Network Engineer - Tysons, VA

Responsibilities

We rely on a secure, resilient enterprise network to support critical business functions across M.C. Dean and to enable delivery for our customers worldwide. The successful candidate will join a dynamic, multidiscipline team responsible for the design, implementation, integration, and operation of M.C. Dean’s enterprise network infrastructure spanning headquarters, regional offices, lab environments, and secure enclaves—including the CMMC-aligned environment used for handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

As a senior member of the network team, the Senior Network Engineer’s responsibilities will include (but will not be limited to) the following:

• Develop detailed technical and performance specifications for enterprise network solutions based on business needs, operational requirements, and constraints across diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Research available technology options and their respective functional, performance, security, and interoperability characteristics; evaluate alternatives and select platforms accordingly.
• Produce detailed network architecture and design—covering routing, switching, wireless, firewalls, SD-WAN, remote and site-to-site VPN, cloud networking, and segmentation—with integrated security controls and hardening; collaborate with the Network Architect and other senior team members to drive best practices across the enterprise.
• Own end-to-end delivery of cross-functional network initiatives via the team’s RFC (Request for Change) process: structure the problem, evaluate solutions, coordinate cross-team reviewers, and drive proposals through governance to implementation.
• Lead implementation and configuration of network components, including extensive use of templates and automation, in accordance with established change management policies and security baselines.
• Design and operate dedicated network segments and supporting controls (e.g., dedicated firewalls, isolated VLANs, encrypted transport) for regulated environments, including the CUI enclave.
• Plan, evaluate, and execute capacity optimization, updates, upgrades, and other lifecycle activities; troubleshoot complex infrastructure problems; provide escalation-level support for service availability and performance issues.
• Manage carrier and Internet service relationships and the underlying physical layer at the Tysons headquarters and other sites, including copper/fiber identification, demarcation, and coordination of moves/adds/changes with providers.
• Engineer site-to-site and customer-program connectivity (including private circuits for project delivery, such as transit and rail programs) in coordination with project teams.
• Create and maintain detailed and accurate system documentation, including design and configuration plans, network and system boundary diagrams, task-oriented procedures, operations and maintenance plans, and runbooks.
• Mentor junior network engineers; review designs and changes from the team; contribute to standards, templates, and reusable patterns.

Specific qualification requirements for the position include the following:

• Routing, Switching & Wireless: Extensive hands-on experience designing, deploying, and operating enterprise Cisco environments—including campus and data-center switching, dynamic routing (OSPF, BGP), and enterprise wireless (Cisco Wireless or comparable). Proficient with Cisco Catalyst Center or equivalent controller-based management.
• SD-WAN & WAN: Practical experience designing and operating Cisco SD-WAN (or comparable) including overlay/underlay architectures, transport diversity, and policy-based routing; carrier-service management, including coordination with ISPs and private-circuit providers.
• Next-Generation Firewall: Deep expertise with Palo Alto Networks NGFW administration and policy design, including Panorama-based centralized management and AIOps for NGFW; advanced features such as App-, User-, decryption, IPS, and URL filtering.
• Cloud Networking: Proficient designing and supporting Azure networking constructs (VNets, peering, NSGs, Azure Firewall, Application Gateway/WAF, Express Route or VPN gateways) and integrating…