Principal Network Engineer

Who we are:

Fuse builds innovative communications, networking, and computing solutions that improve the sharing of information, video, text, and voice among operators distributed throughout the airborne, maritime, and ground environments. We are a Technology firm creating in-house software, network and hardware solutions that support our noble cause of advancing warfighter capabilities with elegant, user-focused communications, networks, and software systems.

About this role:

The Principal Network Engineer sits at the pointy end of Fuse’s engineering spear. Reporting to the Director of Engineering & Technology and working alongside the Chief Architect, you’ll chart technical strategy, uphold engineering rigor, and keep innovation throttled wide‑open. You’ll translate tomorrow’s concepts into today’s reference architectures, mentor cross‑disciplinary teams, and serve as the engineering voice in company briefings and customer engagements.

You’ll drive excellence, safeguard alignment with Fuse’s mission, and champion our tech story to stakeholders inside and out.

What you’ll do:

• Develop and provide input for network architectures for our systems and customers
• Translate user and system requirements to system functionalities and reality
• Develop and implement network security architectures with HAIPE, IPSEC, TLS, and other protocols
• WAN, LAN, WLAN, VOIP setup and troubleshooting
• Support design, development, and test efforts for airborne tactical networking systems
• Implement dynamic routing protocols including OSPF, EIGRP, RIP, BGP, PPPoE, and MANET
• Implement IA controls and ensure compliance with DoD RMF
• Work as a team throughout the design process, supporting sprint planning sessions, code reviews, and scrums
• Get in front of real-world operators to understand needs and requirements from an end-user point of view
• Project & Technical Governance
• Direct enterprise-level engineering oversight for multi-million-dollar programs, enforcing rigorous technical baselines, proactive risk registers, and transparent status comms to executives and mission partners.
• Partner with PMs and chief engineers to apply Fuse’s Warfighter Engineering & Design Process, driving on-schedule, on-spec delivery.
• Translate forward-looking concepts into modular reference architectures that unlock future capability inserts and rapid refresh cycles.
• Innovation & Capability Development
• Champion emerging tech adoption—AI-enabled network orchestration, SOSA-aligned hardware, zero-trust enclaves—by codifying best practices and coaching scrum teams through thorny edge cases.
• Align customer pain points with IR&D dollars, prioritizing prototypes that close validated gaps and boost ROI.
• Continuously scan the battlespace: track regulatory shifts, MIL-STD updates, and competitor pivots to recalibrate tech roadmaps ahead of the curve.
• Co-author cross-functional product roadmaps with Technology, Growth & Strategy, and Operations, ensuring every campaign has a tech glide-slope and a clear value prop.
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Serve as the technical conscience in executive reviews, translating complex trade-space decisions into crisp, business-centered narratives
• Solicit and integrate feedback from operators, customers, and internal guilds to keep initiatives mission-relevant and revenue-aligned.
• Conduct thorough market research and competitive analysis to inform strategic decisions and identify growth opportunities.
• Support the hunt and qualification of new opportunities: leverage intel on platform roadmaps, SWaP-C trends, and coalition needs to seed the funnel.
• Nurture strategic alliances across DoD PEOs, prime integrators, and niche innovators, positioning Fuse as the go-to edge-networking house.

Requirements

• Core Credentials: Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Engineering, Software, Computer Science, Information Science, Systems, or a closely related discipline.
• Active secret clearance
• Understanding of networking fundamentals including VLANs, subnets, protocols, and standards
• Demonstrated experience with Linux OS
• Experience with Linux System Administration, firewalls and settings
• Experience with virtualized systems applications and administration (VMWare, ESXI,KVM)
• Familiarity with broadband line-of-sight radio data links
• Familiarity with broadband satellite data service and delay-tolerant networks
• Familiarity with networking protocol stacks
• Familiarity with NSA Type 1 encryption, especially high-assurance IP encryption (HAIPE) devices
• Working knowledge or experience with military networking systems and/or tactical data links
• Experience with US Navy Communications Networks such as ADNS/ISNS/CANES
• Knowledge of Navy Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Information Systems (C4IR)
• Willingness to travel to Pax River and other customer sites
• Nice to have: Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) – Routing & Switching (or CCNA Security)
• 5+ years of experience as a network engineer
• CISSP
• Experience with or development of networking for Container based applications
• Experience with EMANE, GNS3, EXata or other modeling environments
• Network Operating Systems Certificate
• CompTia Security +
• Knowledge of wireless controllers (CISCO, Juniper), wireless access points and the ability to deploy and configure them
• 10+ years leading complex engineering efforts, with 5+ years embedded in the aerospace & defense arena.
• Battle-tested at translating strategy into fielded capability: requirements nailed, budgets balanced, risks tamed.
• Hands-on leadership of full-lifecycle design, integration, test, and deployment for POR level systems.
• Leadership & Influence
• Storyteller who converts engineering nuance into crisp, exec-ready narratives and demo-floor wins.
• Relationship builder who cultivates program office, and industry partnerships that unlock new roadmaps.
• People-first leader who sets the bar high, fosters psychological safety, and keeps teams sprinting in a fast-tempo environment.
• Self-starter able to juggle competing priorities, cut through ambiguity, and deliver under pressure.
• More about Fuse: Founded in 2010, Fuse is a veteran-owned, rapidly growing small business. Our San Diego-based company has earned recognition as an emerging leader in airborne, maritime, and ground networking. Placing the warfighter at the center of every design process, Fuse delivers intuitive, agile, and resilient products that go beyond national security requirements—providing lasting utility and game-changing results. We take pride in our brilliant and talented team as well as our dynamic environment and collaborative, creative, environment. We build cutting-edge hardware and software products that solve complex national security challenges for our warfighters at the tactical edge.

Salary Range: $160,000 – $210,000