Network Security Engineer Lead

University of Central Florida•Orlando, FL

1d•$89,076 - $125,000•Onsite

About The Position

UCF is seeking a Network Security Engineer IV (Lead) to serve as a senior technical leader within the University’s Information Security organization. This hands-on technical leadership role shapes, secures, and continuously improves enterprise network security services supporting a large and complex technology environment. The position leads the architecture, design, implementation, operation, and lifecycle management of capabilities including network access control, authentication and authorization, firewalls, secure remote access, network segmentation, Zero Trust, intrusion prevention, DNS security, certificates, monitoring, and security visibility. It is a senior escalation resource for complex operational and security issues, major incidents, advanced troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis. The role establishes security architecture, engineering standards, configuration baselines, and technical practices; leads complex projects and modernization initiatives; and provides technical direction and mentorship to engineers. It collaborates across Network Operations, Security Operations, Network Engineering, Infrastructure, Cloud Services, and other technology teams to deliver secure, resilient, and reliable enterprise services. This is classified as a lead role and has no direct reports. The position requires on-site work at UCF as the primary work location. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with participation in an on-call rotation and after-hours support for critical incidents and service disruptions. A valid Class E driver’s license is required, and the role may involve driving to University locations on and off campus. Applicants must be authorized to work for any U.S. employer; visa sponsorship and H-1B transfers are unavailable. UCF expects employees to reside in Florida when employment begins unless the posting explicitly states otherwise.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of relevant experience; or a high school diploma or equivalent and 9 years of relevant work experience in lieu of a degree; or an equivalent combination of education and experience pursuant to Fla. Stat. 112.219(6).
Valid Class E driver’s license.
Authorization to work for any U.S. employer; visa sponsorship and H-1B transfers are not available.
Ability to work on-site at UCF as the primary work location.

Nice To Haves

Advanced experience with enterprise Network Access Control (NAC), including 802.1X, RADIUS, TACACS+, device profiling, PKI, certificate-based authentication, and policy enforcement.
Experience designing and implementing network segmentation, micro-segmentation, Zero Trust, and identity-based security solutions.
Strong experience with enterprise network security technologies, including firewalls, secure remote access, DNS security, network access controls, and related preventive and detective security technologies.
Experience designing and securing cloud and hybrid infrastructure, including integration among cloud, on-premises, network, and identity-based security controls.
Experience leading complex network security engineering projects, technical initiatives, architecture efforts, and major incident resolution in large-scale environments.
Experience developing and maintaining network security architectures, technical standards, configuration baselines, engineering procedures, and security design patterns.
Experience with network security monitoring, logging, telemetry, alerting, and security visibility for troubleshooting, threat detection, and incident investigation.
Experience with automation, scripting, APIs, and infrastructure management tools to improve consistency, scalability, and operational efficiency.
Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, establish technical direction, and coordinate complex engineering work without direct supervisory responsibility.
Experience supporting higher education, healthcare, government, or other large and complex enterprise environments.
Relevant professional certifications in networking, cybersecurity, information security, or security architecture, such as CISSP, CCNP Security, CCIE Security, Cisco, Palo Alto, or similar.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, implementation, administration, and optimization of enterprise network security technologies and services.
Architect and support firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, secure remote access, DNS security, certificates, and network segmentation.
Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend security, performance, and operational efficiency improvements.
Establish engineering standards, best practices, and technical requirements for network security services.
Serve as technical lead for network access control and identity-based security services.
Design and support solutions using 802.1X, RADIUS, TACACS+, certificate-based authentication, device profiling, and policy enforcement.
Implement and maintain Zero Trust and micro-segmentation strategies.
Integrate authentication and authorization services with identity management, wireless, VPN, cloud, and endpoint platforms.
Ensure availability, reliability, and performance of critical network security services.
Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues affecting security infrastructure and services.
Support monitoring, logging, alerting, dashboards, reporting, and security visibility initiatives.
Collaborate with the Network Operations Center and Security Operations Center to improve service reliability and threat detection.
Participate in an on-call rotation and provide after-hours support for critical incidents and service disruptions.
Serve as a senior escalation resource for major incidents involving network security technologies and services.
Lead technical troubleshooting and restoration efforts during service-impacting events.
Conduct root-cause analysis and develop corrective actions to improve long-term stability and resilience.
Lead technical execution of complex network security infrastructure and services projects.
Translate business and security requirements into technical designs, implementation plans, and operational support models.
Provide mentorship, technical guidance, and engineering oversight to team members and stakeholders.
Collaborate with internal teams, vendors, and partners to deliver strategic technology initiatives.
Develop and maintain technical documentation, architecture diagrams, configuration standards, and operational procedures.
Identify opportunities for automation, modernization, and process improvement.
Support compliance, disaster recovery, business continuity, and other security-related initiatives.