Tactical Networks & Network Security Engineer

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Department Summary:

As an operator of Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), MITRE staff are tasked with applying their skills to impact programmatic and technical decisions of highest importance to the nation. The Communications Network Engineering and Analysis Department which is part of the MITRE Labs Infrastructure and Networking Innovation Center, has as its mission to provide premier communications network engineering services for our customers at all classification levels. Our engineers have expertise in research, design, analysis, modeling and simulation, lab experimentation, field testing, and implementation of networks across a diverse set of networked communication environments including virtual, wired, and wireless. We are adept at combining networking research and innovation with practical hands-on experience to provide risk reduction and deployable solutions for our customers.

We seek to expand our department’s support of MITRE’s San Diego, California work program with local staff capable of leading and performing communications network engineering research and analysis tasks. They should have a solid understanding of and interest in networking protocols and principles, as well as the desire to learn more and focus in this area.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Specific duties will vary by project but will generally include a combination of research, design, analysis, testing, experimentation, and modeling & simulation of communications networks to solve our nation’s most complex problems. Those activities will include one or more of following:

• Build lab-based testbeds and conduct proof-of-concept experiments
• Model the performance and behavior of networks in tactical environments
• Work with cyber and infrastructure automation technologies
• Research emerging technologies and assess applicability to sponsor missions
• Assist sponsors in analyzing, modernizing, and advancing their programs

If a specific project requires skills or knowledge of technologies with which you are unfamiliar, your responsibilities will also include reaching back to fellow network research engineers across the MITRE corporation to bring their expertise to bear.

To be clear, these openings are for research, design, and analysis positions that are focused in the area of networking. They do not involve administering, operating, troubleshooting, or otherwise maintaining a production communications network.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of related experience; or Master’s degree with 7 related years; or a PhD with 5 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• Demonstrated expertise and leadership in one or more of the department’s focus areas:
• Wireless and tactical networks, including 5G
• Network security and management
• Emerging network technologies including cloud networking, SDN, and NFV
• Network modeling, simulation, emulation, and analysis
• Proficiency in one or more scripting or programming languages such as C, C++, Java, and Python
• Knowledge of modern networking technologies such as software-defined networking (SDN), network function virtualization (NFV), cloud networking
• Strong foundational knowledge of TCP/IP networking fundamentals and OSI stack, including wireless networking and modern network security
• Possess excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Work well in a collaborative team environment with inter-disciplinary and geographically dispersed teams
• Willingness to expand into and master network protocol, technology and skill areas listed above with which the candidate may not yet have experience
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required)
• This position requires a minimum of 4 days a week on-site

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS or PhD in engineering discipline with 7+ years relevant experience
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills to effectively lead collaboration efforts across multiple organizations and engineering disciplines
• Proficiency in one or more network configuration and orchestrations frameworks such as Ansible, NETCONF, and YANG
• Experience with modeling and simulation of communications and networking, utilizing tools such as: EMANE, OPNET/Riverbed, and Exata
• Expertise in tactical network architectures, designs, and challenges; including familiarity with Naval or other DoD tactical networks
• Knowledge of DoD smart routing technologies such as DyNAMO, CaaS, etc.
• Foundational knowledge of network and cyber security, including recent concepts such as Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)
• Experience with systems engineering processes for networking systems, e.g., requirements development & review, V&V, etc.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Top Secret Clearance (U.S. Citizenship required)

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

None

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

Secret

Salary compensation range and midpoint:

$150,500 – $188,000 – $225,500 Annual

Work Location Type:

Hybrid

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