Principal/Sr Principal Network Engineer

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: YesCLEARANCE TYPE: Top SecretTRAVEL: Yes, 25% of the Time

Description At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

We are seeking an experienced Network Engineer to join our dynamic team of technical professionals. The qualified applicant will become part of Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems support team in San Antonio, TX .

Please Note: Due to the classified nature of the work being performed, this position does not offer any virtual or telecommute working options. Applicants are encouraged to apply, only if they are willing to work on-site.

What You’ll get to Do:

Help architect and build a launch execution network, building and sustaining high‑availability launch and missile test networks that span classified and unclassified enclaves. As a network‑strong engineer with meaningful cyber depth, you will lead network design, implementation, and performance tuning while partnering with cyber teams to embed RMF‑aligned protections and secure baselines into the infrastructure. This role is on‑site full‑time in San Antonio, TX and requires an active TS and SCI eligibility.

• Serve as a network engineer on a multi‑disciplinary team, designing and sustaining complex, multi‑node launch and test networks spanning classified and unclassified enclaves.
• Work with customer ISSMs/ISSOs and cyber engineering teams to develop and implement network changes in environments operating under, or seeking, an ATO/IATT, ensuring network designs align with RMF/ATO requirements.
• Design, plan, configure, and maintain enterprise‑scale network communications systems, delivering and maintaining detailed schematics and specifications for routers, switches, firewalls, multiplexers, bridges, gateways, and related hardware/software.
• Lead end‑to‑end testing of network designs, validate configurations, and monitor hardware and link performance to ensure proper settings, reliability, availability, and compliance with security policies and control objectives.
• Develop and execute implementation plans for network enhancements, upgrades, and migrations, coordinating with stakeholders to minimize service disruption and thoroughly documenting all changes and rollback plans.
• Engineer and operate core network services (e.g., DNS, DHCP, NTP, AAA) and segmented architectures that enforce well‑defined trust boundaries and enable controlled information sharing between multiple enclaves.
• Support the architecture and design of baked‑in cybersecurity protections by implementing and tuning network‑level security controls (e.g., firewalls, VPNs, ACLs, IDS/IPS, NAC) in close coordination with cyber/security teams.
• Participate in network operations activities (fault/performance monitoring, incident response support, change management), using NMS/monitoring tools and log/SIEM platforms as part of an integrated NOC/SOC construct.
• Perform physical‑layer installation tasks (e.g., fiber, patch panels, encryption devices) and ensure accurate as‑built documentation and configuration baselines are maintained.
• Produce periodic status reports, engineering change documentation, and network design artifacts; communicate technical options, trade‑offs, risks, and recommendations to internal and external stakeholders.

This position may be filled at the Principal Network Engineer level or the Sr. Principal Network Engineer level based on the qualifications listed.

Basic Qualifications for a Principal Network Systems Engineer:

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM from an accredited institution and 5 years of related professional/military experience in engineering; or a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 3 years of related experience; or a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline and 1 year of related experience.
• US Citizenship is required
• An active US Government Top Secret security clearance and SCI eligibility
• DoD 8570 IAT Level II certification (e.g., Security+ CE) and a current Cisco CCNA certification (or equivalent) prior to start.
• Hands on experience planning, implementing, operating, and troubleshooting routed and switched IP networks (e.g., IPv4, OSPF, VLANs, VPNs, firewalls) in mission critical or real time environments.
• Administration of Microsoft and Linux networked systems and applying foundational cybersecurity practices (e.g., hardening, secure configuration, access control) in collaboration with cyber/security teams.
• A solid understanding of cyber requirements and experience collaborating with cyber system engineers

Basic Qualifications for a Senior Principal Network Systems Engineer:

