Network Operations Engineer

Leidos seeks a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support NASAs NASCOM (NASA Communications) mission. This SME will serve as a Tier 3 technical authority, providing advanced troubleshooting, architectural guidance, and operational leadership for the NIOC operations floor. The role requires deep expertise across networking, communications, telephony, and real-time operational environments, along with the ability to interface directly with NASA leadership and mission stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the Tier 3 escalation point for complex technical issues affecting NASCOM communication systems, networks, and mission-critical data flows.
• Apply specialized knowledge across multiple technology domains including networking, compute, storage, cybersecurity, and data services to maintain operational excellence.
• Diagnose, analyze, and resolve issues involving Juniper and Cisco network platforms in both LAN and large-scale WAN architectures.
• Provide senior-level oversight and support for telephony and voice systems critical to NASA communication and mission-support functions.
• Lead development, review, and optimization of operational procedures, ensuring consistent, reliable performance across NIOC operations.
• Train, mentor, and guide operators in technical competencies, troubleshooting methods, and standard operational processes.
• Collaborate with NASA leadership and cross-functional teams, delivering clear communication, technical recommendations, and strategic insights.
• Support the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of communication, network, and monitoring systems to ensure maximum reliability and availability.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, industry standards, and best practices to drive modernization and maintain a cutting-edge operational environment.
• Contribute to documentation, change management activities, and configuration tracking to ensure accuracy and compliance with NASA and government standards.
• Assist in coordinating and supporting mission events, anomaly responses, and real-time operational decisions impacting NASA communication infrastructure.

Basic Qualifications

• Associates degree in Information Technology, Telecommunications, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 6 years of professional experience in networking with an emphasis on Juniper and Cisco systems.
• U.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain a Public Trust clearance.
• Ability to quickly interpret and respond to real-time dataflow challenges across complex mission systems.
• Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, routing concepts, IP addressing, subnetting, and protocol analysis.
• Experienced in troubleshooting LAN, WAN, firewall, and network tap environments.
• Proficiency with standard networking tools such as BERTS, iPerf, and Wireshark.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office tools including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong understanding of telephony/VoIP systems and communication infrastructure.
• Proven experience delivering Tier 3 support in complex technical or mission-critical environments.
• Demonstrated capability to train, mentor, and develop technical personnel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelors or Masters degree in IT, Telecommunications, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience working in government, aerospace, or NASA-specific environments.
• Industry certifications such as Juniper, Cisco CCNA/CCNP, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with mission support operations and high-stakes, real-time communication environments.
• Experience contributing to system architecture, modernization initiatives, or technology refresh cycles.

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:

May 7, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $73,450.00 - $132,775.00

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.