Network/Systems Engineer 3 (Implementation/Activation Network Systems Engineer)

Summary

GovCIO is a rapidly growing provider of advanced technology solutions and digital services for the federal government. They are seeking an Implementation / Activation Network Systems Engineer to support enterprise network equipment logistics, data center readiness, hardware installation, activation, lifecycle maintenance, and Tier IV troubleshooting across the VA enterprise network.

Responsibilities

• Perform technical logistics and data center support for enterprise network and security equipment throughout receiving, staging, installation, activation, maintenance, replacement, and disposition activities
• Inspect and validate network hardware, components, accessories, software/firmware requirements, and deployment materials before installation
• Install, rack, cable, label, power, and validate network and security equipment in data center, communications room, and enterprise site environments
• Support hardware configuration, testing, activation, and transition of new or refreshed technologies in a large government enterprise network
• Validate rack space, power, cabling, port assignments, network connectivity, environmental prerequisites, and remote management access before deployment
• Maintain accurate technical and asset records supporting equipment location, serial numbers, lifecycle status, installation status, maintenance history, and disposition
• Perform hardware lifecycle activities including upgrades, replacements, preventative maintenance, sparing, RMA processing, and post-maintenance validation
• Develop and maintain installation records, rack elevations, port maps, cable records, asset documentation, SOPs, runbooks, and validation artifacts
• Provide Tier IV technical troubleshooting for hardware, cabling, connectivity, power, interface, and network infrastructure issues associated with activation and data center environments
• Track assigned technical work, incidents, changes, asset actions, validation results, and implementation activities in applicable VA systems
• Provide recommendations for improving logistics, staging, installation, data center, lifecycle, and troubleshooting procedures based on lessons learned
• Validate incoming network and security equipment against deployment requirements, bills of material, configuration packets, and assigned implementation records
• Inspect equipment for completeness, damage, correct model, required modules, optics, cables, power supplies, mounting hardware, and other installation dependencies
• Prepare, stage, label, and organize equipment and deployment kits for installation and activation activities
• Maintain accurate equipment identification, serial number, location, status, and chain-of-custody records for assigned assets
• Perform technical validation of spare equipment and replacement hardware before field or data center deployment
• Support equipment return, replacement, RMA, excess, and disposition activities and document technical status and final asset location
• Identify equipment, material, or readiness deficiencies and document findings for resolution before scheduled installation
• Perform rack-and-stack installation of routers, switches, firewalls, F5 platforms, management appliances, and other assigned network infrastructure
• Validate rack space, rack elevations, mounting requirements, power availability, power redundancy, cable pathways, patching, and physical installation prerequisites
• Install and validate copper, fiber, console, management, and power connections in accordance with engineering standards and site requirements
• Apply enterprise standards for equipment mounting, cable management, labeling, port identification, grounding, and technical documentation
• Validate physical connectivity from device interfaces through patch panels, switches, upstream/downstream devices, and remote management paths
• Perform post-installation hardware checks, interface validation, link verification, remote access testing, and baseline confirmation
• Document rack elevations, port maps, cable assignments, equipment locations, power connections, and other infrastructure records required for sustainment
• Review assigned implementation plans, configuration packets, activation bundles, and technical requirements for hardware and infrastructure readiness
• Validate IP addressing, VLAN assignments, management connectivity, routing prerequisites, port assignments, and device reachability associated with installed equipment
• Perform configuration and baseline checks for Palo Alto firewalls, F5 application delivery/load-balancing platforms, routing/switching devices, and other assigned technologies
• Execute installation test plans, verification procedures, connectivity checks, and acceptance steps for newly installed or replaced equipment
• Validate monitoring visibility, telemetry, device health, alerting, and remote management access following installation or maintenance
• Support scheduled maintenance windows, after-hours installations, activations, hardware replacements, testing, back-out activities, and stabilization as required
• Perform scheduled lifecycle activities for network and security hardware, including refreshes, upgrades, replacements, preventative maintenance, and validation
• Maintain accurate records for installed assets, spare equipment, lifecycle status, warranty/RMA actions, and hardware replacements
• Perform hardware health checks and identify failed, degraded, unsupported, or end-of-life components requiring replacement or remediation
• Execute approved hardware swaps and validate configuration, connectivity, redundancy, monitoring, and service restoration after replacement
• Perform quarterly or scheduled maintenance activities as assigned and validate compliance with engineering baselines and installation standards
• Travel to the four designated Co-Location (Co-Lo) facilities on a quarterly basis is required to perform scheduled maintenance, infrastructure validation, hardware lifecycle activities, and other assigned technical support
• Additional ad-hoc travel to Co-Lo, data center, or other supported VA locations may be required based on implementation, maintenance, lifecycle, troubleshooting, or operational support needs
• Support reconciliation of physical equipment against technical and asset records and document discrepancies for correction
• Maintain technical documentation supporting equipment lifecycle history and operational sustainment
• Provide Tier IV troubleshooting for hardware, interface, cabling, power, optics, connectivity, routing, firewall, load-balancing, and data center infrastructure issues
• Use packet analysis, device logs, interface statistics, monitoring platforms, and hardware diagnostics to isolate complex implementation and infrastructure problems
• Perform root cause analysis for recurring hardware or infrastructure issues and document findings, corrective actions, and lessons learned
• Develop and maintain SOPs, runbooks, installation procedures, rack diagrams, port maps, validation checklists, troubleshooting guides, and maintenance procedures
• Support change-control activities by developing or executing MOPs, test plans, validation steps, rollback procedures, and after-action documentation
• Provide technical knowledge transfer to Implementation, Field Services, and Operations personnel regarding equipment installation, maintenance, lifecycle, and troubleshooting procedures
• Identify recurring technical, logistics, asset, or data center issues and recommend improvements to staging, installation, maintenance, documentation, and sustainment practices

