Freelance Smart Plant Instrumentation Jobs in Virginia

Description

The Health and Services Sector of Leidos is seeking an innovative, hands-on engineer to join our Saxton Lab Team as a Mid-Level OT/IT Network & Cybersecurity Engineer!

Our team operates the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory (STOL), a USDOT research lab. STOL is a research and development center advancing the science of connected and automated vehicle technologies and digital roadway infrastructure. Our mission is to improve transportation safety, mobility, and environmental outcomes through innovation, testing, and real-world demonstrations.

We work at the intersection of engineering, data, and policy—developing and evaluating cutting-edge systems for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, as well as cooperative driving automation. The lab’s culture values initiative, curiosity, collaboration, and a strong sense of public purpose. Learn more about STOL here!

Candidates MUST:

Have the ability to full-time on-site in McLean, VA AND

have the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance (three years’ continuous U.S. residency required) and a valid driver’s license

Why This Role Matters

The Mid-Level OT/IT Network & Cybersecurity Engineer owns STOL’s operational technology (OT) and IT network and testbed infrastructure, and its OT and Industrial Control Systems (ICS) cybersecurity posture, applying that foundation to support the lab’s connected-vehicle testing and experiments — keeping these systems reliable, secure, and ready for research and high-visibility demonstrations.

You’ll sit within the lab’s Operations team and work across a matrix organization, partnering with researchers and project engineers to support testing campaigns and demonstrations. Your work directly enables STOL’s connected-vehicle research and national transportation initiatives.

Role Overview & Priority Focus Areas

Two closely related primary disciplines, in priority order, with testing and experiment support woven through both:

OT/IT Network Engineering & Testbed Operations — design, build, operate, and secure the networks and physical testbed infrastructure underpinning the lab’s connected-vehicle and infrastructure research.

OT Cybersecurity Posture & Operations — establish and operate a lab-wide security posture that keeps the research environment sound and, by design, enables the lab’s transportation cybersecurity research.

We expect strong hands-on OT/IT networking as the foundation, with security posture and operations as a closely paired second focus; V2X depth is valued and can be grown into. Why you’ll want it: access to a one-of-a-kind connected-vehicle testbed and real-world deployments, direct contribution to USDOT/FHWA initiatives, and a clear path to grow at the rare intersection of OT networking, V2X, and cybersecurity.

What You’ll Do

Network Engineering & Testbed Operations

Design, build, and operate the OT/IT networks underpinning the testbeds — VLAN segmentation, firewall/ACL and routing, wireless distribution, the fiber/copper cabling plant, and backhaul to field-deployed roadside units (RSUs), edge nodes, and remote sites (C-V2X PC5/Uu, 5G NR, Wi-Fi).

Own day-to-day testbed and Smart Garage operations — commissioning and maintaining RSUs, onboard units (OBUs), signal controllers, edge platforms, and network hardware, and resolving issues across connectivity, latency, protocols, and hardware in lab and field.

Maintain accurate network documentation, precise time synchronization (PTP/IEEE 1588, NTP, GPS), and reliable edge-to-analytics data movement — all essential to reproducible experiment data.

OT Cybersecurity Posture & Operations

Establish and maintain a lab-wide OT security posture, applying relevant frameworks (e.g., NIST SP 800-82/800-53) with judgment where the research environment or task orders call for them — not as a blanket compliance program — including defense-in-depth segmentation (IT/OT DMZ, bastion hosts, filtering) via the Purdue Model or IEC 62443.

Stand up and operate V2X security capabilities (PKI and SCMS credentialing) and run OT-appropriate vulnerability assessment and intrusion/anomaly monitoring, coordinating remediation with program security.

Build and maintain a security environment that enables the lab’s transportation cybersecurity research and keep practical incident-response procedures and cybersecurity reviews current.

Testing & Experiment Support

Apply your network and security skills to support concurrent R&D projects — translating research requirements into testbed configurations and instrumentation, and keeping environments in known, repeatable states for valid results.

Support test scenarios, in-vehicle and roadside instrumentation, and the technical preparation and execution of lab tours, live demonstrations, and field testing.

Operational Safety & Compliance

Uphold the lab’s safety posture in daily operations — ensuring IT, OT, and cybersecurity work follows safety procedures across routine operations, testing, and special events, with change-control for reconfigurations, deployments, and firmware updates.

Treat OT cybersecurity as safety-critical, apply domain-specific safety practices (RF, electrical/cabling, on-road and closed-course protocols), and partner with facilities on power, environmental controls, and cable management.

Desired Qualifications

We encourage candidates who meet most — but not necessarily all — of these to apply; depth in OT/IT networking is the foundation, and cybersecurity and V2X depth can be partly grown into.

Education & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering, Network Engineering, Computer Science, IT, or a related technical field with 4–8 years of hands-on experience in OT/IT networking, R&D, industrial, or field-deployed systems — OR a technical associate’s degree with 7+ years. Equivalent demonstrated experience is considered in lieu of a degree.

4+ years designing, deploying, and administering OT or IT/OT converged networks (managed switching/routing, VLAN segmentation, VPN, firewall rules), including OT/ICS or research-testbed environments with field-deployed devices.

Command of infrastructure fundamentals: fiber/copper cabling, network/RF diagrams, time synchronization (NTP, PTP/IEEE 1588, GPS), and comfort with Linux for device administration and scripting.

Working knowledge of C-V2X (PC5/Uu) for connected-vehicle communication, or strong aptitude to acquire it quickly.

OT Cybersecurity Posture

Holistic understanding of OT/ICS security requirements and how to apply the right controls (NIST SP 800-82/800-53, Purdue Model or IEC 62443) to a transportation research environment, with judgment about where they are needed; plus familiarity with the OT threat landscape and PKI/SCMS for V2X credentialing.

Awareness of how cybersecurity relates to functional safety in automated systems.

Professional & Work Requirements

Strong written and verbal communication for documentation and stakeholder briefings, with the organization to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Hands-on work in lab, garage, and field settings (lifting up to 50 lbs; occasional off-hours for testing and events, with reasonable scheduling flexibility in return).

Preferred Qualifications

Certifications such as CCNA/CCNP, Security+, CySA+, or GICSP; ICS/SCADA security training (e.g., SANS ICS515); hands-on RSU platform experience (Savari, Cohda Wireless, Commsignia, Kapsch) with SCMS enrollment; C-V2X (PC5) and 5G NR; SAE J2735 and SAE J3161 (C-V2X); OT monitoring tools (Claroty, Dragos, Nozomi); and experience supporting federally funded R&D or government contracting.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range: $110,000 – $130,000 per year (commensurate with experience). Eligible for the company’s comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement plan, and paid time off.

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:July 8, 2026 Pay Range:Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

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.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.