Network Engineer - Junior

The Network Engineer - Junior supports the planning, configuration, and day-to-day operation of enterprise network infrastructure across cloud and hybrid environments, with a focus on secure, reliable connectivity for mission-critical systems. They work under the guidance of senior engineers to implement routing, switching, software-defined networking, and security controls that align with enterprise standards. The role emphasizes hands-on configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting, and documentation to ensure network performance, resilience, and compliance in a regulated federal IT environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Configure and manage routers, switches, and virtual network components, including VLANs, VPNs, and subnetting, to support secure connectivity across on-premises and cloud environments.
• Implement and support routing protocols such as OSPF and BGP, applying traffic optimization techniques to improve performance, resilience, and availability for critical applications.
• Assist with the deployment and operation of software-defined networking (SDN) solutions and network automation using scripting tools such as Python or Ansible to streamline provisioning and configuration management.
• Implement foundational network security controls including firewalls, access control lists, and segmentation, ensuring configurations align to enterprise and government security baselines.
• Monitor network performance using standard tools, perform log analysis and packet capture, and troubleshoot incidents to restore services and reduce recurrence of issues.
• Support cloud networking constructs such as VPCs, load balancers, and hybrid connectivity, working with senior engineers and cloud teams to maintain consistent security and performance.
• Develop and maintain documentation of network architectures, configurations, standards, and operating procedures to support continuity, audits, and compliance activities.
• Participate in capacity planning and disaster recovery activities, providing data and observations that inform improvements to network reliability and scalability.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) in IT, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Approximately 1-3 years of experience supporting enterprise or cloud-based network environments, including hands-on work with routing, switching, and network security.
• Foundational knowledge of routing protocols, IP addressing, subnetting, and common network services, with exposure to SDN and network automation concepts.
• Experience implementing or supporting network security controls such as firewalls, ACLs, and segmentation in regulated or compliance-driven environments.
• Ability to obtain and maintain an active Secret clearance; must be eligible under applicable DoD 8140 requirements as defined for the role.
• U.S. citizenship required.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly document configurations and procedures and collaborate with cross-functional IT teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within DoD or federal network compliance frameworks and associated security baselines.
• Industry certifications such as CompTIA Network+, Cisco CCNA, or equivalent vendor-neutral or vendor-specific network certifications.
• Exposure to infrastructure-as-code practices and automated network provisioning tools integrated into modern DevOps or cloud environments.
• Familiarity with major cloud service providers and their native networking features (e.g., VPCs, peering, VPN gateways, load balancers).

Compensation Ranges

Compensation ranges for ASM Research positions vary depending on multiple factors; including but not limited to, location, skill set, level of education, certifications, client requirements, contract-specific affordability, government clearance and investigation level, and years of experience. The compensation displayed for this role is a general guideline based on these factors and is unique to each role. Monetary compensation is one component of ASM's overall compensation and benefits package for employees.

EEO Requirements

It is the policy of ASM that an individual's race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation or national origin are not and will not be considered in any personnel or management decisions. We affirm our commitment to these fundamental policies.

All recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting for all job classifications is done without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, or age. All decisions on employment are made to abide by the principle of equal employment.

Physical Requirements

The physical requirements described in "Knowledge, Skills and Abilities" above are representative of those which must be met by an employee to successfully perform the primary functions of this job. (For example, "light office duties' or "lifting up to 50 pounds" or "some travel" required.) Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with qualifying disabilities, who are otherwise qualified, to perform the primary functions.

Disclaimer

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.