Network Engineer II Security Clearance

Position: Network Engineer II with Security Clearance
Description The Network Engineer II provides Tier 3 engineering and operational support for the Indian Health Service (IHS) enterprise network as part of a 24x7 Network Operations & Support Center (NOSC). This role is responsible for maintaining reliable, secure, and compliant network services across a large WAN and multiple data centers, supporting hundreds of geographically distributed sites. The engineer troubleshoots complex incidents, performs configuration changes and upgrades, coordinates with telecommunications and hardware vendors, and produces required documentation and reporting in accordance with ITIL processes and Federal security standards.

Routing & Switching (R&S)
* Provide support for routing, switching, and WAN connectivity incidents; diagnose and remediate degraded performance and outages.
* Configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Cisco Nexus/IOS-based routing and switching platforms in enterprise environments located in data centers and individual IHS facilities.
* Implement and support standard routing protocols OSPF, BGP.
* Perform software upgrades and patching, maintaining secure configuration baselines and standardized templates.
* Support QoS policies for voice/video and critical clinical applications; validate traffic behavior using flow and packet analysis tools as needed. Network Monitoring & Event Management
* Monitor network infrastructure for circuit, device, and security events; detect both hard failures and degraded performance.
* Respond to alerts and incidents with urgency and ownership; communicate status to stakeholders and impacted sites.
* Use monitoring and analysis tools such as Splunk, PRTG, Live Action NX, Cisco Catalyst Center, SNMP/Net Flow, and log review to isolate root cause.
* Generate operational reporting (e.g., daily situational awareness, weekly summaries, monthly network availability and status reports) as required by the program. Wireless
* Support enterprise wireless LAN environments (Cisco and Aruba) including controllers and access point configurations.
* Troubleshoot wireless performance, authentication, and connectivity issues; coordinate changes and maintenance activities remotely. Security & Compliance
* Support Federal communication standards and security requirements; address vulnerabilities and compliance findings in coordination with security stakeholders.
* Implement and maintain firewall and VPN configurations as assigned, including IPsec tunnel support and rule change implementation per policy.
* Perform log review and analysis to help identify potential threats; support incident response investigations when requested.
* Operate in accordance with DISA STIG's, NIST SP 800-53 controls, FISMA expectations, FIPS 140-2 encryption requirements, and CDM support activities. Telecommunications & Circuit Management
* Provide support for circuit incident management through close coordination with Verizon and other telecom providers.
* Initiate and manage vendor tickets; coordinate circuit installations/changes, activations, and acceptance testing.
* Maintain circuit inventory and external connections information; support capacity monitoring and planning activities.
* Support Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) circuit registration processes when directed. Configuration, Change, Incident & Problem Management
* Implement configuration changes on network devices (routers, switches, firewalls, wireless controllers) following approved change control processes.
* Log and track incidents, requests, and changes in Service Now; ensure documentation is complete, accurate, and timely.
* Participate in root-cause analysis, problem management, and continuous improvement efforts; identify opportunities for automation and standardization. Design, Implementation & Modernization Support
* Support network architecture/design, installation, implementation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of core communications infrastructure.
* Develop and maintain reference designs, implementation/test plans, and site topology documentation.
* Support new technology deployments (e.g., SD-WAN, cloud connectivity) including proof-of-concept testing and…