Network/Systems Engineer 3 (Implementation/Activation Network Systems Engineer) - GovCIO
Govcio • United States
No Relocation
Posted: September 23, 2026
Company / Position Overview
- Perform technical logistics and data center support for enterprise network and security equipment throughout receiving, staging, installation, activation, maintenance, replacement, and disposition activities.
- Inspect and validate network hardware, components, accessories, software/firmware requirements, and deployment materials before installation.
- Install, rack, cable, label, power, and validate network and security equipment in data center, communications room, and enterprise site environments.
- Support hardware configuration, testing, activation, and transition of new or refreshed technologies in a large government enterprise network.
- Validate rack space, power, cabling, port assignments, network connectivity, environmental prerequisites, and remote management access before deployment.
- Maintain accurate technical and asset records supporting equipment location, serial numbers, lifecycle status, installation status, maintenance history, and disposition.
- Perform hardware lifecycle activities including upgrades, replacements, preventative maintenance, sparing, RMA processing, and post-maintenance validation.
- Develop and maintain installation records, rack elevations, port maps, cable records, asset documentation, SOPs, runbooks, and validation artifacts.
- Provide Tier IV technical troubleshooting for hardware, cabling, connectivity, power, interface, and network infrastructure issues associated with activation and data center environments.
- Track assigned technical work, incidents, changes, asset actions, validation results, and implementation activities in applicable VA systems.
- Provide recommendations for improving logistics, staging, installation, data center, lifecycle, and troubleshooting procedures based on lessons learned.
Equipment Logistics, Receiving & Staging
- Validate incoming network and security equipment against deployment requirements, bills of material, configuration packets, and assigned implementation records.
- Inspect equipment for completeness, damage, correct model, required modules, optics, cables, power supplies, mounting hardware, and other installation dependencies.
- Prepare, stage, label, and organize equipment and deployment kits for installation and activation activities.
- Maintain accurate equipment identification, serial number, location, status, and chain-of-custody records for assigned assets.
- Perform technical validation of spare equipment and replacement hardware before field or data center deployment.
- Support equipment return, replacement, RMA, excess, and disposition activities and document technical status and final asset location.
- Identify equipment, material, or readiness deficiencies and document findings for resolution before scheduled installation.
Data Center Infrastructure & Installation
- Perform rack-and-stack installation of routers, switches, firewalls, F5 platforms, management appliances, and other assigned network infrastructure.
- Validate rack space, rack elevations, mounting requirements, power availability, power redundancy, cable pathways, patching, and physical installation prerequisites.
- Install and validate copper, fiber, console, management, and power connections in accordance with engineering standards and site requirements.
- Apply enterprise standards for equipment mounting, cable management, labeling, port identification, grounding, and technical documentation.
- Validate physical connectivity from device interfaces through patch panels, switches, upstream/downstream devices, and remote management paths.
- Perform post-installation hardware checks, interface validation, link verification, remote access testing, and baseline confirmation.
- Document rack elevations, port maps, cable assignments, equipment locations, power connections, and other infrastructure records required for sustainment.
Activation Readiness & Technical Validation
- Review assigned implementation plans, configuration packets, activation bundles, and technical requirements for hardware and infrastructure readiness.
- Validate IP addressing, VLAN assignments, management connectivity, routing prerequisites, port assignments, and device reachability associated with installed equipment.
- Perform configuration and baseline checks for Palo Alto firewalls, F5 application delivery/load-balancing platforms, routing/switching devices, and other assigned technologies.
- Execute installation test plans, verification procedures, connectivity checks, and acceptance steps for newly installed or replaced equipment.
- Validate monitoring visibility, telemetry, device health, alerting, and remote management access following installation or maintenance.
- Support scheduled maintenance windows, after-hours installations, activations, hardware replacements, testing, back-out activities, and stabilization as required.
Asset, Lifecycle & Maintenance Management
- Perform scheduled lifecycle activities for network and security hardware, including refreshes, upgrades, replacements, preventative maintenance, and validation.
- Maintain accurate records for installed assets, spare equipment, lifecycle status, warranty/RMA actions, and hardware replacements.
- Perform hardware health checks and identify failed, degraded, unsupported, or end-of-life components requiring replacement or remediation.
- Execute approved hardware swaps and validate configuration, connectivity, redundancy, monitoring, and service restoration after replacement.
- Perform quarterly or scheduled maintenance activities as assigned and validate compliance with engineering baselines and installation standards.
- Travel to the four designated Co-Location (Co-Lo) facilities on a quarterly basis is required to perform scheduled maintenance, infrastructure validation, hardware lifecycle activities, and other assigned technical support.
- Additional ad-hoc travel to Co-Lo, data center, or other supported VA locations may be required based on implementation, maintenance, lifecycle, troubleshooting, or operational support needs.
- Support reconciliation of physical equipment against technical and asset records and document discrepancies for correction.
- Maintain technical documentation supporting equipment lifecycle history and operational sustainment.
Tier IV Support, Documentation & Continuous Improvement
- Provide Tier IV troubleshooting for hardware, interface, cabling, power, optics, connectivity, routing, firewall, load-balancing, and data center infrastructure issues.
