Lead Network Engineer (Remote Opportunity)

• Lead and direct the work of the network engineering team, overseeing day-to-day operations, assigning and prioritizing tasks, and providing technical guidance.

• Design, implement, and maintain the VistA network infrastructure in support of VA and federal government IT standards.

• Provide ongoing network operational support and maintenance of the VAEC AWS cloud environment and the VA WAN, following security standards and best practices.

• Oversee the design and implementation of the network architecture, and plan how new network resources and applications, including connectivity to cloud resources, will exist on the network.

• Plan, support, and evaluate complex existing network systems, and recommend the resources required to maintain or expand service levels.

• Perform network capacity planning, and provide monthly metrics for network availability, bandwidth usage, and other metrics as requested.

• Monitor and maintain network interfaces and performance, troubleshoot issues, and make modifications and enhancements to optimize uptime and security.

• Handle escalated network problems, questions, and requests, and work with other IS groups and cross-functional IT teams to resolve network issues.

• Develop technical standards and interface applications, and identify and evaluate new products, technologies, and implementation strategies.

• Plan and perform network equipment OS and version upgrades.

• Use network management tools to discover, map, and maintain the network, and keep network diagrams, procedures, and related documentation up to date.

• Support compliance with government security and operational standards.

• Apply SAFe/Agile principles to plan and deliver network engineering tasks in an iterative environment.

• Manage customer relationships, interface with internal and external customers and vendors to determine system needs, and present network designs, changes, and status to the client and stakeholders.

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, electronics engineering, or another engineering or technical discipline. Eight (8) years of additional relevant experience may be substituted for the degree.

• 5+ years of experience.

• Experience as a Network Engineer supporting government IT contracts, including network design, implementation, and troubleshooting.

• Experience leading and directing the work of other network engineers, including overseeing day-to-day team operations.

• Experience in network planning, engineering, and architecture, including capacity planning and evaluating new network products.

• Experience with AWS cloud networking and wide area networks, including providing connectivity to cloud resources.

• Proficiency in creating and maintaining network diagrams using industry-standard tools, and in using network management tools to discover and map the network.

• Demonstrated experience working in SAFe/Agile environments.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presenting technical information to non-technical stakeholders and managing customer and vendor relationships.

• Experience supporting VistA systems and networks.

• Experience supporting the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC) and the VA WAN.

• An active Public Trust clearance or higher.

• Relevant certifications such as CCNA or CCNP.

• Experience using AI-assisted tools (for example, GitHub Copilot or Microsoft 365 Copilot) to draft network configurations, automation scripts, and documentation and to analyze monitoring data, including validating AI-generated output in a test environment before deployment.

• Experience establishing team practices for AI-assisted network engineering, including review and testing standards and guidance on when AI-generated configurations can be used in production.

• Familiarity with secure and responsible AI use in federal environments, including using only agency-approved AI tools, never entering network configurations, credentials, or sensitive VA data into unapproved tools, and following VA and federal AI guidance.

• Experience supporting VA or other federal healthcare IT environments.