Sr. Network Engineer- Secret

Piper Companies is hiring a Sr. Network Engineer-Secret for a Cloud and Technology company located in Fort Meade, MD. The Sr. Network Engineer-Secret delivers innovative, end to end, optimized networking and architecture solutions to public sector IT leaders who are accelerating their mission by transforming their IT.
The Sr. Network Engineer-Secret role is an onsite position located in Fort Meade, MD.

• Lead customer delivery engagements and provide senior-level escalation support for large-scale, complex networking and infrastructure environments, leveraging deep technical expertise to resolve critical issues, drive successful outcomes, and support Department of Defense (DoD) and other public sector customers.
• Consult with customers, partners, and Cisco stakeholders to plan, design, implement, integrate, optimize, and support Cisco technologies and services; translate business and mission requirements into scalable architecture solutions that accelerate customer objectives and technology transformation initiatives.
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor and recognized subject matter expert across routing, switching, data center, security, automation, and cloud-integrated technologies, influencing solution architectures, driving technology transitions, and ensuring alignment with industry best practices and customer goals.
• Lead the analysis, troubleshooting, simulation, validation, and resolution of highly complex network and infrastructure challenges; collaborate closely with engineering teams to identify product serviceability issues, develop innovative solutions, and drive resolution of critical customer-impacting incidents.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, Cisco leadership, engineering, and partner organizations to achieve strategic objectives; effectively communicate complex technical concepts to executive and senior leadership audiences while earning trust and influencing key decisions across organizational boundaries.
• Create, contribute to, and disseminate technical documentation, knowledge transfer materials, intellectual capital, and best practices; mentor and develop engineers, provide technical leadership, foster a culture of continuous learning, and strengthen organizational capabilities across advanced networking technologies.
• Independently lead projects, initiatives, and cross-functional programs with broad organizational impact; proactively identify risks, exercise sound judgment in ambiguous situations, drive innovation, support customer problem resolution, and deliver measurable operational, program, and service improvements while serving as a steward of organizational culture and customer success.

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience) with 8+ years of enterprise networking, network architecture, and engineering experience supporting large-scale environments; active TS/SCI clearance and ability to work onsite five days per week at Fort Meade, MD preferred.
• Advanced expertise in Cisco networking technologies, including Routing & Switching, Data Center, Catalyst Center, SD-WAN, UCS, and Nutanix, with CCIE Routing & Switching preferred; CCNP Data Center certification considered. Proven experience designing and implementing complex enterprise network architectures and providing strategic consulting as a trusted advisor.
• Strong knowledge of network security, zero-trust architectures, firewall policy management, and high-availability configurations, ensuring secure, resilient, and low-latency delivery of voice, video, messaging, and mission-critical business services across hybrid and cloud-integrated environments.
• Hands-on experience with network automation and programmability, leveraging APIs, Python, Ansible, and orchestration platforms to automate network operations, improve deployment efficiency, reduce manual configuration tasks, and support software-defined networking initiatives.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams consisting of Cisco, customer, and partner stakeholders through the analysis, troubleshooting, and resolution of complex routing, switching, and data center challenges; experienced in mentoring engineers and driving successful outcomes across enterprise-level accounts and large-scale transformation projects.
• Demonstrated expertise in lifecycle management and Dev Ops practices, including Cisco IOS-XE, IOS-XR, and NX-OS firmware upgrades, Linux and Windows Server administration, Docker containerization, Git Hub version control, CI/CD pipelines, and maintaining highly available, stable production environments.
• Exceptional communication, leadership, and consultative skills with the ability to simplify complex technical concepts, influence senior leadership, proactively manage crises, anticipate risks, present architectural recommendations, foster customer satisfaction…