Principal Network Engineer
Description
Leidos is seeking an experienced Network Engineer to join our Defense Enclave Services (DES) team, supporting an extensive digital modernization program critical to the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and Department of Defense (DoD) Fourth Estate Agencies (DAFAs).
The Principal Network Engineer will be responsible for advancing enterprise network innovation through the execution of strategic design and implementation efforts. This role will lead upcoming and future engineering projects such as Network Segmentation, Comply-to-Connect (C2C), and other network transformation initiatives that support the evolution of the DES enterprise architecture and improve security, reliability, and mission outcomes.
Must be willing to commute to Ft. Meade, MD 2 days per week. This position requires an active DoD Secret clearance.
Primary Responsibilities
Principal network engineer responsible for planning, designing, and implementing enterprise network segmentation and Comply-to-Connect. This will include data-flow mapping, firewall rule set and ACL review, routing and security policy coordination, cutover sequencing, validation, and stakeholder approval.
Drive strategic engineering projects from concept through implementation, including architecture evaluation, requirements analysis, dependency identification, design coordination, planning, execution, validation, and transition to operations.
Develop and manage implementation plans, schedules, cutover strategies, contingency plans, rollback procedures, validation steps, stakeholder communications, and change documentation for mission-critical network changes.
Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and day-to-day direction to network engineers, administrators, and analysts while organizing team priorities, maintaining accountability, and ensuring execution against aggressive timelines.
Provide thoughtful technical information to government stakeholders.
Evaluate current network architecture, identify gaps or improvement opportunities, estimate level of effort, assess implementation risk, and develop practical engineering plans to improve enterprise capabilities.
Partners with architecture, cybersecurity, operations, project management, and technical SME teams to resolve blockers, manage dependencies, reduce delivery risk, and ensure network projects are executed end-to-end.
Continuously improving engineering processes, documentation standards, implementation playbooks, and execution models to accelerate delivery, reduce rework, improve operational handoff, and lower sustainment burden.
Basic Qualifications
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and 12+ years of prior relevant experience, or Master's degree with 10+ years of experience. Specific experience, education, and training may be considered in lieu of degree.
Significant experience leading or managing technical teams of network engineers, administrators, analysts, or implementation resources in complex enterprise environments.
Experience leading network engineering projects from planning through implementation, including requirements analysis, dependency management, risk reduction, contingency planning, execution oversight, validation, and operational transition.
Experience evaluating enterprise network architectures and developing improvement plans across LAN, WAN, WLAN, routing, switching, firewalls, VPN, proxies, security stacks, software-defined networking, and cloud-connected environments.
Experience with Network Segmentation/C2C or similar secure connectivity efforts, including data-flow analysis, firewall and ACL policy review, routing changes, security-zone design, stakeholder coordination, and implementation planning.
Demonstrated ability to organize teams, track details, manage competing priorities, meet aggressive schedules, and drive complex technical efforts to completion with a high degree of accountability.
Experience documenting logical and physical network designs, implementation plans, risks, dependencies, decision points, and technical recommendations using tools such as Visio, PowerPoint, Cameo, or similar tools.
Experience working with two or more of the following network technologies: Cisco, Aruba, Palo Alto, Dell, Infoblox, and Brocade.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting architecture recommendations, implementation plans, risks, dependencies, and status to technical leadership, stakeholders, and approval boards.
Current IAT Level II or higher certification, such as Security+ or CISSP.
Requires an active DoD Secret clearance.
Preferred Qualifications
Certified Cisco Network Professional (CCNP) or equivalent certification.
Experience supporting DISA, DoDNet, DoD Fourth Estate, or similar large-scale federal network modernization programs.
Experience leading enterprise network innovation efforts such as Network Segmentation/C2C, enterprise Wi-Fi modernization, IPv6 transition, automation, SDN, cloud connectivity, zero-trust-aligned networking, or security stack modernization.
Experience with Jira, Confluence, or other project and knowledge-management tools used to coordinate technical work across distributed engineering teams.
Experience developing repeatable engineering execution frameworks, implementation playbooks, migration runbooks, technical standards, and risk-reduction processes for enterprise network teams.
Experience coordinating ASIs, change windows, implementation plans, test validation, and rollback procedures for mission-critical network activities.
Understanding of Federal Government application, server, and network security requirements such as NIST, FedRAMP, FISMA, RMF, and DoD cybersecurity requirements.
If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.
Original Posting:
June 16, 2026For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.
Pay Range:
Pay Range $116,350.00 - $210,325.00The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
About Leidos
Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.
Pay and Benefits
Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.
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Commitment to Non-Discrimination
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.
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