Staff Engineer, System Test Network (R6030)

Shield, Washington, D.C.

The role

Candidates for this role will join the HIL and Infrastructure team to provide network engineering support across HMS programs and projects. The role focuses on designing, developing, testing, and sustaining program-specific networks, including software-defined radios and complex radio systems that integrate devices, payloads, sensors, flight hardware, autonomy software, simulations, and supporting equipment and services. This engineer will also support shared HIL and test infrastructure and will develop and own repeatable network configurations and networking software across program and laboratory environments.

What you will do

- Design, build, configure, and maintain scalable network architectures for HIL laboratories, integration environments, simulation systems, and shared test infrastructure across multiple programs
Define and manage Layer 2 and Layer 3 configurations, including addressing, VLANs, routing, multicast, quality of service, access controls, redundancy, and time-synchronization services
Develop and maintain networking software, configuration-as-code, automation tools, and validation utilities that make lab network deployment repeatable, reviewable, and recoverable
Integrate switches, routers, firewalls, servers, real-time compute, simulators, flight computers, sensors, radios, and other program hardware into representative HIL and program network environments, including mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) using Persistent Systems MPU5/Wave Relay, Silvus StreamCaster, and comparable tactical and SDR platforms
Develop and execute network test plans that measure connectivity, interoperability, throughput, latency, jitter, packet loss, multicast behavior, failover, and performance under load
Build network observability capabilities using packet capture, device telemetry, logs, metrics, alerts, dashboards, and automated health checks to identify issues before they disrupt testing
Reproduce, isolate, and resolve complex network and distributed-system issues using Wireshark, tcpdump, traffic generators, device diagnostics, application logs, and controlled experiments
Partner with Solutions & Integration teams to reproduce deployed networking issues, translate customer and operational feedback into representative HIL network configurations and tests, and provide second-line network support for customer demonstrations, exercises, and evaluations
Maintain authoritative network baselines, IP address assignments, hardware inventories, cable and port maps, architecture diagrams, interface-control documentation, and change records
Integrate network configuration and test automation into source-control and CI/CD workflows, including peer review, automated verification, deployment, rollback, and auditability
Evaluate network equipment and technologies, support capacity planning and procurement, standardize reusable solutions, and provide technical guidance to lab users and program teams

Nice to have

- Experience supporting aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, avionics, flight-test, or other mission-critical engineering programs.
Experience with HIL, SIL, or VIL test environments, real-time simulation, flight computers, sensors, vehicle networks, or aircraft integration laboratories.
Advanced experience with multicast routing, precision time protocol, network timing, deterministic networking, traffic shaping, redundancy, or high-availability design.
Experience with network-automation and infrastructure-as-code tools such as Ansible, Netmiko, NAPALM, Terraform, or vendor APIs and software development kits.
Familiarity with enterprise network operating systems and hardware from vendors such as Cisco, Arista, Juniper, NVIDIA, or equivalent platforms.
Experience with virtualization, containers, Docker, Kubernetes, virtual switching, software-defined networking, or cloud-connected test infrastructure.
Experience implementing network security controls, secure remote access, vulnerability remediation, zero-trust principles, or DoD security and hardening requirements.
Experience configuring, integrating, and troubleshooting tactical MANET and mesh-radio systems, particularly Persistent Systems MPU5/Wave Relay and Silvus StreamCaster platforms, including RF and IP-network performance, routing, multicast, voice, video, data, and connectivity among airborne, ground, and laboratory nodes. Familiarity with tactical data links, serial communications, CAN, DDS, or gateways that bridge aircraft and laboratory network interfaces.

#LD

Full-time regular employee offer package

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

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Staff Engineer, System Test Network (R6030)

The role

Staff Engineer, System Test Network (R6030)

The role

What you will do

What you need

Nice to have

Full-time regular employee offer package

Temporary employee offer package

About Shield

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