Principal Network Engineer Jobs (No ghost jobs, direct from employers)

  • $163K median pay

Open principal network engineer jobs from company career pages and job boards, checked every hour. Every posting shows pay where listed, how long it has been up, company reviews and whether it looks like a ghost job.

174 jobs found

  • 14 hours agoLow ghost risk
    Leidos Holdings Inc.On-siteColumbia, MD$139K - 251KLead
  • 14 hours agoLow ghost risk
    Leidos Holdings Inc.On-siteMclean, VA$116K - 210KLead
  • 14 hours agoLow ghost risk
    Hewlett Packard EnterpriseOn-siteAmsterdam, NY$120K - 180KLead
  • 14 hours agoLow ghost risk
    The MITRE CorporationOn-siteBedford, MA$173K - 260KLead
  • 14 hours agoLow ghost risk
    Leidos Holdings Inc.On-siteBethesda, MD$116K - 210KLead
  • 14 hours agoLow ghost risk
    The MITRE CorporationOn-siteMclean, VA$173K - 260KLead
  • 1 day agoLow ghost risk
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  • 1 day agoLow ghost risk
    OracleOn-siteSeattle, WA$150K - 220KLead
  • 1 day agoLow ghost risk
    OracleOn-siteUnited States$180K - 250KLead
  • 1 day agoLow ghost risk
    OracleOn-siteReston, VA$180K - 250KLead
  • 3 days agoLow ghost risk
    Rocket Lab USAOn-siteAuckland$120K - 180KLead
  • 5 days agoLow ghost risk
    Procore Technologies, Inc.HybridAustin, TX$190K - 261KLead
  • 1 day agoLow ghost risk
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  • 2 days agoLow ghost risk
    TTECHybridQuezon City, Quezon City$45K - 75KLead
  • 1 week agoLow ghost risk
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  • 1 week agoModerate ghost risk
    Fidelity InvestmentsOn-siteDurham, NC$140K - 180KLead
  • 1 day agoLow ghost risk
    Microsoft CorporationOn-siteDublin$108K - 186KLead
  • 1 week agoLow ghost risk
    Leidos Holdings Inc.On-siteOdenton, MD$116K - 210KLead
  • 5 days agoLow ghost risk
    NetAppHybridMorrisville, NC$225K - 270KLead
  • 5 days agoLow ghost risk
    NetAppHybridSan Jose, CA$225K - 270KLead

Principal Network Engineer

Leidos Holdings Inc.

14 hours agoOn-siteColumbia, MD$139K - 251KLead

Why this job matches

See how well your resume fits this job and what it is missing.

Leidos has a new and exciting opportunity for a Principal Network Engineer in our Intelligence Sector's, Cyber & Analytics Business Area (CABA). Our talented team is at the forefront in Security Engineering, Computer Network Operations (CNO), Mission Software, Analytical Methods and Modeling, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and Cryptographic Key Management.

At Leidos, we offer competitive benefits, including Paid Time Off, 11 paid Holidays, 401K with a 6% company match and immediate vesting, Flexible Schedules, Discounted Stock Purchase Plans, Technical Upskilling, Education and Training Support, Parental Paid Leave, and much more. Join us and make a difference in National Security!

Position Overview

The Principal Network Engineer provides advanced network engineering support for the design, integration, optimization, and sustainment of complex enterprise and mission networks. This role focuses on enhancing network performance, implementing scalable solutions, and supporting architectural improvements across LAN, CAN, WAN, and telecommunications environments.

The engineer translates mission and business requirements into secure, high-performing network solutions and collaborates with operations personnel, program management, and engineering teams to ensure reliable network performance in DoD/IC environments.

Primary Responsibilities

  • Optimize end-to-end system performance and dataflow through analysis, monitoring tools, and data captures, minimizing latency and maximizing throughput.
  • Design, integrate, configure, deploy, test, maintain, and enhance network devices and infrastructure across LAN, CAN, WAN, and telecommunications systems.
  • Implement network solutions supporting server and mission requirements, including load balancing, VPNs, firewall contexts, traffic shaping, VoIP, GRE, IPSec, IP encryption, MoIP, and NAT.
  • Contribute to the design and improvement of network and mission architecture to support evolving partner and mission requirements.
  • Resolve complex network issues using advanced diagnostic tools such as network analyzers, WAN test equipment, and simulators.
  • Support network operations by maintaining system documentation, diagrams, and accreditation artifacts while ensuring compliance with ISO 9000 and DoD/IC standards.
  • Collaborate with engineering teams to support network equipment, system integrations, and infrastructure changes, including conversions and cutovers.

Basic Qualifications

  • Masters Degree in a related technical discipline and 15 or more years related experience or Bachelors Degree in a related technical discipline and seventeen (17) years of experience providing network engineering support.
  • Information Assurance Technical (IAT) Level I certification in accordance with DoD 8570.01-M.
  • Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and maintaining complex network infrastructures.
  • Experience troubleshooting and resolving advanced network performance and integration issues.
  • Security Clearance Requirement: Active TS/SCI with Polygraph
  • Participate in a rotational on-call schedule (estimated every 4-6 weeks), with flexible team-managed scheduling and guaranteed on-call compensation
  • Provide primarily remote on-call support; occasional on-site response may be required (rare)

conmd

KQW

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:

April 8, 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 $139,100.00 - $251,450.00

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.

Company Reviews

Employee reviews

3.9

5,671 Reviews
  • 528 %
  • 434 %
  • 322 %
  • 29 %
  • 17 %
  • Great Experience
    2026-03-08T19:42:48.180

    Pros: Good management, networking opportunities, hands on experience

    Cons: was a great experience no cons

  • Great Defense Contractor
    2026-03-07T19:26:13.273

    Pros: Like all big prime they pay fair wages and offer good benefits.

    Cons: Not much room to grow as contract with customer or partner are pre negotiated. Only way to advance is apply to different positions.

  • Could be Worse
    2026-03-06T15:50:53.167

    Pros: Comfortable working environment, relatively flexible schedule.

    Cons: Forced return to office, pay has not kept up with pace of inflation, management has not provided compensatory awards for additional certifications earned

Frequently asked questions about principal network engineer jobs

What is a ghost job?

A ghost job is a posting for a role the company isn't actively hiring for. Some stay up after the company fills the role. Others collect resumes for an opening that may never come.

You spend an evening tailoring an application, and nobody on the other side is looking for you.

What do principal network engineer jobs pay?

Across the postings here that list pay, the median is about $163,000 a year. About 6 in 10 of these postings list a pay range; the rest show an estimate, marked as one.

How many principal network engineer jobs are there?

At our last count there were about 170 open postings. The list on this page is live, so the count above it is the current one.

How does Enhancv spot a ghost job?

Every posting goes through five checks: how long it has been up, whether a salary is posted, what employees say about the company, how specific the description is and whether it lists real requirements. Each job shows the checks it passed and the ones it didn't.

How fresh are the job postings?

Enhancv checks postings every hour, and every job shows how long ago it went up. Most hires happen within 30 days of posting. A listing that's been open for two months raises its ghost job risk.