Network Operations (Junior)

Position Description Valiant Solutions is seeking a Junior Network Operations  to join our rapidly growing and innovative cybersecurity team! Valiant Solutions is seeking a Junior Network Operations technician to serve as the first line of response for a federal enterprise Network Operations Center supporting roughly 50 sites nationwide. This position triages incoming incidents and service requests in ServiceNow, performs first-tier diagnostics such as connectivity verification and switch port resets, and escalates to Tier 2 and Tier 3 engineers against defined service levels. Tier 1 acts as the incident response manager for this program, meaning the role owns the ticket from intake through resolution rather than simply passing it along. The position is a structured entry point into federal network operations, with direct exposure to Cisco enterprise routing and switching, Zero Trust network access control, and an enterprise IPv6 modernization effort driven by OMB M-21-07. 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 is position is based in Silver Spring, MD, 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 Experience and Education 3 years of Network Operations Center or technical help desk experience. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related field, per the GSA MAS Network Engineer I floor. In lieu of the Bachelor's degree, a high school diploma or GED plus two additional years of relevant experience, for 5 years in total. Technical school or trade certifications are highly preferred. Experience working tickets in an IT service management platform. Technical Skills Networking fundamentals: the OSI model, IP addressing and subnetting, VLANs, DNS, and DHCP. Basic Cisco IOS command line navigation for interface status and port configuration. Ticket handling in ServiceNow or a comparable IT service management platform. Alarm triage in an enterprise monitoring tool such as SolarWinds. Clear technical writing for knowledge base articles and ticket documentation. Microsoft Office and collaboration tool proficiency. The following certifications are preferred: CompTIA Network+ Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) CompTIA A+ CCNA Communication and Stakeholder Engagement 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. Responsibilities Tier 1 Incident Response Serve as the incident response manager for incoming tickets, owning triage, categorization, and routing to Tier 2 and Tier 3 engineers. Perform first-tier diagnostics, including connectivity verification, interface status checks, and switch port resets. Monitor the enterprise monitoring platform for alarms and open tickets proactively when thresholds are crossed. Escalate against defined service levels so that Priority 1 incidents receive a response within 15 minutes. Track ticket aging and flag overage tickets before they breach a service level. Ticketing and Service Request Management Open, update, and close tickets in ServiceNow ITSM, capturing clear problem statements, actions taken, and resolutions. Process network service requests submitted through the service catalog. Provide status updates to requesters and government stakeholders throughout the incident lifecycle. Supply ticket metrics and service level performance data for the weekly and monthly status reports. Documentation and Knowledge Base Write and maintain How-To articles for common troubleshooting steps so that repeat issues resolve faster. Keep topology diagrams and asset inventories current as devices are added, replaced, or retired. Support the device inventory validation effort across Cisco Catalyst and Nexus switches, Cisco Firepower Threat Defense firewalls, Cisco ISE appliances, and Ubiquiti UniFi and Meraki switches. Assist senior engineers with monitoring configuration, dashboard upkeep, and change documentation. About Valiant Solutions Valiant Solutions is a security-focused IT solutions provider with public clients nationwide. Named one of the fastest growing privately held companies by Inc. 5000, Washington Technology’s Fast 50, and Washington Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in the D.C. area, Valiant Solutions prides itself on providing its employees with great benefits and career development opportunities. As a company, we are just as committed to growing careers as we are to building world-class IT solutions, all while enjoying an unparalleled work-life balance. We are in a phase of tremendous growth and building the team that will take us to the next level. We seek people whose talents and accomplishments will contribute to a thriving company, who have the character to support their capacity, and can make a positive impact on our culture. Alongside our talented team, you’ll learn to think quickly on your feet and expand your own personal and professional skill set. Our management team will inspire you to consider new perspectives and challenge you to become