Information Security Engineer, Principal – Network Protection

Blue Shield of California•Oakland, CA

About The Position

Your Role The Principal Information Security Engineer, Principal – Network Protection is a strategic technical leader within the Information Asset Protection team, responsible for designing, implementing, and evolving enterprise-wide network security solutions. This role ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of corporate and personal data by leading the development of advanced network protection strategies, integrating artificial intelligence, and leveraging strategic technologies to defend against emerging threats.

Requirements

Deep expertise in network architecture, protocols, and secure routing.
Advanced knowledge of Cisco technologies such as ISE, Umbrella, Cisco Secure Access (and ZTNA)
Proficiency with Akamai solutions such as Web Application Firewall
Strong understanding of network threat intelligence, anomaly detection, and AI/ML applications in network defense.
Experience with secure remote access, VPNs, NAC, and identity-aware proxies.
Strong understanding of DevOps tools and platforms such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes.
Familiarity with regulatory frameworks (HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA) and compliance-driven network controls.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, a related field or equivalent experience.
10 years of relevant experience in network security engineering, with at least 3 years in a principal or equivalent role.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Industry certifications such as CISSP, CCNP Security, CCIE Security, or equivalent preferred.

Responsibilities

Architect and deploy advanced network security solutions, including firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), secure web gateways, and DNS protection.
Influence product selection and strategic decisions throughout the technology lifecycle, ensuring purchased solutions meet security, compliance, and business requirements.
Oversee strategic vendor relationships (e.g., Cisco, Akamai), ensuring technology roadmaps and service delivery align with enterprise security objectives and future needs.
Lead the integration of AI-driven threat detection and response systems into network infrastructure, using predictive analytics and behavioral modeling.
Collaborate with threat intelligence teams to integrate real-time threat feeds and proactively adapt network defenses to emerging risks and adversary tactics.
Design and implement scalable network segmentation, zero-trust architectures, and secure access controls across hybrid environments.
Provide expert guidance on Cisco and Akamai technologies, including SD-WAN, Secure Internet Access, Cloud Security Intelligence, and DDoS mitigation.
Conduct complex network risk assessments and develop mitigation strategies for evolving threats, including AI-generated attacks and advanced persistent threats (APTs).
Collaborate with cross-functional and DevOps teams to embed security into infrastructure-as-code (IaC), container orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes), cloud-native deployments, CICD pipelines, and enterprise architecture.
Develop and maintain secure automation scripts and playbooks for incident response, configuration management, and system hardening.
Lead enterprise-wide initiatives in DevSecOps, including security automation, orchestration, and continuous monitoring across development and operations environments.
Mentor senior engineers and consultants in network security best practices and emerging technologies.
Represent the organization in industry forums and contribute to the evolution of network security standards and practices.