Skills

• * Bachelor's with 5 - 8 years (or commensurate experience)
• * Demonstrated network engineering experience supporting enterprise network hardware installation, activation, maintenance, lifecycle, or data center infrastructure
• * Thorough understanding of the OSI model, Ethernet, TCP/IP, IP addressing, VLANs, routing, switching, network interfaces, optics, copper/fiber cabling, and enterprise network concepts
• * Experience installing, rack-mounting, cabling, labeling, validating, troubleshooting, and replacing network and security equipment in production environments
• * Experience with enterprise network technologies such as Palo Alto firewalls, F5 load balancing/application delivery, routing, switching, or related network edge platforms
• * Ability to read and maintain rack elevations, port maps, cable records, topology diagrams, implementation plans, and hardware/asset documentation
• * Experience troubleshooting hardware, interface, cabling, power, connectivity, high availability, and network infrastructure issues
• * Proficiency analyzing packet captures using Wireshark or comparable packet-analysis tools
• * Ability to develop and execute installation, validation, testing, maintenance, and back-out procedures and produce clear technical documentation
• * Education / Experience: Bachelor's Degree in computer science, electronics engineering, or another engineering or technical discipline is required. 5-8 years of relevant experience is required. Eight years of additional relevant experience may be substituted for education on a case-by-case basis
• * Clearance required: Must be able to pass a government Tier 4 High Background Investigation
• * Logistics / Asset Experience: Experience with enterprise technology receiving, staging, inventory, asset reconciliation, sparing, RMA, replacement, and disposition processes
• * Data Center Experience: Experience supporting network infrastructure in data centers, communications rooms, or comparable enterprise facilities, including rack space, power, structured cabling, labeling, and physical connectivity
• * Network Technologies: Experience with Palo Alto firewalls, F5 BIG-IP or comparable application delivery/load-balancing platforms, enterprise routing/switching, high availability, and network monitoring
• * Lifecycle Management: Experience performing network hardware refreshes, preventative maintenance, upgrades, replacements, hardware health validation, and post-maintenance testing
• * Government Environment: Experience providing government contracting services or supporting large federal enterprise environments
• * Cybersecurity: Knowledge of cybersecurity network architecture, security baselines, physical/technical controls, segmentation, and related compliance functions
• * Problem Solving: Ability to independently troubleshoot complex hardware and infrastructure issues and execute assigned technical work under the direction of the Technical Coordinator
• * Tools: Experience with ticketing, change-control, asset/inventory, network monitoring, Palo Alto Panorama, F5 management tools, or comparable enterprise platforms
• * Certifications: CCNA, CCNA Security or current equivalent, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, F5, Palo Alto, or other relevant networking/data center certifications
• * Communication / Travel: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong technical documentation skills, and ability to support scheduled after-hours installations and maintenance. Quarterly travel to the four designated Co-Lo facilities is required, and additional ad-hoc travel may be required as mission requirements dictate

