Network Operations

Position Description Valiant Solutions is seeking a Network Operations to join our rapidly growing and innovative cybersecurity team!  Valiant Solutions is seeking a Network Operations engineer based in Seattle, WA to deliver Tier 1 through Tier 3 network operations for the West Coast footprint of a federal enterprise network, including hands-on support of a core data center. The engineer monitors LAN, WAN, and carrier MPLS circuit health, resolves incidents against strict service levels, and performs the physical work that keeps the site running, from rack and stack and structured cabling through hardware RMA processing. This position anchors West Coast coverage for our government customer, working a staggered shift that extends the operational day alongside East Coast staff. The site supports replication to a second enterprise data center and continuity of operations for remote sites in Hawaii and Alaska, so availability standards are strict: 99.99 percent core network uptime, a 15-minute response to Priority 1 incidents, and service restored within 4 hours. Named one of the Best Places to Work in the Washington DC area for 12 consecutive years , Valiant is proud of our employee-centric culture and commitment to excellence. If you are interested in learning more about Valiant and this opportunity, we invite you to apply now! This position is based in Seattle, WA and allows for partial remote work. Remote work requires a high level of trust in our employees, and we strictly adhere to the details outlined in our Remote Work Policy below.  Required Experience 4 years of experience in network operations, data center management, or systems administration. Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Network Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. In lieu of the Bachelor's degree, an Associate's degree (or a high school diploma or GED) plus two additional years of relevant experience, for 6 years in total. Experience operating against defined service level agreements in a monitored ticketing environment. Cisco routing and switching operations across Catalyst and Nexus platforms, including VLAN changes, port configuration, and interface troubleshooting. OSPF and BGP troubleshooting, with awareness that the carrier runs EIGRP on its managed devices. Network monitoring and alarm triage using SolarWinds or an equivalent enterprise monitoring platform. Incident, problem, and change management in ServiceNow ITSM. Firewall rule analysis at the Tier 2 level on Cisco Firepower Threat Defense. Physical infrastructure work, including rack and stack, fiber and copper structured cabling, labeling, and hardware RMA processing. Reading and maintaining topology diagrams and asset inventories. Working knowledge of federal network security direction, including Zero Trust Architecture (NIST SP 800-207), Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) 3.0 reference architectures, and the IPv6 mandate under OMB M-21-07. Familiarity with NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 security and privacy controls as they apply to network and boundary protection. Understanding of HSPD-12 identity credentialing and its enforcement in network access decisions. Awareness of Section 508 accessibility requirements (WCAG 2.0 AA) as they apply to contract deliverables. Experience operating inside a federal change control process, with government-approved documentation and deliverable acceptance criteria. Willingness to complete required customer training, including annual cybersecurity awareness, records management, privacy, safety, and harassment prevention training. Written and verbal communication skills sufficient to explain network and security concepts to both engineers and non-technical government stakeholders. Ability to brief senior government leadership, including the Contracting Officer's Representative and Technical Lead, on incident root cause, risk, and remediation. Clear technical writing for Methods of Procedure, topology diagrams, standard operating procedures, and monthly status report inputs. Ability to work as a contractor employee in a non-personal services environment, identifying as contractor staff in all meetings, correspondence, and system records. The following certifications are preferred: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Enterprise. Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). CompTIA Network+ and ITIL v4  Responsibilities Daily Network Operations  Provide Tier 1 through Tier 3 support, from triage, connectivity checks, and port resets through routing protocol troubleshooting, VLAN changes, and firewall rule analysis. Work a staggered West Coast shift so that the enterprise stays covered from 7:00 AM Eastern through 5:30 PM Pacific. Participate in the 24x7x365 on-call rotation and respond to Priority 1 incidents within 15 minutes. Prepare Methods of Procedure for every configuration change, including rollback plans and risk assessments, and carry them through the Change Control Board. Maintain topology diagrams, asset inventories, and knowledge base articles that shorten mean time to resolution. Record all activity in ServiceNow ITSM and report ticket status, overage tickets, and service level performance monthly. Carrier Coordination  Monitor customer edge routers and the circuits they terminate, tracking latency, jitter, packet loss, and availability. Open and manage trouble tickets with the MPLS carrier and transport providers, escalate through vendor management chains, and schedule intrusive testing windows. Own the overall incident and internal communications during a circuit outage, providing hourly status updates to government stakeholders until service is restored. Apply Quality of Service markings and policy on customer edge routers so that mission data and VoIP traffic receive priority. Data Center Operations  Perform on-premise hardware work at the Seattle data center, including rack and stack, fiber and