Network Engineer

Leidos is seeking an experienced Network Engineer to support the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) CyberPRIMES program. Leidos is a major partner on the contract and will provide a substantial portion of the cybersecurity workforce supporting the Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) and DMDC. 

The Network Engineer will support external network-connectivity compliance and the technical approval processes required to connect DHRA systems, applications, and services across Department of Defense network boundaries. This position will review network implementations, firewall requirements, ports, protocols, services, and connection requests to ensure technical solutions comply with Department of Defense and Defense Information Systems Agency requirements. 

Work Locations: 

• Mark Center, Alexandria, Virginia

• Department of Defense Center – Monterey Bay, Seaside, California

Clearance: Active Secret security clearance required at time of consideration. U.S. Citizen is a must.

Mission Environment 

DMDC supports the Defense Human Resources Activity within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (OUSD(P&R)) and maintains the Department of Defense’s largest and most comprehensive central repository of personnel, manpower, casualty, pay, entitlement, personnel security, identity, readiness, training, and related data.  The DHRA Information Technology (IT) environment includes approximately 15,000 network and endpoint devices supporting more than 600 Government-Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) applications and approximately 100 Risk Management Framework (RMF) authorization boundaries managed through the Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Service (eMASS).  External connectivity within this environment is governed through Department of Defense registration, approval, and compliance processes. DHRA processes approximately 500 Ports, Protocols, and Services Management (PPSM) requests annually and maintains a significant inventory of approved enterprise whitelist entries. The Network Engineer will help ensure required connectivity is implemented without creating unauthorized or unmanaged pathways across Department of Defense network boundaries. 

Primary Responsibilities:

• Support external network-connectivity compliance and associated network-boundary registration and approval processes. 

• Review technical network implementations to ensure compliance with Department of Defense connectivity and cybersecurity requirements. 

• Review firewall requests and evaluate required ports, protocols, application services, communication paths, and network boundaries. 

• Prepare, review, submit, and track Ports, Protocols, and Services Management requests for registration and technical implementation. 

• Validate PPSM requests for completeness, technical accuracy, and compliance before submission. 

• Identify the ports, protocols, application services, and network boundaries associated with proposed communications. 

• Review proposed connectivity against applicable Department of Defense requirements and the Connection Approval List (CAL). 

• Identify incomplete, inaccurate, or noncompliant requests and work with requestors and technical stakeholders to resolve deficiencies. 

• Support exception processing, including Component Local Service Assessment (CLSA) actions when required. 

• Maintain the accuracy and compliance of existing PPSM registrations and support auditing of registered connectivity against actual technical implementations. 

• Review technical firewall implementations associated with approved connectivity requests. 

• Support the Connection Approval Process (CAP) and Systems/Network Approval Process (SNAP), including data collection, submission, deficiency resolution, renewals, exceptions, and status tracking. 

• Ensure connectivity approval requests meet applicable Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) requirements. 

• Support enterprise whitelisting processes, including creation, review, registration, implementation, maintenance, and compliance of whitelist entries. 

• Work with system and product owners to maintain accurate connectivity and whitelist registrations. 

• Develop and maintain tactics, techniques, and procedures and other process documentation for connectivity registration, approval, compliance, auditing, exception processing, and renewals. 

• Maintain accurate inventories and status information for connectivity requests, registrations, and approvals. 

• Translate complex network requirements into technical design and implementation plans. 

• Analyze and resolve network-interoperability issues affecting enterprise connectivity. 

• Provide senior technical guidance for complex network initiatives and connectivity requirements. 

• Coordinate with network teams, cybersecurity personnel, system owners, application teams, Government stakeholders, and external organizations to resolve connectivity and compliance issues. 

Basic Qualifications:

• BS and 4 – 8 years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 2 – 6 years of prior relevant experience. Specific experience, education and training may be considered in lieu of degree.

• 4 or more years of experience designing and planning network systems. 

• Demonstrated experience with enterprise network engineering, network architecture, or network-connectivity design. 

• Experience reviewing and implementing firewall, port, protocol, service, and network-boundary requirements. 

• Experience translating application or system connectivity requirements into network design and implementation requirements. 

• Experience troubleshooting complex network-connectivity and interoperability issues. 

• Experience supporting network change, approval, registration, or compliance processes. 

• Strong understanding of network protocols, routing, firewalls, network segmentation, and enterprise connectivity. 

• Ability to analyze network designs and technical implementations for compliance with established requirements. 

• Experience developing technical documentation, procedures, network diagrams, implementation plans, or engineering recommendations. 

• Ability to coordinate complex technical requirements across system owners, network teams, cybersecurity organizations, and Government stakeholders. 

• U.S. Citizenship required. 

• Active Secret security clearance required. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting Department of Defense enterprise network environments. 

• Experience with Ports, Protocols, and Services Management processes and registry submissions. 

• Experience with Department of Defense network-boundary approval and external-connectivity compliance requirements. 

• Experience reviewing firewall implementation requests and validating ports, protocols, services, and communication paths. 

• Experience supporting Connection Approval Process or Systems/Network Approval Process activities. 

• Experience with Defense Information Systems Agency connectivity guidance and approval processes. 

• Experience supporting enterprise whitelisting and maintaining connectivity-registration inventories. 

• Experience auditing approved connectivity against implemented network configurations. 

• Experience supporting network connectivity associated with Risk Management Framework authorization boundaries. 

• Familiarity with DHRA, DMDC, or comparable Department of Defense enterprise environments.