Qualifications

Must Haves

• * Bachelor's with 5 - 8 years (or commensurate experience)
• * Demonstrated network engineering experience supporting enterprise network hardware installation, activation, maintenance, lifecycle, or data center infrastructure
• * Thorough understanding of the OSI model, Ethernet, TCP/IP, IP addressing, VLANs, routing, switching, network interfaces, optics, copper/fiber cabling, and enterprise network concepts
• * Experience installing, rack-mounting, cabling, labeling, validating, troubleshooting, and replacing network and security equipment in production environments
• * Experience with enterprise network technologies such as Palo Alto firewalls, F5 load balancing/application delivery, routing, switching, or related network edge platforms
• * Ability to read and maintain rack elevations, port maps, cable records, topology diagrams, implementation plans, and hardware/asset documentation
• * Experience troubleshooting hardware, interface, cabling, power, connectivity, high availability, and network infrastructure issues
• * Proficiency analyzing packet captures using Wireshark or comparable packet-analysis tools
• * Ability to develop and execute installation, validation, testing, maintenance, and back-out procedures and produce clear technical documentation
• * Education / Experience: Bachelor's Degree in computer science, electronics engineering, or another engineering or technical discipline is required. 5-8 years of relevant experience is required. Eight years of additional relevant experience may be substituted for education on a case-by-case basis
• * Clearance required: Must be able to pass a government Tier 4 High Background Investigation

Nice to Haves

• * Logistics / Asset Experience: Experience with enterprise technology receiving, staging, inventory, asset reconciliation, sparing, RMA, replacement, and disposition processes
• * Data Center Experience: Experience supporting network infrastructure in data centers, communications rooms, or comparable enterprise facilities, including rack space, power, structured cabling, labeling, and physical connectivity
• * Network Technologies: Experience with Palo Alto firewalls, F5 BIG-IP or comparable application delivery/load-balancing platforms, enterprise routing/switching, high availability, and network monitoring
• * Lifecycle Management: Experience performing network hardware refreshes, preventative maintenance, upgrades, replacements, hardware health validation, and post-maintenance testing
• * Government Environment: Experience providing government contracting services or supporting large federal enterprise environments
• * Cybersecurity: Knowledge of cybersecurity network architecture, security baselines, physical/technical controls, segmentation, and related compliance functions
• * Problem Solving: Ability to independently troubleshoot complex hardware and infrastructure issues and execute assigned technical work under the direction of the Technical Coordinator
• * Tools: Experience with ticketing, change-control, asset/inventory, network monitoring, Palo Alto Panorama, F5 management tools, or comparable enterprise platforms
• * Certifications: CCNA, CCNA Security or current equivalent, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, F5, Palo Alto, or other relevant networking/data center certifications
• * Communication / Travel: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong technical documentation skills, and ability to support scheduled after-hours installations and maintenance. Quarterly travel to the four designated Co-Lo facilities is required, and additional ad-hoc travel may be required as mission requirements dictate