Enterprise LAN 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 an enterprise LAN engineer and networking SME with deep experience designing, implementing, integrating, and modernizing campus, data center, wireless, access, distribution, core, and secure enclave networks in classified or high-assurance environments.

You bring broad hands-on depth across switching, routing, wireless, NAC, segmentation, secure access, data center networking, network services, performance engineering, and operational sustainment. You understand how LAN designs must support identity, encryption, UC, mission applications, cybersecurity, and air-gapped operations.

You are adaptable and comfortable owning complex LAN design and implementation efforts while working closely with technical leadership and across technical teams. You remain hands-on with configuration, troubleshooting, validation, documentation, deployment, and operational transition. You have a mission focus and take pride in building systems the right way and supporting them end-to-end.

Position Overview:

VT-ARC is seeking a Senior to Staff level Enterprise LAN Engineer to provide technical leadership for LAN engineering, campus and data center networking, secure enclave integration, implementation, and modernization supporting mission-critical programs within TS/SCI environments.

This role is focused on domain-level LAN ownership across the full network lifecycle, from requirements interpretation and architecture input through detailed design, implementation planning, integration, validation, and transition to operations. The role includes holistic LAN engineering across campus, data center, wireless, access, distribution, core, classified, multi-enclave, and air-gapped network environments.

The Enterprise LAN Engineer will partner with the Principal Enterprise Network Engineer, program architecture leadership, WAN, UC, crypto, cybersecurity, identity, infrastructure, endpoint, and network performance leads to deliver secure, resilient, interoperable, and mission-aligned LAN capabilities.

Active Top Secret/SCI clearance is required.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Lead end-to-end enterprise LAN engineering activities, including architecture input, detailed design, implementation planning, integration, validation, and operational transition.
• Design, implement, integrate, and modernize LAN infrastructures across campus, data center, wireless, access, distribution, core, classified, multi-enclave, and air-gapped environments.
• Develop and validate LAN designs that account for routing, switching, VLANs, VRFs, NAC, wireless, segmentation, QoS, resiliency, identity dependencies, encryption dependencies, and sustainment.
• Implement and troubleshoot enterprise switching, routing, wireless, data center networking, network services, and secure access technologies.
• Coordinate LAN design dependencies with WAN, UC, crypto, identity, cybersecurity, endpoint, platform, and mission application teams.
• Support secure enclave integration, access control, microsegmentation, Zero Trust-aligned network access, and defense-in-depth network design.
• Develop implementation plans, test plans, configuration standards, network diagrams, migration runbooks, and operational transition materials.
• Participate in lab validation, proof-of-concept demonstrations, technical pilots, cutovers, and integration events.
• Mentor junior engineers and help establish engineering standards, configuration baselines, and operational best practices.

Required Education, Certification, Skills, Capabilities:

• Demonstrated senior or lead-level experience designing, implementing, and modernizing enterprise LAN, campus, data center, wireless, or secure enclave networks.
• Hands-on expertise with enterprise switching, routing, wireless, segmentation, NAC, QoS, high availability, and LAN troubleshooting.
• Experience with multi-vendor enterprise networking technologies, including platforms such as Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, Fortinet, Palo Alto, F5, or equivalent technologies.
• Experience supporting classified, TS/SCI, multi-enclave, internet-connected, or air-gapped network environments.
• Strong practical knowledge of VLANs, trunks, VRFs, routing protocols, spanning tree, link aggregation, wireless design, access control, DHCP, DNS dependencies, and network services.
• Ability to translate architecture objectives and mission requirements into executable LAN designs, deployment plans, configuration baselines, and validation approaches.
• Experience supporting RMF processes, ATO documentation, STIG compliance, security controls, or equivalent cybersecurity compliance activities for network infrastructure.
• Ability to produce clear technical documentation, diagrams, implementation guides, and operational procedures.

Desired Education, Certification, Skills, Capabilities:

• Professional certifications such as CCNP Enterprise, JNCIP, Aruba Certified Professional, Security+, CISSP, or equivalent technical credentials.
• Experience with data center networking technologies such as VXLAN, EVPN, Cisco ACI, Nexus, leaf-spine architectures, or equivalent platforms.
• Experience with NAC and secure access technologies such as Cisco ISE, Aruba ClearPass, 802.1X, device profiling, or equivalent tools.
• Experience integrating LAN capabilities with Type 1 encryption, UC, identity, certificates, endpoint management, and mission application environments.
• Experience with network automation, scripting, APIs, Ansible, Python, Git, or related tools.
• Familiarity with DoD networking standards, DISA STIGs, Zero Trust principles, and systems engineering lifecycle reviews.

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

Special Work Conditions: Occasional travel may be required; up to 10%

Security:

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

Competitive Salary: VT-ARC offers a competitive salary and benefits package designed to attract and retain senior technical talent supporting mission-critical programs.

Salary: $185,000-$225,000/yr., based on skills, experience, clearance, technical depth, and mission alignment.

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: https://vt-arc.org/careers/

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 hr@vt-arc.org

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