Tier 3 Network Engineer (Washington, DC)

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Tier 3 Network Engineer to support enterprise network infrastructure, network security, and mission-critical IT operations for a federal program in Washington, DC . The Tier 3 Network Engineer will be responsible for designing, configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting complex network environments, including Cisco routing and switching, Palo Alto firewalls, F5 load balancers, and encrypted network communications. This position will be fully onsite in Washington, DC and requires an active DOE Q or Top Secret clearance!

Responsibilities of the Tier 3 Network Engineer:

• Design, configure, administer, and maintain enterprise LAN/WAN infrastructure, including Cisco routers, switches, VPN appliances, and network security devices
• Configure and troubleshoot Cisco IOS/NX-OS routing and switching environments supporting secure enterprise networks
• Administer Palo Alto Next-Generation Firewalls, VPN configurations, and network security policies
• Install, configure, and maintain General Dynamics TACLANE encryption devices and associated cryptographic network infrastructure
• Manage and troubleshoot F5 load balancers, including GTM, BIG-IP DNS, and application traffic distribution
• Configure and troubleshoot Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing protocols, including BGP, VLANs, LACP, LLDP, and related networking technologies
• Monitor network performance, analyze traffic patterns, and troubleshoot complex connectivity, latency, and infrastructure issues
• Perform network vulnerability assessments, security patching, system hardening, and remediation activities
• Troubleshoot network outages and service disruptions impacting voice, video, and data communications
• Support network design, infrastructure upgrades, capacity planning, and performance optimization initiatives
• Maintain network asset inventories, configuration documentation, topology diagrams, and technical procedures
• Collaborate with cybersecurity and infrastructure teams to implement secure network architectures and enforce security requirements
• Support data center networking environments and integration with storage, virtualization, and server infrastructure
• Participate in incident response, root-cause analysis, and resolution of complex Tier III network escalations
• Support backup, disaster recovery, and network resiliency initiatives
• Provide technical recommendations, project updates, and engineering support to internal teams and federal stakeholders

Qualifications for the Tier 3 Network Engineer:

• Active DOE Q or Top Secret clearance
• Strong hands-on experience with Cisco routing and switching, including IOS and NX-OS configurations
• Experience configuring and administering Palo Alto Next-Generation Firewalls and VPN technologies
• Experience with General Dynamics TACLANE encryption devices, cryptographic networking, or GEM One management
• Hands-on experience with F5 load balancers, including GTM and BIG-IP DNS
• Strong understanding of subnetting, Layer 2 switching, Layer 3 routing, and enterprise LAN/WAN network architectures
• Proficiency with networking and security protocols, including BGP, VLANs, IPsec, TLS/SSL, SSH, DNS, ARP, LACP, LLDP, and 802.1X
• Experience troubleshooting complex network connectivity, routing, firewall, and performance issues
• Knowledge of network security, traffic analysis, packet inspection, vulnerability remediation, and systems hardening
• Familiarity with Windows and Linux/Unix operating systems and their integration with enterprise network services

Compensation for the Tier 3 Network Engineer includes:

• Salary: $165,000 - $175,000
• Comprehensive Benefits Package including Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), PTO, and Paid Holidays

#LI-MM1 #LI-ONSITE

Keywords: Tier 3 Network Engineer, Tier III Network Engineer, Senior Network Engineer, Network Engineer, Network Systems Engineer, Network Infrastructure Engineer, Cisco Network Engineer, Network Security Engineer, Enterprise Networking, Cisco, Cisco IOS, Cisco NX-OS, Cisco Routers, Cisco Switches, Routing and Switching, LAN, WAN, TCP/IP, Subnetting, Layer 2, Layer 3, BGP, VLAN, LACP, LLDP, ARP, 802.1X, DNS, NTP, Network Security, Palo Alto, Palo Alto Networks, Next Generation Firewall, NGFW, Firewall Configuration, VPN, IPsec, TLS, SSL, SSH, TACLANE, General Dynamics TACLANE, HAIPE, GEM One, Cryptographic Networking, Network Encryption, F5, F5 BIG-IP, F5 GTM, BIG-IP DNS, Load Balancing, Network Design, Network Implementation, Network Troubleshooting, Network Performance Tuning, Network Monitoring, Packet Analysis, Traffic Analysis, Vulnerability Management, Security Patching, Systems Hardening, Incident Response, Data Center Networking, Disaster Recovery, Federal IT, DOE Q Clearance, Q Clearance, Top Secret Clearance, Active Top Secret, Washington DC, District of Columbia, Onsite Network Engineer