Network Engineer

Full-Time (Contract) | Hybrid/Remote: Washington, DC/Annapolis, MD


CyKor is a fast-growing Technology Solutions Provider to both federal and commercial clients. We attribute our continued growth to our core values, our professional team, and the valuable relationships with our clients. Our small and growing team fosters an environment in which each team member is respected, valued, and appreciated for their contributions.


CyKor is seeking a Senior Network Engineer - SD-WAN Provisioning to provide hands-on engineering support for the federal Enterprise SD-WAN program. This position will serve as a senior technical resource supporting the local provisioning and staging desk in the Annapolis, MD area, preparing network equipment for enterprise deployment to federal shore and afloat locations.


The Engineer will be responsible for provisioning, configuring, testing, validating, troubleshooting, and documenting Cisco SD-WAN network equipment prior to field deployment. This position requires strong hands-on Cisco routing and SD-WAN experience and the ability to rapidly troubleshoot configuration, software, hardware, and connectivity issues.


The ideal candidate is a senior-level network engineer who is comfortable working at the bench as well as coordinating with architects, automation engineers, integration teams, Tier 3 support personnel, logistics staff, and technical stakeholders.


ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

SD-WAN Provisioning & Staging

• Perform hands-on provisioning, staging, configuration, and validation of Cisco SD-WAN routers and associated network equipment.
• Prepare equipment for deployment to federal shore and afloat operational environments.
• Load and validate approved software, firmware, configurations, certificates, and security baselines.
• Execute standardized provisioning procedures, checklists, and acceptance testing.
• Validate device connectivity and successful registration with applicable SD-WAN controllers and management platforms.
• Verify device inventory, serial numbers, configuration status, and deployment readiness.
• Identify and resolve provisioning failures before equipment is released for installation.
• Support high-volume provisioning requirements associated with Full Rate Deployment (FRD).

Network Engineering & Troubleshooting

• Troubleshoot Layer 2/Layer 3 networking, routing, switching, transport, VPN, and SD-WAN connectivity issues.
• Troubleshoot Cisco IOS-XE and SD-WAN configuration and software issues.
• Validate routing protocols, interfaces, tunnels, segmentation, policies, and network reachability.
• Analyze device logs and technical data to isolate hardware, software, configuration, and connectivity problems.
• Support root-cause analysis for failed provisioning or deployment events.
• Escalate architecture or systemic issues to the Network Architect and engineering leadership when required.
• Provide senior-level technical assistance to junior engineers and provisioning personnel.

Cisco SD-WAN

• Configure and troubleshoot Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN / Viptela environments.
• Support SD-WAN edge router onboarding and controller registration.
• Validate control and data plane connectivity.
• Support configuration templates, device templates, policies, segmentation, VPNs, and transport configurations.
• Troubleshoot controller communication and device onboarding issues.
• Support Zero Trust and network segmentation requirements incorporated into the federal enterprise architecture.

Automation & Standardization

• Work closely with automation engineers to identify repeatable provisioning processes suitable for automation.
• Support development and validation of automated provisioning workflows.
• Assist with testing configuration templates and automated deployment processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve provisioning speed, accuracy, repeatability, and quality.
• Support configuration management and standardized baseline development.

Deployment & Tier 3 Engineering Support

• Provide technical reach-back support to integration engineers performing field installations.
• Troubleshoot equipment that fails installation or post-deployment validation.
• Assist Tier 3 engineering personnel with complex SD-WAN issues.
• Capture lessons learned from provisioning and deployment activities.
• Coordinate with integration teams to ensure field issues are incorporated into future provisioning procedures.

Documentation & Configuration Management

• Maintain accurate provisioning and configuration records.
• Document device status, serial numbers, configurations, software versions, defects, and disposition.
• Update engineering procedures, provisioning guides, checklists, and technical documentation.
• Maintain configuration control in accordance with federal program requirements.
• Ensure equipment is fully documented and technically ready prior to release for deployment.

REQUIREMENTS:

• 5-8+ years of progressively responsible network engineering experience, including senior-level troubleshooting responsibilities.
• Strong hands-on experience with Cisco routing and switching technologies.
• Demonstrated experience configuring and troubleshooting Cisco IOS/IOS-XE devices.
• Experience with Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN / Viptela or comparable enterprise SD-WAN technologies.
• Strong understanding of TCP/IP, IPv4/IPv6, VLANs, VPNs, BGP, OSPF, QoS, IPsec, network segmentation, WAN transport technologies
• Experience staging, provisioning, configuring, and validating enterprise network equipment.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex network issues using CLI, logs, packet-level information, and network management tools.
• Experience working from engineering drawings, configuration templates, implementation plans, and technical procedures.
• Strong documentation and configuration-management discipline.
• Ability to work effectively in a high-volume provisioning environment supporting aggressive deployment schedules.
• Ability to work on-site in the Annapolis, Maryland area.
• An active Secret clearance or higher

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Previous federal enterprise network experience.
• Experience supporting large-scale enterprise SD-WAN deployments.
• Experience with Cisco Catalyst 8000-series routers.
• Experience with Cisco Catalyst 9000-series switching.
• Familiarity with Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, Controller, and Validator components.
• Experience with Cisco ISE, network access control, or Zero Trust Architecture.
• Familiarity with DISA STIGs and Federal cybersecurity configuration requirements.
• Experience with Ansible / Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) or network automation.
• Experience supporting both shore-based and afloat/maritime network environments.
• Experience supporting network equipment staging, warehouse, bench, or deployment operations.
• Experience providing Tier 3 network engineering support.

CERTIFICATIONS:

Required / Strongly Preferred

• CCNP Enterprise or equivalent demonstrated Cisco enterprise networking experience.
• Security+ CE or equivalent DoD 8570/8140-aligned certification

Desired

• Cisco SD-WAN / Catalyst SD-WAN training or certification.
• CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure.
• Cisco DevNet or network automation certification.
• ITIL Foundation.

Education


Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related technical discipline preferred. Relevant military technical training, industry certifications, and significant hands-on network engineering experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirements.