Overview AMERICAN SYSTEMS, a 100% employee-owned federal government contractor, is seeking a Lead Network Engineer, Firewall Infrastructure to support a critical national security mission in a highly classified environment in Dallas, TX. This is a hands-on network engineering role focused on enterprise firewall infrastructure, routing and switching, secure connectivity, and network access control. The selected candidate will lead the configuration, administration, troubleshooting, and operational support of a complex enterprise network environment. We are seeking an experienced network professional with strong hands-on experience supporting routers, switches, firewalls, VLANs, VPNs, ACLs, network segmentation, and high-availability network architectures. Candidates should be comfortable resolving complex Layer 2 and Layer 3 network issues, administering firewall platforms, and maintaining reliable, resilient network services. Responsibilities As a Lead Network Engineer, Firewall Infrastructure with AMERICAN SYSTEMS, you will: • Lead network engineering, administration, and operational support activities in a highly classified environment. • Design, implement, configure, and maintain enterprise network infrastructure, including: • Routers, switches, and firewalls • VLANs, ACLs, VPNs, and network segmentation • High-availability, resilient network architectures • Administer, monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain enterprise firewall environments. • Configure and manage firewall policies, access rules, NAT, VPNs, security zones, logging, and monitoring. • Support and troubleshoot Cisco Firepower and Firepower Management Center (FMC). Cisco Firepower experience is preferred. • Troubleshoot complex Layer 2 and Layer 3 issues involving routing, switching, firewall connectivity, access controls, and enterprise network services. • Support AAA, authentication, authorization, accounting, and network access control requirements. • Configure and troubleshoot 802.1X, VPN, and NAC solutions. • Support Cisco ISE environments, including authentication, authorization, policy enforcement, and network access control. • Support network-related RMF, STIG, secure configuration, vulnerability remediation, and compliance activities. • Develop and maintain network diagrams, implementation plans, standard operating procedures, configuration documentation, and technical reports. • Partner with cybersecurity, systems administration, and mission teams to deliver reliable and resilient network services. • Support network outages, root cause analysis, change implementation, remediation efforts, and incident-response activities related to network infrastructure. • Monitor network performance and recommend improvements to availability, reliability, performance, and infrastructure resiliency. • Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and guidance to network engineering and operations personnel. Qualifications • U.S. citizenship required. • Active Top Secret clearance required, with eligibility to obtain SCI and SAP access. • Bachelor’s degree in a related technical field, or additional relevant experience in lieu of a degree. • 8+ years of experience in network engineering, network operations, network infrastructure, or firewall administration. • Active DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II certification, e.g., Security+ CE, CySA+, SSCP, or an equivalent certification. • Active Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification or higher-level Cisco networking certification. • Strong hands-on experience with enterprise network infrastructure, including: • Routing and switching • Layer 2 and Layer 3 troubleshooting • VLANs, subnetting, IP addressing, and network design • Access control lists (ACLs) and VPN technologies • Network segmentation and resilient network architectures • Hands-on experience administering and troubleshooting enterprise firewall platforms. • Experience with one or more of the following firewall technologies: • Cisco Firepower and Firepower Management Center (FMC) preferred • Palo Alto Networks • Fortinet • Check Point • Other commercial or government enterprise firewall platforms • Experience with firewall policy administration, rule management, NAT, VPNs, security zones, logging, monitoring, and troubleshooting. • Experience supporting AAA, 802.1X, network access control, RMF, STIG, and secure configuration requirements. • Cisco ISE experience preferred, particularly with: • Authentication • Authorization • Accounting • Policy enforcement • Network access control • Experience troubleshooting Cisco routers, switches, firewalls, and enterprise network infrastructure. • Ability to work independently, lead technical efforts, and resolve complex network and firewall infrastructure issues. • Strong written and verbal communication skills. Additional Experience We Value The following experience is helpful but not required: • Experience supporting highly compartmented or special-access classified environments. • Advanced Cisco networking certifications, such as CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Security, or CCIE. • Experience with Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Check Point, or other enterprise firewall technologies. • Experience with Cisco ISE, NAC, 802.1X, or related access control platforms. • Experience supporting network modernization, infrastructure upgrades, technology refreshes, network migrations, or data center transformation efforts. • Experience developing network diagrams, implementation plans, configuration documentation, and standard operating procedures. • Experience with network change management, outage resolution, root cause analysis, and incident response in classified environments. • Familiarity with VMware or other virtualized environments. #LI-PRK1 Pay Transparency Statement AMERICAN SYSTEMS is committed to pay transparency for our applicants and employee-owners. The salary range for this position is USD $155,000.00/Yr. - USD $180,000/Yr. Actual compensation will be determined based on several factors permitted by law. AMERICAN SYSTEMS provides for the welfare of its employees and their dependents through a comprehensive benefits program by offering healthcare benefits, paid leave, retirement plans, insurance programs, and education and training assistance. EEO Statement EEO Race/Sex/Disability Status/Veteran Status