Palo Alto Firewall Engineer

TEKsystems•Edison, NJ

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an Expert-Level Network Security Engineer with deep, hands-on Palo Alto Networks firewall experience, including Panorama, to serve as an expert technical authority for enterprise network security operations. This role requires advanced, real-world production experience designing, deploying, securing, and troubleshooting large-scale enterprise and data center networks, with Palo Alto firewalls at the core. The ideal candidate brings a strong networking foundation, exceptional troubleshooting skills, and the ability to own complex security initiatives end-to-end. The position is primarily remote, with limited onsite presence (up to 20%) in New Jersey.

Requirements

Palo Alto Networks (Expert-Level)
Palo Alto NGFW deployment, configuration, and production support
Panorama administration (templates, device groups, centralized policy management)
App-ID, Content-ID, Threat Prevention, GlobalProtect VPN
Firewall policy optimization and security rule lifecycle management
TCP/IP, routing, and switching principles
Enterprise WAN technologies
BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, DMVPN
VLANs, subnetting, and layer 2/3 design
Cisco routers and switches
Data center and enterprise routing environments
Palo Alto Firewall Engineering (hands-on, production experience)
Panorama (required)
Network Security Engineering
Advanced Routing & WAN
Cisco Routing & Switching
BGP
Enterprise Networking

Nice To Haves

Expert-level Network Engineer background
Hands-on experience with Cisco Nexus 9000 (Nexus 9K)
Experience with VXLAN in enterprise or data center environments
Proven ability to work independently and own complex firewall and network initiatives
Strong documentation and communication skills

Responsibilities

Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls, including Panorama management
Design, deploy, configure, and optimize enterprise and data center firewall architectures
Build, manage, and maintain Palo Alto security policies (Security, NAT, Application-ID, User-ID, Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, etc.)
Administer and troubleshoot Panorama configurations, templates, device groups, and policy hierarchies
Partner with IT Cyber Security teams to implement and enforce approved security standards and best practices
Lead advanced troubleshooting of network and security incidents, escalating to Palo Alto TAC as needed
Perform firewall software upgrades, hotfixes, patches, and maintenance activities
Deliver Root Cause Analysis (RCA) documentation for incidents and outages
Create and maintain detailed network and security documentation, including diagrams and SOPs
Communicate effectively with cross-functional teams, including engineering, security, infrastructure, and leadership