- Use packet analysis, device logs, interface statistics, monitoring platforms, and hardware diagnostics to isolate complex implementation and infrastructure problems.
- Perform root cause analysis for recurring hardware or infrastructure issues and document findings, corrective actions, and lessons learned.
- Develop and maintain SOPs, runbooks, installation procedures, rack diagrams, port maps, validation checklists, troubleshooting guides, and maintenance procedures.
- Support change-control activities by developing or executing MOPs, test plans, validation steps, rollback procedures, and after-action documentation.
- Provide technical knowledge transfer to Implementation, Field Services, and Operations personnel regarding equipment installation, maintenance, lifecycle, and troubleshooting procedures.
- Identify recurring technical, logistics, asset, or data center issues and recommend improvements to staging, installation, maintenance, documentation, and sustainment practices.
Mandatory Qualifications
- Bachelor's with 5 - 8 years (or commensurate experience)
- Demonstrated network engineering experience supporting enterprise network hardware installation, activation, maintenance, lifecycle, or data center infrastructure.
- Thorough understanding of the OSI model, Ethernet, TCP/IP, IP addressing, VLANs, routing, switching, network interfaces, optics, copper/fiber cabling, and enterprise network concepts.
- Experience installing, rack-mounting, cabling, labeling, validating, troubleshooting, and replacing network and security equipment in production environments.
- Experience with enterprise network technologies such as Palo Alto firewalls, F5 load balancing/application delivery, routing, switching, or related network edge platforms.
- Ability to read and maintain rack elevations, port maps, cable records, topology diagrams, implementation plans, and hardware/asset documentation.
- Experience troubleshooting hardware, interface, cabling, power, connectivity, high availability, and network infrastructure issues.
- Proficiency analyzing packet captures using Wireshark or comparable packet-analysis tools.
- Ability to develop and execute installation, validation, testing, maintenance, and back-out procedures and produce clear technical documentation.
- Education / Experience: Bachelor's Degree in computer science, electronics engineering, or another engineering or technical discipline is required. 5-8 years of relevant experience is required. Eight years of additional relevant experience may be substituted for education on a case-by-case basis.
- Clearance required: Must be able to pass a government Tier 4 High Background Investigation.
Desired Qualifications
- Logistics / Asset Experience: Experience with enterprise technology receiving, staging, inventory, asset reconciliation, sparing, RMA, replacement, and disposition processes.
- Data Center Experience: Experience supporting network infrastructure in data centers, communications rooms, or comparable enterprise facilities, including rack space, power, structured cabling, labeling, and physical connectivity.
- Network Technologies: Experience with Palo Alto firewalls, F5 BIG-IP or comparable application delivery/load-balancing platforms, enterprise routing/switching, high availability, and network monitoring.
- Lifecycle Management: Experience performing network hardware refreshes, preventative maintenance, upgrades, replacements, hardware health validation, and post-maintenance testing.
- Government Environment: Experience providing government contracting services or supporting large federal enterprise environments.
- Cybersecurity: Knowledge of cybersecurity network architecture, security baselines, physical/technical controls, segmentation, and related compliance functions.
- Problem Solving: Ability to independently troubleshoot complex hardware and infrastructure issues and execute assigned technical work under the direction of the Technical Coordinator.
- Tools: Experience with ticketing, change-control, asset/inventory, network monitoring, Palo Alto Panorama, F5 management tools, or comparable enterprise platforms.
- Certifications: CCNA, CCNA Security or current equivalent, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, F5, Palo Alto, or other relevant networking/data center certifications.
- Communication / Travel: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong technical documentation skills, and ability to support scheduled after-hours installations and maintenance. Quarterly travel to the four designated Co-Lo facilities is required, and additional ad-hoc travel may be required as mission requirements dictate.
If you are selected to move forward through the process, here’s what you can expect:
- During the Interview Process
- Virtual video interview conducted via video with the hiring manager and/or team Camera must be on A valid photo ID must be presented during each interview
During the Interview Process
- Virtual video interview conducted via video with the hiring manager and/or team
- Camera must be on
- A valid photo ID must be presented during each interview
During the Interview Process Virtual video interview conducted via video with the hiring manager and/or team Camera must be on A valid photo ID must be presented during each interview
- During the Hiring Process
- Enhanced Biometrics ID verification screening Background check, to include: Criminal history (past 7 years) Verification of your highest level of education Verification of your employment history (past 7 years), based on information provided in your application
During the Hiring Process
- Enhanced Biometrics ID verification screening
- Background check, to include:
- Criminal history (past 7 years) Verification of your highest level of education Verification of your employment history (past 7 years), based on information provided in your application
Background check, to include:
- Criminal history (past 7 years)
- Verification of your highest level of education
- Verification of your employment history (past 7 years), based on information provided in your application
At GovCIO, we consistently hear that meaningful work and a collaborative team environment are two of the top reasons our employees enjoy working here. In addition, our employees have access to a range of perks and benefits to support their personal and professional well-being, beyond the standard company offered health benefits, including:
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Corporate Discounts
- Learning & Development platform, to include certification preparation content
- Training, Education and Certification Assistance*
- Referral Bonus Program
- Internal Mobility Program
- Pet Insurance
- Flexible Work Environment