Principal Network Engineer (Active TS/SCI clearance)
Northrop Grumman · Tampa, FL
$89,400–$134,200from the description
Jul 14, 2026
Tampa, FL
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A hands-on network engineering role supporting Department of Defense cyber efforts, focused on designing, configuring, and troubleshooting both physical Cisco infrastructure and VMware NSX virtual networking environments. Day-to-day work spans DISA STIG-compliant baseline configurations, overlay/underlay routing, VPN solutions, and network automation. The role suits an experienced network engineer comfortable operating across physical and virtualized environments in a fully on-site, classified setting.
Senior level · 5+ years · Remote · Bachelor's required · TS/SCI clearance · Full-time
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $101,310 (middle half $79,725–$129,425). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (11)
The job posting explicitly states this position is on-site in Tampa, FL with no virtual or telecommute options. The caller has overridden this and directed that remote=true be set and no metro be inferred — this conflicts with the posting's stated requirement.
The role is titled 'Principal Network Engineer' but the scope and experience floor (5 years with a Bachelor's) align with a Senior-level band; 'Principal' at Northrop Grumman is a job-grade label rather than an org-wide technical authority role.
SOC classification is Medium confidence: the role primarily operates and configures networks (Cisco hardware, VMware NSX, VPN) which fits 15-1244, but the automation scripting and virtual environment engineering elements introduce some 15-1252 signal.
The DoD 8570 IAT Level II certification (e.g., Security+ CE) is explicitly required prior to start date and is listed as a hard gate under Basic Qualifications.
The degree requirement is a Bachelor's with 5 years OR a Master's with 3 years; Bachelor's is captured as the minimum formal degree since equivalent experience is not offered as a substitute.
TS/SCI clearance is a hard gate — must be active at start date and maintained throughout employment.
vRealize Operations (vROPS) appears in the responsibilities/duties section rather than under a formal requirements heading; it is listed as preferred context rather than a gating requirement.
Automation scripting and API interaction skills appear under Preferred Qualifications only.
Ignored 2 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): DoD 8570 IAT Level II, vRealize Operations.
Requires a TS/SCI clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Caller marked this a fully-remote role — scored against the national candidate pool.
Read the full posting
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