Network and Communications Lead

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced network and communications engineer to lead the design of the links that connect our unmanned surface vessels to the operators who command them. This role owns the fleet's communications architecture end to end — radios, antennas, satellite and cellular links, and the network design on both the vessel and the shore side.

This is a hands-on lead position. You will set the technical direction for fleet networking, deliver network and communications scope for U.S. and allied international customer programs, and lead a small team of network engineers.

What You'll Do

Communications Architecture

• Own the end-to-end communications architecture across the fleet — line-of-sight and MANET radios, SATCOM, and cellular — including redundancy and failover between links
• Perform link budgets, antenna selection and placement, and RF coexistence and interference analysis
• Design for constrained and contested links: prioritize command and control, shape video and payload traffic, and define system behavior when links degrade or drop

Network Design

• Maintain the fleet IP and VLAN plan, routing, QoS, VPN, and firewall design across vessels, ground control stations, operator laptops, and operations centers
• Standardize radio, switch, and firewall configurations so that differences between vessels and programs are configuration, not redesign
• Author and maintain network diagrams, interface control documents, configuration baselines, and test procedures under configuration control

Network Security

• Build security into the network design: segmentation, encryption, secure remote access, and device hardening to DISA STIGs
• Provide network architecture and configuration evidence for RMF/ATO and CMMC efforts

Program Delivery

• Serve as the technical lead for network and communications scope on customer programs
• Translate customer requirements — specific radios, frequencies, encryption, and host-network integration — into designs, estimates, and schedules
• Support frequency planning and spectrum authorization for U.S. and international operations
• Support factory acceptance testing, sea trials, and customer events, and resolve escalated link and network issues
• Provide technical content for operator manuals and training material

Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and assign work to network engineers
• Set standards for configuration templates, documentation, and network change management
• Work closely with the vessel systems and shore compute leads so both ends of every link are designed against one plan

What Makes Someone Successful in This Role

• Systems thinking — You see the radio, the network, the vessel, and the operator console as one system, and you design for how they fail together.
• Ownership — You take a problem from a customer requirement to a fielded, documented solution.
• Field credibility — You are as effective troubleshooting a link at sea as you are in a design review.
• Discipline — You keep configurations, diagrams, and baselines accurate because you know others depend on them.
• Leadership — You raise the capability of the people around you and make the team's work repeatable.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Network Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• 8 years of network engineering, including 3 years with wireless or RF communications systems
• 2 years leading engineers or owning a technical area
• Expert knowledge of IP networking — subnetting, VLANs, routing, QoS, VPN, NAT, and firewalls
• Hands-on integration of radio and satellite communications links
• Experience hardening network equipment to DISA STIGs and documenting networks under configuration control
• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD SECRET clearance (active clearance preferred)

Desired Skills

• MANET radios (e.g., Silvus, Persistent Systems, Doodle Labs) and LEO/GEO SATCOM on maritime or unmanned platforms
• Video streaming over constrained links and multicast
• Spectrum management and foreign frequency authorization
• International or Foreign Military Sales programs
• Network automation (Python, Ansible) and configuration-as-code
• CCNP or equivalent; Security

Work Environment

• Engineering laboratories and integration areas
• Production and manufacturing floors
• Pier-side and at-sea vessel operations
• Customer sites, domestic and international — up to 25% travel

Why This Role Matters

Every mission depends on the link. This role determines whether operators keep command of their vessels, receive the data they need, and stay secure across every program we deliver.

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B)?

Work Location: In person

Salary : $66,180 - $102,373