Junior Network Administrator

Leidos is seeking a motivated Junior Network Administrator to support the installation, configuration, and day-to-day management of enterprise network infrastructure. This role is an excellent opportunity for an early-career network professional to gain hands-on experience with routing and switching platforms, including Session Smart Router (SSR) / 128 Technology SD-WAN solutions, in a structured and security-conscious environment. The ideal candidate demonstrates a solid foundation in networking fundamentals, a willingness to learn vendor-specific technologies, and the discipline to operate within DoD network standards.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Assist in the configuration, deployment, and ongoing management of routers, switches, and Session Smart Router (SSR) appliances across enterprise and edge network environments.
• Support the design and implementation of routing policies, service policies, and traffic steering configurations on SSR/128 Technology platforms under senior engineer guidance.
• Perform LAN switching administration — including VLAN configuration, spanning tree, trunking, and port security — on Juniper EX Series and/or Cisco Catalyst platforms.
• Assist with the configuration and troubleshooting of routing protocols including OSPF and BGP (eBGP and iBGP) across enterprise WAN and data center environments.
• Monitor network health, availability, latency, and throughput using network management tools; escalate anomalies and assist in root cause analysis.
• Support configuration and maintenance of firewall rules, access control lists (ACLs), IPsec VPN tunnels, and other network security controls.
• Execute software and firmware upgrades, patch management, and lifecycle maintenance activities for network devices in accordance with change management procedures.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date network diagrams, device inventories, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Coordinate with senior network engineers, system administrators, and security personnel to resolve network incidents and support planned infrastructure changes.
• Participate in on-call rotation and assist with troubleshooting during network outages or degraded service events.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

• Security Clearance: Must have a DoD TS/SCI Clearance
• Certification: DoD 8570/8140-compliant certification at IAT Level II - CompTIA Security+ CE required at minimum.
• Networking Fundamentals: Demonstrated understanding of OSI model, TCP/IP, subnetting, VLANs, routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, static routing), and WAN technologies.
• Switching Experience: Practical experience with LAN switching concepts on Juniper EX Series or Cisco Catalyst platforms, including VLANs, STP, and trunking.
• Education/Experience: Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Network Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field — or equivalent hands-on experience and certifications.
• Soft Skills: Strong analytical and troubleshooting mindset, clear written and verbal communication, and the ability to work effectively in a team environment under supervision.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Juniper/Cisco Certifications: Juniper Networks Certified Associate (JNCIA-Junos) or progress toward JNCIS-ENT; Juniper SSR-specific training or certification a strong plus or Cisco CCNA.
• BGP Experience: Familiarity with Border Gateway Protocol — including eBGP and iBGP concepts, peer configuration, route policies, and basic troubleshooting in a multi-site or service provider-adjacent environment.
• SSR / 128 Technology: Exposure to Juniper Session Smart Router (formerly 128 Technology) platforms, including familiarity with session-based routing, service and tenant models, or WAN traffic steering concepts.
• LAN Switching Depth: Hands-on experience with advanced switching features such as RSTP/MSTP, LACP/LAG, Q-in-Q, or Layer 3 switching on either Juniper EX Series or Cisco Catalyst hardware.
• Network Security: Working knowledge of IPsec VPN configuration, zone-based firewall policies, or experience with Juniper SRX Series security platforms.
• Scripting & Automation: Basic familiarity with network automation tools or scripting (Python, Ansible, or Junos) for configuration management or compliance checks.
• Additional Certifications: CompTIA Network+, or other vendor-neutral networking credentials demonstrating a broad networking foundation.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

Pay Range:

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.