Senior Network Engineer

• Location: Washington, DC Metro Area (required). Occasional on-site support at USDA Beltsville, MD as required
• Clearance: Public Trust / USDA background check required
• Employment Type: Full-time
  

Position Overview

Connexus Hub, Inc. is seeking a Senior Network Engineer to support the USDA high-performance research network. This role is responsible for the design, operation, optimization, and security of a nationwide research and education (R&E) network supporting high-performance computing, large-scale data transfers, and scientific collaboration.

The Senior Network Engineer will work closely with the SCINet Program Office, Strategic Initiatives Manager, GlobalNOC, and ARS site IT staff to ensure reliable, secure, and high-performing network services.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain SCINet’s high-performance network infrastructure
• Optimize network performance, scalability, and reliability across distributed sites
• Manage SD-WAN and IP routing across Internet2 and commodity Internet connections
• Serve as Subject Matter Expert for Lantronix Out-of-Band Management environments
• Coordinate daily with GlobalNOC (Indiana University) and OmniSOC as required
• Provide on-site support at the National Agricultural Library (Beltsville, MD) as needed
• Develop and maintain network diagrams, configurations, and documentation
• Implement network security controls, audits, and compliance measures
• Support network-related escalations from the SCINet help desk
• Produce required weekly, monthly, and quarterly network reports
• Evaluate and integrate emerging networking technologies to enhance SCINet capabilities
• Respond within 2 business hours to operational communications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, or related field
• Minimum 8 years of experience in network engineering or large-scale enterprise networking
• Proven experience supporting HPC, scientific research, or data-intensive environments
• Strong expertise with routers, switches, firewalls, and complex network architectures
• Experience with Internet2 / R&E networking environments
• Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
• Strong technical documentation and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or advanced training in networking or HPC environments
• Experience with network virtualization (e.g., VMware NSX, Cisco ACI)
• Familiarity with cloud networking (AWS, Azure)
• Experience automating network configurations (Python, Ansible)