Network Engineer 2 - Tysons, VA

Network EngineerM.C. Dean is Building Intelligence®. We design, build, operate, and maintain cyber-physical solutions for the nation's most mission-critical facilities, secure environments, complex infrastructure, and global enterprises. With over 9,000 employees, our capabilities span electrical, electronic security, telecommunications, life safety, automation and controls, audiovisual, and IT systems. Headquarters in Tysons, Virginia, M.C. Dean delivers resilient, secure, and innovative power and technology solutions through engineering expertise and smart systems integration.Our people are passionate about engineering innovation that improves lives and drives impactful change. Guided by our core values—agility, expertise, and trust—we foster a collaborative and forward-thinking work environment. At M.C. Dean, we are committed to building the next generation of technical leaders in electrical, engineering, and cybersecurity industries.The successful candidate will join a dynamic, multidiscipline team responsible for the operation, implementation, and sustainment of M.C. Dean's enterprise network infrastructure spanning headquarters, regional offices, lab environments, and secure enclaves. This role is the network analog to our developer-platform Systems Engineer role and is focused on day-to-day operations, change implementation, and lifecycle support of deployed systems—working under the direction of senior network engineers and architects.As part of the team, the Network Engineer's responsibilities will include (but will not be limited to) the following:Implement approved network changes—switching, routing, wireless, firewall, SD-WAN, VPN, and cloud networking—following established designs, configuration baselines, and change-management procedures.Perform routine operations on the enterprise network and supporting controls, including monitoring service health and performance, responding to alerts, and triaging incidents.Sustain deployed systems through patching, firmware updates, certificate rotation, configuration backups, and capacity tracking; identify and remediate vulnerabilities flagged through scanning and audit processes.Troubleshoot common network and connectivity problems across LAN, WAN, wireless, VPN, and cloud paths; escalate complex issues to senior engineers with clear problem statements and supporting data.Support implementation of network changes for regulated environments—including the CUI enclave—under the direction of senior engineers and in accordance with applicable controls.Coordinate with Internet service and carrier providers on routine service requests, including moves/adds/changes, copper/fiber identification, and demarcation issues.Support delivery of customer-program connectivity (such as transit, rail, and other project sites), including configuration of project-side network and security components in coordination with project engineers.Contribute to lab and proof-of-concept work, including SD-WAN, wireless, and security pilots; help productize successful pilots into operational standards.Create and maintain accurate network documentation, including configuration baselines, runbooks, port maps, and diagrams—keeping them current as the environment changes.Provide escalation support to the helpdesk for network-related issues; contribute to knowledge-base articles and training materials.Specific qualification requirements for the position include the following:Routing, Switching & Wireless: Hands-on experience configuring, supporting, and operating Cisco campus and data-center switching, routing (OSPF, BGP fundamentals), and enterprise wireless (Cisco Wireless or comparable); familiarity with Cisco Catalyst Center or equivalent management platform.SD-WAN & WAN: Working knowledge of Cisco SD-WAN (or comparable) and WAN concepts; able to perform routine operations and supervised implementation tasks under senior direction.Firewall Operations: Hands-on experience operating Palo Alto Networks NGFW, including day-to-day policy changes, log review, and basic troubleshooting; exposure to Panorama and AIOps for NGFW.Cloud Networking: Working knowledge of Azure networking constructs (VNets, NSGs, Azure Firewall, VPN gateways) sufficient to implement approved changes and troubleshoot connectivity issues.Remote Access & Zero Trust: Familiarity with remote-access VPN and Zero Trust Network Access concepts and tooling (e.g., Zscaler); ability to support user-side issues and configuration changes.Monitoring & Observability: Familiarity with enterprise network management and observability platforms; able to use dashboards and telemetry to detect, triage, and document issues.Security & Compliance: Working understanding of network security best practices and exposure to applicable frameworks (CIS Controls, ISO 27001, NIST SP 800-171). Awareness of CMMC v2.0 Level 2 requirements as they apply to enclave operations.Automation & Change Management: Exposure to configuration management or Infrastructure-as-Code tooling (e.g., Ansible, Terraform); ability to follow disciplined change-management procedures aligned to ITIL-style practices.Experience & Expertise2+ years of progressive experience in enterprise network engineering or network operations, with demonstrated ability to operate, implement, and sustain network infrastructure in a fast-paced environment.Working knowledge of secure configuration practices for network devices.Solid understanding of network fundamentals and protocols including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, SNMP, Syslog, and IPSec.Exposure to endpoint security, SIEM, and vulnerability scanning tools as they relate to network operations.Familiarity with scripting in Python, Bash, or PowerShell is a plus.Demonstrated time-management and organizational skills while working in a fast-paced, multidiscipline team environment.Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to support and document for both technical and non-technical audiences.Proficiency with workflow and lifecycle management systems (e.g., Atlassian Jira and Confluence).Education and CertificationEducationBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related Engineering Discipline.Certification (preferred; one or more to be obtained within 12 months of hire)Cisco CCNAPalo Alto Networks PCNSACompTIA Network+ or Security+AWS or Azure cloud-practitioner-level certificationAbilities:Exposure to computer screens for an extended period of time.Sitting for extended periods of time.Reach by extending hands or arms in any direction.Have finger dexterity in order to manipulate objects with fingers rather than whole hands or arms, for example, using a keyboard.Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.Identify and understand the speech of another person.