Senior Network Engineer

Orbis Australia Overview

Orbis Operations is a technology company that helps the Australian Government and partners across the Indo-Pacific make faster, better-informed decisions. We convert complex information and operational systems into decisive outcomes, giving our clients the tools and insights they need in an increasingly contested world.

In Australia, our work spans network, data, and analytic capabilities — supporting national security, defence, and intelligence programs. Our team is made up of senior experts with deep national security experience. Working with Orbis offers real opportunities to contribute to critical programs for Australian Government clients and partners across the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Job Summary

Orbis is seeking a Senior Network Engineer to join our team based in Canberra, Australia, supporting mission-critical network infrastructure for government and allied defence customers. This role will design, deploy, and sustain secure, high-availability networks across classified and multi-domain environments — including on-premises, cloud, and contested/disconnected edge deployments — in direct support of customer and Orbis’ data and decision platforms. You will work alongside practitioners who have operated at the mission edge, with direct responsibility for the network backbone that Orbis’ governed data fabric runs on.

This role is based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, with an on-site presence required to support classified network infrastructure and customer facilities. Some domestic and international travel may be required to support program and customer needs.

Travel: Occasional, up to 10%. Domestic and international travel may be required to support program and customer needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain secure network architectures supporting classified and multi-domain systems, including cross-domain solutions and air-gapped or contested-edge deployments.
• Configure and administer routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, and network security appliances across on-premises and cloud (e.g. Azure, AWS/GovCloud-equivalent) environments.
• Monitor network performance and availability, diagnose and resolve complex incidents, and lead root-cause analysis for high-priority outages.
• Implement and enforce network security controls in line with Zero Trust Architecture principles and applicable Australian and allied government security frameworks.
• Support accreditation and certification activities, including documentation for Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) assessments or equivalent.
• Partner with software and platform engineering teams to ensure network design supports Orbis’ data-movement and collection platforms at the required scale and security posture.
• Provide senior technical mentorship to junior engineers and contribute to network standards, runbooks, and disaster-recovery planning.
• Engage directly with government and allied customer stakeholders on network requirements, design reviews, and incident response.

Required Qualifications

• Active Australian Government Top Secret (minimum NV2) security clearance, or eligibility to obtain and maintain one through AGSVA — Australian citizenship is required.
• 8+ years of experience in network engineering, with at least 3 years in a senior or lead capacity supporting defence, intelligence, or other classified environments.
• Deep hands-on expertise with enterprise routing and switching (Cisco, Juniper, or equivalent), firewalls, and VPN/remote-access technologies.
• Demonstrated experience designing and operating networks in classified or multi-level-security environments, including cross-domain solutions.
• Working knowledge of cloud networking (Azure and/or AWS), including hybrid and hardened government-cloud environments.
• Strong understanding of network security principles, including Zero Trust Architecture, segmentation, and defence-in-depth.
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently with government customers and technical stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications

• Industry certifications such as CCNP/CCIE, JNCIP, or equivalent.
• Experience supporting tactical-edge, disconnected, or intermittently connected network environments.
• Familiarity with IRAP assessment processes and Australian Government Information Security Manual (ISM) requirements.
• Experience with network automation and infrastructure-as-code tooling.
• Prior experience supporting Australian Defence Force or other allied coalition network environments.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Participation in virtual and in-person meetings
• Ability to attend planned meetings and/or work in classified spaces for extended periods within the specified work regions