
Principal Network Engineer/ SME
Colorado Springs, COFull-time$175–185K/yrSeen 1w agoSeen in employer's feed today
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At a glance
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Job overview
AMERICAN SYSTEMS seeks a Principal Network Engineer/SME to design, deploy, and support government networks, including LAN and WAN environments and Special Access Program networks. The role includes network security, firewall configuration, performance testing, and collaboration with systems and cybersecurity teams. Candidates need an active TS/SCI clearance and SAP eligibility, plus the stated education-or-certification path and extensive SAP network experience. Travel is 20%.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
Principal Network Engineer/ SME Location US-CO-Colorado Springs ID 2025-2382 Category Consulting Services Position Type Full-Time Remote No Clearance Required Top Secret/SCI Overview AMERICAN SYSTEMS is an employee-owned federal government contractor supporting national priority programs through our strategic solutions in the areas of Information Technology, Engineering & Analysis, Test & Evaluation, and Training. Responsibilities As a Principal Network Engineer, SME you will have the opportunity to do the following: - Leverage your expertise in Local Area Network (LAN) Design/Collapse/Extension designing and implementing integrated, scalable on-premises platforms. - Organize, install, and support government organization's computer systems, including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), network segments, intranets, and other data communication systems. - Provide network design support for government SAP networks, provide assessment of independent Local Area Networks (LAN), plan and execute LAN collapse procedures, purchase authorized LAN equipment to support USSF classified network expansion or upgrades, conduct on site surveys for establishing new LAN locations, determine equipment required, define customer requirements, transport, configure, and install new equipment and implement all the required services to make the new location operational. - Collaborate with Network and Systems architects to design, implement, and optimize customer networks. Design and deploy functional networks (e.g. LAN, WAN). Investigating and resolving operational problems. - Work with teams responsible for engineering and administration of Local Area Network (LAN) Collapse/Extension/New Build. - Plan and support network projects for network installation, administration and upgrade. Responsible for all network data transport (Layer 3 and Layer2) and overall network traffic routing, create and implement network security measures (access authentication, STIG implementation, etc.). - Design, configure, deploy, and maintain firewalls. - Work with ISSO, Systems Administrators, Cyber Security officers, and CNDS. Assist Cyber Security Officers to collect and report information required during RMF A&A activities. - Plan and conduct regular network performance tests, resolve escalated network support issues and document resolution during LAN collapse and Extension. - Research and analyze new network technologies and present suggestions for upgrades for network improvement. - Organize, install, and support government organization's computer systems, including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), network segments, intranets, and other data communication systems. Help architect, design and analyze network models. - Participate in decisions about buying future hardware or software to upgrade organization's infrastructure. - Provide technical support to computer users to help solve users' problems and support activities within Special Access Programs (SAPs) supporting Department of War (DoW) agencies Qualifications - Active TS/SCI Clearance and be SAP eligible - U.S. Citizenship Required for the purposes of obtaining/holding a U.S. security clearance Eductation Requirement - BS Degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Information Systems or Computer Science from an ABET accredited or CAE designated institution. OR Certification - Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP); Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP); CompTIA Cloud+; or CompTIA SecurityX (formerly CASP+); Federal IT Security Professional Designer-NG (FITSP-D); GIAC Defensible Security Architecture (GDSA) Certification - 10 - 20 years of experience designing Special Access Program (SAP) Networks; - Experience must include Network Design, implementation, deployment and troubleshooting Cisco, P lo Alto and Juniper routers, switches and Local Area Network (LAN) Collapse/Extension and migration Proficiency in Network Design, implementation, troubleshooting and optimization Experience in Firewall, VTC configuration deployment and troubleshooting - Working knowledge of virtualization technologies (e.g, VMware, Hyper-V), services, architectures/designs, and best practices Strong understanding of network security principles and practices. - Familiarity with cloud networking (e.g., AWS, Azure) and virtualization technologies (e.g., VMware, Hyper-V). - Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. Strong communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Detail-oriented with a commitment to accuracy and quality. - 20% Travel #LI-EW1 Pay Transparency Statement AMERICAN SYSTEMS is committed to pay transparency for our applicants and employee-owners. The salary range for this position is USD $175,000.00/Yr. - USD $185,000/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 Apply at: https://ipc.us/t/4A3EC95D02EC4C16.
How this job compares
Set against the 3,959 open Network Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 29, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$175–185K/yr
- Colorado median$107–173K/yr130 salary ranges
- US median$116–198K/yr3,039 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $180K, is 33% above the Colorado median midpoint ($136K) — in the top quarter of Network Engineer salary ranges in Colorado.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 184 open Network Engineer jobs in Colorado and 3,959 across the US. 5% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Colorado
- Apex Systems12 open
- Beacon Hill Solution12 open
- Meta9 open
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 10 years of experience — more than three in four Network Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 3,439 postings).
- Education
- 1,364 of the 3,959 open Network Engineer jobs (34%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 29, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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