Network Engineer / Systems Integrator

NETWORK ENGINEER SR PRINCIPAL

Transform technology into opportunity as a Network Engineer Sr Principal at GDIT. Shape what’s next for mission-critical government projects while shaping what’s next for your engineering career.

Position Overview
The Network Engineer Sr. Principal is a high-impact, hybrid role combining the strategic foresight of a Network Architect with the hands-on technical mastery of a Senior Network Engineer. In this position, you will serve as a technical authority for our enterprise network infrastructure. You will be responsible for translating long-term business and mission requirements into secure, scalable, and resilient network architectures, while simultaneously leading the deployment, automation, and optimization of those designs.

Core Job Roles & Strategic Responsibilities

• Assistant Network Architect: Serve as technical designer for the network infrastructure, establishing architectural standards, technical roadmaps, and next-generation design patterns (including SD-WAN, Zero Trust, and Cloud/Hybrid integrations).

• Engineering Authority: Act as the ultimate technical escalation point for critical network operations, overseeing the implementation of complex network modifications, migrations, and hardware refreshes.

• Technical Mentor & Advisor: Mentor senior and junior engineering staff, cultivate a culture of technical excellence, and serve as the primary advisor to executive leadership on emerging networking technologies and budget forecasts.

• Security & Compliance Steward: Partner with the cybersecurity team to design and enforce defense-in-depth network architectures, ensuring strict alignment with security protocols, compliance frameworks, and industry best practices.

• Architectural Blueprinting: Design end-to-end logical and physical network topologies, IP routing schemes, and traffic engineering strategies using advanced design software.

• Hands-on Implementation: Lead the configuration, deployment, and optimization of core enterprise network devices, including backbone routers, multi-layer switches, next-generation firewalls, and application delivery controllers.

• Automation Development: Write, review, and maintain production-grade automation scripts and configuration playbooks using tools such as Python, Ansible, and Terraform to eliminate manual configuration drift.

• Vendor and Capacity Analysis: Analyze network telemetry data to monitor capacity thresholds, proactively design expansion plans, and lead technical evaluations/proof-of-concepts with major hardware and cloud vendors.

• Advanced Troubleshooting: Provide Tier 4 escalation support for complex network outages, utilizing packet-capture analysis (Wireshark) and telemetry tools to perform root-cause analysis on highly elusive issues.

• Collaborative Planning: Author comprehensive engineering specifications, deployment guides, and operational standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure smooth handoffs to network operations teams

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED

Bring your engineering expertise along with a drive for innovation to GDIT. The Network Engineer Sr Principal must have:

• Education: Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science

• Experience: 10+ years of related experience

• Technical skills: Routing and Switching, MPLS, BGP, OSPF, and other advanced tier 3 Network Engineering Skills.

• Security clearance level: Secret

• US citizenship required

• Role requirements: this position is for a junior architect. You will need to be able to work independently and with direction. You will also need to be able to mentor other technicians and engineers.

GDIT IS YOUR PLACE

At GDIT, the mission is our purpose, and our people are at the center of everything we do.

• Growth: AI-powered career tool that identifies career steps and learning opportunities
• Support: An internal mobility team focused on helping you achieve your career goals
• Rewards: Comprehensive benefits and wellness packages, 401K with company match, and competitive pay and paid time off
• Flexibility: Full-flex work week to own your priorities at work and at home
• Community: Award-winning culture of innovation and a military-friendly workplace

OWN YOUR OPPORTUNITY

Explore an enterprise IT career at GDIT and you’ll find endless opportunities to grow alongside colleagues who share your desire to drive operations forward.