Senior Unified Communications Engineer

About Us:

VT-ARC, a technical services and applied research company, has built an organizational culture marked by four primary values: Teamwork, Integrity, Excellence, and Service. Integral to our success is our staff's enthusiasm for solving tough problems by working together in teams to get the job done. We foster a culture where every employee's contribution is valued and performed with integrity while maintaining a fun work environment. VT-ARC strives for excellence in all that is done for our clients, and such achievement is recognized through service/merit awards. Moreover, we promote a sense of community larger than VT-ARC alone, where staff and institutional resources can be applied in service to our country.

We are proud to be the recipient of the Best Workplace in Defense Award by Emergent Magazine, an honor that recognizes companies with positive cultures that not only impact their people but also make a meaningful difference in the community.

About You:

You are a senior Unified Communications engineer who thrives in small, highly capable engineering teams where ownership, accountability, and technical depth matter. You are comfortable taking a system from design through implementation and into operational sustainment, and you enjoy working directly with architects, WAN engineers, and mission stakeholders to solve complex communications challenges.

You are hands-on, adaptable, and confident operating in classified environments where reliability and mission continuity are paramount. You take pride in building systems the right way and supporting them end-to-end.

Position Overview:

VT-ARC is seeking a Senior Unified Communications Engineer to design, implement, and sustain Cisco-based enterprise voice and collaboration environments supporting mission-critical programs within TS/SCI settings.

This role focuses on secure enterprise VoIP, SIP routing, collaboration platform integration, and transport optimization in coordination with WAN and network architecture teams. You will directly contribute to system stand-up, modernization, troubleshooting, and lifecycle sustainment of classified communications infrastructures.

This role operates within a small, high-performance engineering team where each member contributes directly to system design, deployment, and operational excellence. The successful candidate will be expected to take technical ownership of assigned UC systems while collaborating closely with network and mission integration teams.

An active Top Secret/SCI clearance is required.

Join our team and take advantage of a competitive signing bonus

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Design, deploy, configure, and sustain Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) environments within TS/SCI classified networks.
• Implement and support Cisco Unity, Expressway, SIP trunking, and enterprise VoIP integrations.
• Configure and enforce QoS policies across WAN environments to ensure reliable voice and video performance.
• Take end-to-end technical ownership of UC system deployments from design through operational validation and sustainment.
• Integrate UC platforms with enterprise routing, secure enclave segmentation, and cross-domain transport architectures.
• Troubleshoot complex call routing, SIP signaling, and media flow issues across multi-enclave environments.
• Perform system upgrades, patching, configuration management, and lifecycle sustainment activities.
• Ensure compliance with STIG implementation, RMF controls, and DoD interoperability requirements.
• Develop and maintain configuration documentation, operating procedures, and system architecture artifacts.
• Collaborate closely with WAN engineers, network architects, cybersecurity engineers, and mission stakeholders to support resilient end-to-end communications.
• Operate effectively within a small, high-performance engineering team where individual contribution directly impacts mission readiness.
• Participate in integration testing, mission validation exercises, and system performance assessments.

Required Education, Certification, Skills, Capabilities:

• Bachelor's degree in a related technical discipline, or equivalent professional experience in unified communications engineering.
• 7+ years of progressive experience designing and supporting enterprise UC environments.
• Demonstrated hands-on expertise with Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM).
• Experience with Cisco Unity, Expressway, SIP trunking, and IP telephony protocols.
• Strong understanding of QoS implementation within enterprise WAN environments.
• Experience integrating UC systems into secure, multi-enclave or TS/SCI classified networks.
• Working knowledge of routing and switching fundamentals supporting voice transport.
• Experience supporting RMF processes and STIG compliance for communications systems.
• Active Top Secret/SCI clearance required.
• CCNP Collaboration or equivalent certification strongly preferred.

Desired Education, Certification, Skills, Capabilities:

• Advanced degree in a technical discipline, or equivalent senior-level mission communications experience.
• 10+ years of enterprise unified communications experience.
• Prior military or DoD enterprise communications experience.
• Experience integrating UC systems into mission-critical or cross-domain communications architectures.
• Familiarity with cloud-based collaboration platforms in government environments.
• Experience with automation or scripting for UC configuration management.
• Experience supporting enterprise performance monitoring and voice quality analytics.
• Familiarity with Zero Trust principles as applied to communications systems.

Primary Work Location: Work is expected to be fully onsite in Arlington, VA.

Special Work Conditions:

• Occasional CONUS travel may be required; up to 15%
• Possible travel to OCONUS locations; up to 10%

Security:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Active Top Secret/SCI clearance is required

Competitive Salary: VT-ARC offers competitive pay based on a number of factors including but not limited to conducting comparable salary market research, education, years of experience, and benefits.

Salary: $175,000-$200,000/yr.

Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation: VT-ARC is a 501(c)(3), non-profit R&D organization affiliated with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech or VT). Our mission is to provide superior analytic and technology solutions across multiple domains by leveraging Virginia Tech's multidisciplinary research and innovation ecosystem. With unique access to the broad and rich research enterprise found at Virginia Tech, VT-ARC forms multi-disciplinary teams to apply innovative solutions to the real-world problems that strain our social, political, industrial, and economic foundations.

To learn more about VT-ARC's Benefits, Perks, Culture & more visit our Careers page:

Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. As a federal contractor, we are committed to providing equal employment opportunity and affirmative action for qualified individuals with disabilities under Section?503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete the application or interview process, please contact Human Resources at View email address on click.appcast.io.

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