Senior Network Engineer

• Location: Annapolis Junction, Maryland
• Type: Contract
• Job #3708

Title: Senior Network Engineer
Location: Annapolis Junction, MD
Compensation Range: $210 -$230K
*Clearance: *Active TS/SCI w/ Polygraph needed to apply *
Company Overview:
Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government. Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission. Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation's toughest and most secure problems. If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don't look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview:
Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to: Medical, Dental and Vision Plans * Generous PTO Policy * 401(k) * HSA and FSA options * Life and Disability Insurance * Tuition Reimbursement and Training * Perks at Work Discount Program * Referral Program * Leads Generation Program * CollegeAmerica 529 * Fitness Reimbursement Program * Travel Assistance * Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions * Life Planning Financial & Legal Services *

Job Summary:
We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Senior Network Engineer to join our IT infrastructure team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in LAN network engineering, network architecture, monitoring, and security, with significant hands-on experience in data center environments. You will be responsible for designing, implementing, maintaining, and optimizing our enterprise network infrastructure with a focus on reliability, scalability, and security.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field and a minimum of 8 years of demonstrable experience in network engineering
  OR 10 years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
  
• IAT Level II Certification Required (e.g., Security+ CE, CCNA Security, or equivalent DoD 8570-compliant certification)

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and architect enterprise-level LAN/WAN infrastructure and data center networks.
• Install, configure, and maintain Cisco routers, switches, firewalls, and other networking hardware.
• Implement and manage IPSEC VPNs and other secure network communication protocols.
• Monitor network performance and implement solutions to improve efficiency and uptime.
• Ensure network security through best practices, including firewalls, access controls, and encryption.
• Troubleshoot complex network issues and perform root cause analysis to prevent recurrence.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to plan and support organizational projects and IT initiatives.
• Develop and maintain network documentation, diagrams, and procedures.
• Evaluate emerging technologies to ensure our network infrastructure remains robust and current.
• Comply with all applicable security policies and support audit and compliance requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in DoD or other regulated environments.
• Familiarity with automation and scripting tools for network configuration (e.g., Python, Ansible).
• Experience with cloud networking (AWS, Azure) and hybrid cloud architectures.