Network Engineer

Location:

ARL’s Robotics Research Collaboration Campus (R2C2) at Graces Quarters, Middle River, MD

The Energetics Technology Center (ETC) is seeking a full‑time mid‑level Network Engineer with hands‑on Linux system administration experience. This is a Network Engineer role with a substantial Linux component. The position supports robotics and autonomous systems research for our Department of War client at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s (ARL) Robotics Research Collaboration Campus (R2C2) in Middle River, MD.

This is a hybrid position requiring three days on‑site per week. The selected candidate must also be on‑site for projects, experimentation, and testing events. The role may require occasional work outdoors in varying terrain and weather conditions, plus travel two to three times per year for up to two weeks at a time.

• Design, implement, and maintain wired and wireless network infrastructure at the R2C2 operations site, including Wi‑Fi, wired LAN, point‑to‑point radios, tactical mesh radios, and 5G cellular networks.
• Administer Linux‑based network services, servers, and robotic platforms operating in laboratory and field environments (Ubuntu and/or RHEL derivatives).
• Gather requirements from researchers, design practical network solutions, and present findings and recommendations to colleagues and leadership.
• Collaborate with robotics researchers to integrate networks for autonomous platform operation, communications, telemetry, and real‑world experimentation.
• Support high‑bandwidth data transfer using command‑line tools, live analytics, and modeling systems.
• Develop and maintain operating policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), user guides, network architecture diagrams, and usage/performance reports.
• Configure, troubleshoot, and support Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, or equivalent network equipment.
• Implement and maintain network monitoring using SNMP, Net Flow, syslog, and related tools for proactive monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance analysis.
• Support related system administration work on lab and field systems as assigned.

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems, Systems Administration, Network Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

3-5 years of relevant network engineering and/or systems administration experience.

• U.S. citizenship and current possession of, or ability to obtain, a U.S. SECRET security clearance.
• Possess, or obtain within 3 months of start date, a DoD 8140-aligned certification (minimum CompTIA Security+ CE or equivalent; legacy DoD 8570 IAT II acceptable).
• Possess, or obtain within 3 months of start date, Linux+ or RHCSA (or equivalent) certification.
• Hands‑on experience with Linux system administration, including Ubuntu and/or RHEL derivatives, shell scripting, command‑line tools, and troubleshooting.
• Solid working knowledge of networking fundamentals and networked systems: TCP/IP, routing, switching, VLANs, VPNs, network interfaces, segmentation, traffic analysis, performance monitoring, and common protocols (including multicast/broadcast).
• Proficiency with network troubleshooting tools and techniques (ping, trace route, SSH, SCP, tcpdump, Wireshark).
• Working understanding of network security standards (STIGs, CIS benchmarks, firmware and patch management).
• Hands‑on experience with network device CLI (Cisco IOS, Juniper JUNOS, or equivalent).
• Ability to work independently and as part of a small team in a research and field‑experimentation environment.

• Cisco CCNA certification or completion of Cisco training.
• Familiarity with configuration management and…