Agile Defense

Cybersecurity and IT services for government

Network Security Engineer

Security Engineering & ArchitectureConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeSuitland-Silver Hill, MD, USA$100k - $115k /yr

About the Job

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
Eight years of experience in a large government organization, including five years of technical leadership and four years implementing and troubleshooting Cisco Identity Services Engine.
Four years of experience supporting identity-centric or Zero Trust architectures, with strong knowledge of segmentation, certificate management, and endpoint posture controls.
Eight years of experience implementing and troubleshooting Cisco Identity Services Engine, including RADIUS and TACACS+ authentication and authorization policies, wired and wireless 802.1X/EAP methods, device profiling, posture checks, endpoint compliance, certificate-based authentication, EAP-TLS, Public Key Infrastructure integration, and AAA integrations for switches, appliances, firewalls, and wireless controllers.
Experience working with Cisco Identity Services Engine deployed on Cisco SNS 3715 appliances.
Understanding of ForeScout CounterACT, including legacy NAC/NAM policies, device classification, and access workflows.
Experience providing general wireless network support, including basic troubleshooting, controller interactions, and wireless access workflows.
Hands-on experience integrating Cisco Identity Services Engine with Active Directory and LDAP, including identity lookups, group-based policy decisions, and directory-based authentication.
Experience supporting Cisco Identity Services Engine integrations with Cisco 9800 Wireless LAN Controllers, including guest or registration page redirection and wireless onboarding.
Experience migrating legacy NAC, RADIUS, or device authentication systems into Cisco Identity Services Engine while aligning with Zero Trust principles.
A solid understanding of telecommunications, network security, and Zero Trust best practices.
Strong communication skills and the ability to explain Cisco Identity Services Engine, NAC/NAM, and AAA concepts to technical and nontechnical audiences.

Responsibilities

Design, configure, monitor, and troubleshoot Cisco Identity Services Engine as a NAC/NAM platform, including TACACS+ and RADIUS services, device administration policies, and wired and wireless 802.1X authentication.
Troubleshoot and resolve Cisco Identity Services Engine issues across RADIUS, TACACS+, 802.1X, device administration, and endpoint authentication.
Deploy, configure, and maintain Cisco Identity Services Engine on two clustered Cisco SNS 3715 appliances, ensuring high availability and consistent policy enforcement.
Support the migration from ForeScout CounterACT to Cisco Identity Services Engine by reviewing legacy policies, device groups, and access rules and mapping them into Identity Services Engine policy sets.
Provide general wireless support, including basic troubleshooting, wireless access workflows, and coordination with wireless infrastructure teams.
Configure and support Cisco Identity Services Engine integrations with Cisco 9800 Wireless LAN Controllers, including guest and registration portals, wireless onboarding, and policy-driven access control.
Integrate and maintain Cisco Identity Services Engine with Active Directory and LDAP, including identity lookups, group-based authorization, and directory-based authentication workflows.
Deploy, configure, and maintain Identity Services Engine policy sets, authorization profiles, authentication rules, TACACS+ device administration, wired and wireless 802.1X, profiling, posture and compliance policies, certificate-based authentication, and Public Key Infrastructure integrations.
Monitor security events using Identity Services Engine logs and syslog, and perform root-cause analysis for authentication and access issues.
Manage identity integrations, enforce security policies, and tune configurations to support Zero Trust and improve user experience.
Perform routine health checks, upgrades, migrations, and document changes through standard operating procedures, engineering designs, and implementation procedures.
Work with engineering, operations, and compliance teams, mentor junior staff, and contribute to knowledge-sharing efforts.

Desired Qualifications

Cisco CCNP Security certification, Cisco Identity Services Engine Specialist certification, or similar identity or security certification.
Experience with Cisco Identity Services Engine on Cisco SNS 3715 appliances in a two-node clustered, high-availability setup.

Salary Range: 100000 to 115000 (Currency: USD) (Pay period: per-year-salary)

About Agile Defense

At Agile Defense we know that action defines the outcome and new challenges require new solutions. That’s why we always look to the future and embrace change with an unmovable spirit and the courage to build for what comes next.

Our vision is to bring adaptive innovation to support our nation's most important missions through the seamless integration of advanced technologies, elite minds, and unparalleled agility—leveraging a foundation of speed, flexibility, and ingenuity to strengthen and protect our nation’s vital interests.

Requisition #: 1853

Job Title: Network Security Engineer

Location: Suitland, MD

Clearance Level: Public Trust

Job Description

Agile Defense is seeking a Senior Network Security Engineer to support the agency as it moves away from its legacy ForeScout CounterACT NAC/NAM system and adopts Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) as the new access control platform. The engineer will help configure and manage Cisco ISE across the environment, handling AAA services, wired and wireless 802.1X authentication, device administration, and posture checks for users and devices.

This role also supports the agency’s modernization work by improving authentication processes, updating ISE policies, and strengthening identity-based access controls. The engineer will troubleshoot access issues, refine policy designs, and help ensure users and devices can connect securely and reliably as the organization completes its transition from ForeScout to Cisco ISE.

Troubleshoot and resolve Cisco ISE issues across RADIUS, TACACS+, 802.1X, device administration, and endpoint authentication.

Deploy, configure, and maintain Cisco ISE running on two clustered Cisco SNS 3715 appliances, ensuring high availability and consistent policy enforcement.

Support the agency’s migration from ForeScout CounterACT to Cisco ISE, including reviewing legacy ForeScout policies, device groups, and access rules and mapping them into ISE policy sets.

Provide general wireless support, including basic troubleshooting, wireless access workflows, and coordination with wireless infrastructure teams.