• Bachelor’s degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) discipline from an accredited institution and 8 years of related professional/military experience in engineering; or a Master’s degree in a STEM discipline and 6 years of related experience; or a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline and 4 years of related experience.
• US Citizenship is required
• An active US Government Top Secret security clearance and SCI eligibility
• DoD 8570 IAT Level II certification (e.g., Security+ CE) and a current Cisco CCNA certification (or equivalent) prior to start.
• Hands on experience planning, implementing, operating, and troubleshooting routed and switched IP networks (e.g., IPv4, OSPF, VLANs, VPNs, firewalls) in mission critical or real time environments.
• Administration of Microsoft and Linux networked systems and applying foundational cybersecurity practices (e.g., hardening, secure configuration, access control) in collaboration with cyber/security teams.
• A solid understanding of cyber requirements and experience collaborating with cyber system engineers

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven experience acting as a network design authority or principal engineer for new deployments or major redesigns, from concept through implementation and cutover, including high‑ and low‑level designs, ICDs, addressing and routing plans, firewall/ACL matrices, and NOC runbooks.
• Extensive hands‑on experience designing, implementing, and maintaining enterprise‑scale physical and virtual networks (e.g., Cisco routing/switching, firewalls, VPNs, VMware vSphere/ESXi/NSX) with well‑maintained network schematics and configuration baselines.
• Deep technical expertise with routing and switching in enterprise or mission networks, including route filtering, convergence tuning, VLAN/VXLAN, spanning‑tree variants, MLAG/port‑channeling, QoS and traffic engineering, and tuning network security controls (e.g., firewalls, IDS/IPS, NAC, endpoint protection); Cisco CCNP (or higher, such as CCIE) certification is strongly preferred.
• Experience architecting and supporting multi‑node test or launch networks for missile test ranges, weapon systems, or other real‑time mission systems, where latency, determinism, and availability are critical.
• Strong experience in engineering and securing DNS, DHCP, NTP, and AAA (RADIUS/TACACS+) within mission‑critical networks, including split‑horizon DNS, DNSSEC, DHCP authorization, authenticated NTP, and integration of these services with identity systems (e.g., Active Directory, identity management solutions).
• Extensive experience designing segmented architectures (user, server, management, security, out‑of‑band components) with well‑defined trust boundaries in multi‑domain or cross‑domain environments, including segregation and controlled information sharing between classified and unclassified networks using solutions such as guards, data diodes, and MLS/CDS systems.
• Demonstrated ability to align network architecture with RMF/ATO requirements and apply DISA STIGs/CIS benchmarks to routers, switches, firewalls, VPN gateways, and other network appliances, building standard network baselines (AAA, logging, NTP, SNMP, management access, banners, crypto settings) and verifying compliance at scale.
• Proficiency in automation, configuration management, and Infrastructure‑as‑Code for network automation (e.g., Ansible, Python, Bash, PowerShell, or similar tools), including device provisioning, configuration templating, drift detection, bulk policy updates (ACLs, QoS, routing policies), and automated compliance checks.
• Experience working within an integrated Network Operations Center (NOC) (fault/performance monitoring, event correlation, escalation workflows, collaboration with SOC personnel) combined with strong troubleshooting skills across layers 1–7 and a track record of restoring service quickly in complex environments.
• Experience leading end‑to‑end network testing and validation, including performance, resiliency, and failover testing in complex, distributed environments, and developing/executing implementation plans for network upgrades, migrations, and enhancements while minimizing mission impact; experience with voice and real‑time services over IP (e.g., VoIP, SIP trunking, QoS) in converged voice/data networks is highly desired.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; demonstrated ability to work with cross‑functional cyber, systems, software, and test teams to capture requirements, document designs and decisions, and brief options, trade‑offs, risks, and recommendations to both technical stakeholders and leadership/customer representatives.

We understand that candidates may not possess every preferred skill. If you meet all of the basic qualifications, have a solid background in many of the preferred qualifications, and are enthusiastic about our mission, we encourage you to apply.

Primary Level Salary Range: $94,200.00 - $141,200.00Secondary Level Salary Range: $117,500.00 - $176,300.00The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.