Lead Network Engineer | Infrastructure & Secure Access (SASE Focus)
Why You’ll Actually Care
District Partners is exclusively partnering with a mission-driven organization operating at national scale that is continuing to modernize how its technology environment supports a distributed, cloud-first workforce. The organization has made significant investments in cloud infrastructure and core systems, but secure access has not fully evolved alongside it. As user access patterns, SaaS adoption, and cloud usage have expanded, gaps have emerged in how connectivity, identity, and security controls are unified.
This role exists at that inflection point. SASE is not fully defined or owned internally today, creating a real opportunity to step in and establish structure, direction, and execution. If not addressed, access complexity and security fragmentation will continue to grow. This is a chance to take ownership of a critical capability and build it into something scalable, consistent, and impactful across the environment. This is not a maintenance role. It is an opportunity to define how secure access operates going forward.
The Basics
- Title: Lead Network Engineer (Senior Manager of Infrastructure)
- Location: Washington, DC Metro Area (Hybrid)
- Type: Full-Time
- Compensation: $165K base + performance bonus + full benefits
- Environment: Multi-cloud (AWS primary, Azure secondary), ~95% cloud-based
What You’ll Be Owning
- Establish and own the organization’s SASE approach from initial structure through scaled adoption
- Build and integrate secure access capabilities across users, applications, and cloud environments
- Lead implementation of Zero Trust Network Access, Secure Web Gateway, CASB, and Firewall as a Service in a cohesive model
- Align networking and security controls so traffic, identity, and policy enforcement operate as a unified system
- Own technical direction across network architecture in a cloud-first environment
- Operate hands-on across AWS and Azure, supporting connectivity, access, and performance
- Extend and enhance existing infrastructure rather than replacing it
- Drive standardization and operational maturity where capabilities are currently fragmented or undefined
- Evaluate and optimize SASE-related platforms within an enterprise environment
Environment
- Lean infrastructure team with high ownership and visibility
- Highly cloud-forward environment with minimal legacy constraints
- SASE is currently underdeveloped with no clear ownership or standardization
- Strong executive alignment around modernizing access and security
- Role starts as an individual contributor with a clear path into leadership
What You Bring to the Table
- Strong foundation across networking, infrastructure, and cloud environments
- Hands-on experience with modern secure access models including SASE or SSE
- Working knowledge of Zero Trust access, SaaS security controls, and cloud-delivered security
- Experience operating in AWS and or Azure environments
- Ability to bridge networking and security into practical, working solutions
- Comfortable operating as a hands-on technical lead without direct reports
A Few Things Worth Knowing
- This is a build and ownership role, not a re-architecture mandate
- You will be stepping into a real gap with the ability to define direction
- The role has clear visibility and influence across infrastructure decisions
- There is a defined path into broader infrastructure leadership over time