Configure and support Cisco ISE integrations with Cisco 9800 WLCs, including guest/registration portals, wireless onboarding, and policy driven access control.

Integrate and maintain Cisco ISE with Active Directory (AD) and LDAP, including identity lookups, group based authorization, and directory based authentication workflows.

Deploy, configure, and maintain Cisco ISE components, including:
o Policy Sets, Authorization Profiles, and Authentication Rules
o TACACS+ device administration
o 802.1X for wired and wireless networks
o Profiling, posture, and compliance policies
o Certificate based authentication and PKI integrations

Monitor security events using ISE logs, syslog, and performing root cause analysis for authentication and access issues.

Manage identity integrations, enforce security policies, and tune configurations to support Zero Trust and improve user experience.

Perform routine health checks, upgrades, migrations, and document changes through SOPs, engineering designs, and implementation procedures.

Work closely with engineering, operations, and compliance teams while mentoring junior staff and contributing to knowledge sharing efforts.

Education and Background

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field.

Years of Experience

Eight (8) years of experience in a large government organization with five (5) years in technical leadership, including four (4) years implementing and troubleshooting Cisco ISE.
Four (4) years of experience supporting identity centric or Zero Trust architectures with strong knowledge of segmentation, certificate management, and endpoint posture controls.

Required Skills

Senior Network Security Engineer responsible for designing, configuring, monitoring, and troubleshooting Cisco ISE as a NAC/NAM platform, including TACACS+/RADIUS services, device administration policies, and wired/wireless 802.1X authentication.

Eight (8) years of experience in a large government organization with five (5) years in technical leadership, including four (4) years implementing and troubleshooting Cisco ISE with expertise in:
o Authentication and authorization policies (RADIUS/TACACS+)
o 802.1X/EAP methods for wireless and wired access
o Device profiling, posture checks, and endpoint compliance
o Certificate based authentication (EAP TLS) and PKI integration
o AAA integrations for switches, appliances, firewalls, and wireless controllers
Experience working with Cisco ISE deployed on Cisco SNS 3715 appliances, preferably in a two node clustered, high availability setup.
Understanding of ForeScout CounterACT, including legacy NAC/NAM policies, device classification, and access workflows, to support the migration to Cisco ISE
Experience providing general wireless network support, including basic troubleshooting, controller interactions, and wireless access workflows.
Hands on experience integrating Cisco ISE with Active Directory (AD) and LDAP, including identity lookups, group based policy decisions, and directory based authentication.
Experience supporting Cisco ISE integrations with Cisco 9800 Wireless LAN Controllers, including guest/registration page redirection and wireless onboarding.
Experience migrating legacy NAC, RADIUS, or device authentication systems into Cisco ISE while aligning with Zero Trust principles.
Solid understanding of telecommunications, network security, and Zero Trust best practices.
Strong communication skills with the ability to explain Cisco ISE, NAC/NAM, and AAA concepts to both technical and non technical audiences.

Preferred Skills

Preferred certifications: Cisco CCNP Security, Cisco ISE Specialist, or similar identity/security certifications.

Working Conditions

On-site 5 days a week in Suitland, Maryland

In addition, Agile Defense invests in its employees beyond just compensation. Agile’s benefits offerings include, dependent upon position, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, Holiday Pay, short-term and long-term Disability, Retirement and Learning and Development opportunities as well as other optional benefit elections.

Our Core Values

Employees of Agile Defense are our number one priority, and the importance we place on our culture here is fundamental. Our culture is alive and evolving, but it always stays true to its roots. Here, you are valued as a family member, and we believe that we can accomplish great things together. Agile Defense has been highly successful in the past few years due to our employees and the culture we create together.

What makes us Agile? We call it the 6Hs, the values that define our culture and guide everything we do. Together, these values infuse vibrancy, integrity, and a tireless work ethic into advancing the most important national security and critical civilian missions. It's how we show up every day. It's who we are.

Happy - Be Infectious. Happiness multiplies and creates a positive and connected environment where motivation and satisfaction have an outsized effect on everything we do.
Helpful - Be Supportive. Being helpful is the foundation of teamwork, resulting in a supportive atmosphere where collaboration flourishes, and collective success is celebrated.
Honest - Be Trustworthy. Honesty serves as our compass, ensuring transparent communication and ethical conduct, essential to who we are and the complex domains we support.
Humble - Be Grounded. Success is not achieved alone, humility ensures a culture of mutual respect, encouraging open communication, and a willingness to learn from one another and take on any task.
Hungry - Be Eager. Our hunger for excellence drives an insatiable appetite for innovation and continuous improvement, propelling us forward in the face of new and unprecedented challenges.
Hustle - Be Driven. Hustle is reflected in our relentless work ethic, where we are each committed to going above and beyond to advance the mission and achieve success.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

About the Company

Agile Defense

Cybersecurity and IT services for government

Agile Defense provides IT and cybersecurity services to the U.S. Federal Government, including digital transformation, IT modernization, and a Virtual Security Operations Center (VSOC) to defend against cyber threats. Its services support national security and civilian missions across federal agencies, delivered through various contract vehicles. The company expands its capabilities through acquisitions (IntelliBridge and XOR Security) and focuses on AI-enabled workforce transformation and enterprise IT to enhance government operations. Unlike many suppliers, Agile Defense emphasizes a government-focused portfolio with a multidimensional VSOC and AI-driven workforce upgrades, positioning itself to meet federal security and modernization needs. The goal is to help federal agencies protect data and systems, modernize IT infrastructure, and improve cyber resilience across national security and civilian missions.

Company size: 1,001-5,000
Company stage: Acquired
Total funding: Not listed
Headquarters: Reston, VA
Founded: 1998

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