, and problem‑solving skills.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to support and mentor junior network engineering staff.
•Desirable Skills
- Experience with cloud networking and hybrid integrations involving AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
- Familiarity with SD‑WAN technologies and network automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Terraform).
- Understanding of ITIL or other IT service management frameworks.
Certifications (Preferred)
- Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) or higher.
- Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) highly desirable.
- Additional certifications such as Network+, security‑focused certifications, or Splunk Certified Admin are a plus.