Senior Network Services Architect

Job description

At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ mission success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainable practices. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business. Our workforce enjoys career enrichment opportunities available through mobility and development, while experiencing rewarding relationships with supportive supervisors and talented colleagues and customers. Your most important work is ahead. If this sounds like the kind of environment where you can thrive, then keep reading because Leidos is seeking a qualified Sr Network Services Architect to support a proposed large-scale, transformational IT infrastructure program. The successful candidate will serve as the senior technical authority for Task Area 2 (Network Services), owning the design, engineering, and technical direction of FDA's wired and wireless LAN (Office, Data Center, Lab, and Campus LAN), WAN (Private IP Service and SD-WAN), third-party/cloud connectivity (site-to-site VPN, MAN, Trusted Internet Circuit), unified communications, load balancing, and related network infrastructure *This position is onsite /hybrid remote. Candidates will need to be located within the DMV area near Bethesda, MD, and Gaithersburg MD . Key Responsibilities: Serve as the senior technical architect for enterprise Data Network and Communication Services, including wired/wireless LAN (Office-LAN, Data Center-LAN, Lab-LAN, Campus-LAN, Cloud Networks), WAN (Private IP Service and Managed SD-WAN), and third-party/cloud connectivity (site-to-site VPN, MAN connectivity, Trusted Internet Circuit). Lead network design and engineering activities supporting enhancements, increments, and modifications to the existing environment; oversee release management, testing, and deployment activities for host servers and virtual clients during operational upgrades. Architect and continuously optimize connectivity, routing, and security between FDA's on-premise data centers (White Oak, Ashburn, NCTR) and FDA's AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform landing zones, in direct support of FDA's hybrid multi-cloud migration strategy. Own the technical roadmap for network modernization and technology refresh, ensuring network and communications solution components (hardware and software) are upgraded per agreed FDA technology-refresh policy and appropriately licensed. Provide senior technical oversight of network operations and administrative services, including monitoring, testing, patching, debugging, repair, and replacement of network appliances and software, and management of session border controllers (SBCs) and isolated lab networks. Direct capacity management for FDA's network infrastructure to ensure IT resources are right-sized for current and future business requirements while addressing time-sensitive demands. Architect load balancing, domain services (DHCP, external DNS), and monitoring solutions across voice, data, and VPN environments to deliver high availability and optimized network performance for applications and end users. Lead modification of network, storage, database, and related infrastructure policies, configurations, and provisions to reflect evolving industry standards and internal FDA policy changes, driving operational efficiency. Provide architectural and engineering support for Unified Communications, load balancing, eFax, and Enterprise Network Time Protocol (NTP) services. Direct network monitoring and reporting using agreed-upon tools (e.g., SolarWinds, Cisco DNA Center, Cacti) to ensure continuous availability, connectivity, security, and reliability across on-premise and cloud network, data center, compute, and storage resources. Lead root-cause and continuous-improvement (CI) efforts on existing network infrastructure, platforms, and processes to maintain relevance, efficiency, and performance as FDA's environment evolves. Maintain accurate architectural documentation, current-state/target-state network diagrams, and an accurate inventory of on-premise data center spaces housing network equipment. Support annual and ad-hoc network audits to ensure compliance with FDA standards, and support Government data calls related to network technical attributes and financial/hardware details. Coordinate with telecommunications contractors, cloud service providers, and other Task Area leads (e.g., Data Center Operations, Cloud & Compute/Storage, Client Advocate/Technical Leads) to ensure integrated, end-to-end service delivery. Mentor and provide technical direction to Network Engineers, Administrators, and other Task Area 2 staff; support incident, problem, and service-request management in collaboration with the Help Desk. Support the Transition Manager and Program Manager during the three-phase transition (Transition Planning, Transition, Cutover to Managed Services) by validating the as-is network architecture, informing the technical transition plan, and de-risking network cutover activities. Basic Qualifications: Bachelors degree and 8+ years of progressive network engineering/architecture experience and Additional years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree. 3–5 years in a senior architect or technical lead role on large, enterprise-scale federal or commercial network environments. Demonstrated hands-on architecture experience across LAN (wired/wireless), WAN (Private IP Service, SD-WAN), and third-party/cloud connectivity (site-to-site VPN, MAN, Trusted Internet Circuit) in a multi-site enterprise environment. Strong working knowledge of connecting and securing on-premise data center networks to public Cloud Service Providers (AWS, Azure, and/or Google Cloud Platform). Experience with network monitoring and management tooling (e.g., SolarWinds, Cisco DNA Center/DNAC, Cacti, or equivalent) and with capacity planning for enterprise network infrastructure. Demonstrated experience managing multi-site enterprise network environments, including load balancing, DHCP, DNS, unified communications, and network security policy configuration. Experience supporting large-scale IT infrastructure technology refresh, upgrade, and lifecycle management activities. Strong documentation skills, including development of current-state and target-state network architecture diagrams. Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with demonstrated ability to coordinate across cross-functional technical teams, subcontractors, and telecommunications vendors. U.S. Citizenship. Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust. Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), current and active — or equivalent senior-level network architecture certification. Preferred Qualifications: Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE). AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform networking-focused certification (e.g., AWS Advanced Networking – Specialty, Azure Network Engineer Associate). ITIL Foundation certification (or higher). Prior experience directly supporting FDA, another HHS operating division, or a comparable federal health/regulatory science agency. Experience with SD-WAN network automation platforms and Zero Trust network architecture concepts. Familiarity with ServiceNow or comparable enterprise ITSM platforms for change and incident management. Experience supporting isolated lab or scientific-computing network environments. If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares. Original Posting: August 4, 2026 For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above. Pay Range: Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00 The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.