Network Security & SASE Architect – Palo Alto Networks Senior Manager

Accenture•Philadelphia, PA

7d•$112,900 - $338,300

About The Position

Accenture is seeking a senior network security professional and recognized Palo Alto Networks architect to lead the sale, solutioning, and delivery of enterprise network security, Zero Trust, and SASE transformation programs. The role combines hands-on technical architecture and troubleshooting with business development, client advising, program delivery, and team leadership. The architect works with client CISOs, CIOs, and network and security leaders to translate architecture decisions into business outcomes, risk reduction, and cost cases, and partners with Palo Alto Networks teams to grow Accenture’s capabilities and offerings. The position owns end-to-end network security solution architecture, including current-state assessment, target-state design, roadmaps, bills of materials, sizing, licensing, high- and low-level designs, platform migrations, and operating models across data centers, campuses, branches, public clouds, and remote users. Core technologies include Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Prisma Access, Panorama, Strata Cloud Manager, Strata Logging Service, and related security services. The role also addresses enterprise routing, VPN, SD-WAN, cloud connectivity, segmentation, identity integration, and SIEM/XSIAM integration. The architect leads multi-workstream delivery teams, manages scope, schedule, budget, risk, and quality, serves as the highest technical escalation point, and transitions clients into managed network security services. The position develops client documentation and reusable technical assets, builds and mentors teams, establishes design standards, and collaborates across Accenture’s cloud, network, SOC, and identity practices. Travel is required and varies from 75% to 100% based on business needs and client requirements.

Requirements

At least 10 years of enterprise network and network security engineering, architecture, or consulting experience, with increasing technical and leadership responsibility; experience and knowledge of Zero Trust, ZTNA, SSE, and macro/micro-segmentation concepts and architectures.
At least 5 years of hands-on experience designing, deploying, and troubleshooting Palo Alto Networks NGFWs (PAN-OS) and/or firewalls in large, complex enterprise environments, including Panorama-managed estates.
At least 3 years of hands-on experience designing and deploying Prisma Access.
At least 1 year of hands-on experience with Strata Cloud Manager for cloud-managed NGFW and/or Prisma Access, including Panorama migration or coexistence.
At least 5 years of experience architecting enterprise networks and network security, including BGP, OSPF, IPsec VPN, NAT, SD-WAN, DNS, segmentation, high availability, and advanced troubleshooting across LAN, WAN, data center, and public cloud; alternatively, at least 5 years leading network security transformation solution architecture and design, including firewall migration and consolidation, segmentation, SASE, Zero Trust, HLD/LLD, bills of materials, and architecture governance.
At least 5 years managing teams of 5 or more resources and delivering projects using standardized project management principles.
At least 3 years of business development experience shaping proposals, statements of work, estimates, and pricing, and presenting solutions to client executives.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (minimum 12 years of work experience); an associate degree requires a minimum of 6 years of work experience.
Willingness to travel 75% to 100%, depending on business needs and client requirements.
Applicants for US employment must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Active PCNSE certification (the exam retired July 31, 2025; certifications remain valid for two years) or current role-based Palo Alto Networks certifications, such as Next-Generation Firewall Engineer, Next-Generation Firewall Analyst, Security Service Edge Engineer, SD-WAN Engineer, or Network Security Professional.
Technical writing and report-generation experience, including architecture and design documents, standards, and executive readouts.
Industry certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, CCNP, CCIE Security or Enterprise, GIAC GDSA or GCIA, TOGAF, or SABSA.
Experience with adjacent Palo Alto Networks products, including Prisma SD-WAN, SD-WAN for NGFW, VM-Series, CN-Series, Cloud NGFW, Enterprise DLP, SaaS Security, IoT Security, Prisma Browser, ADEM, Strata Logging Service, and Cortex XSIAM/XDR integration.
Multi-vendor and competitive knowledge of Zscaler, Netskope, Cisco, Fortinet, Check Point, and Illumio/Guardicore, including firewall migration tooling.
Experience with Terraform, Ansible, Python, PAN-OS XML/REST APIs, and Git-based change workflows.
Cloud networking and security experience with AWS, Azure, and GCP, including relevant cloud networking services.
Experience operating or transitioning clients into managed network security services and familiarity with ITIL.
Knowledge of security frameworks and regulations, including NIST SP 800-207, CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model, NIST CSF and SP 800-53, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, and FedRAMP.
Experience in identity and access management technologies such as Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Ping Identity, or Cloud Identity Engine, and in security testing such as penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, and technical security assessments.
Previous consulting, systems integrator, or Palo Alto Networks Professional Services experience; practice or P&L management; or familiarity with the Palo Alto Networks NextWave partner program.
Published thought leadership or speaking experience at industry events.

Responsibilities

Originate, shape, and sell Palo Alto Networks-based network security, Zero Trust, and SASE transformation programs; lead proposals, solutioning, estimates, commercial structuring, and presentations, and carry sales and delivery targets.
Advise client CISOs, CIOs, and network and security leaders, connecting architecture choices to business outcomes, risk reduction, and costs.
Grow Accenture’s Palo Alto Networks capabilities through co-selling and co-delivery with partner teams and by developing offerings, reference architectures, estimating models, and accelerators.
Represent Accenture at industry conferences, partner events, and client briefings, and publish points of view on NGFW modernization, SASE, and Zero Trust.
Own end-to-end network security solution architecture, including current-state assessments, target-state designs, roadmaps, bills of materials, sizing, and licensing across enterprise environments.
Lead HLD and LLD for Palo Alto Networks firewall deployments, including policy, segmentation, security services, high availability, and performance sizing.
Architect Prisma Access deployments, including user and remote-network access, traffic steering, identity integration, security services, and migrations from legacy VPN and proxy platforms.
Define management and operating models for Panorama and Strata Cloud Manager, including migrations, policy optimization, best-practice assessments, AIOps adoption, logging, and SIEM/XSIAM integration.
Lead firewall consolidation and migration programs from other vendors, including policy rationalization, tooling, cutover planning, and rollback.
Design surrounding enterprise networking and cloud connectivity, including routing, VPN, SD-WAN, NAT, DNS, load balancing, and Zero Trust-aligned segmentation.
Review and approve team designs and establish design standards, naming conventions, and security policy best practices.
Lead multi-workstream delivery across onshore and global teams; manage scope, schedule, budget, risk, staffing, and quality.
Serve as the highest technical escalation point and lead root-cause analysis for complex firewall, management, access, routing, tunnel, decryption, availability, and performance issues.
Transition clients into Accenture Network Managed Services by defining runbooks, SLAs, KPIs, monitoring, and change processes, and ensuring handover from build to run.
Produce client-ready architecture decision records, HLD/LLD documents, migration and test plans, and executive readouts.
Interpret the relevance of network security controls to applicable legal, regulatory, and framework requirements.
Build, lead, recruit, and mentor a network security architecture and engineering team; establish certification paths and conduct design reviews.
Develop reusable templates, automation, migration playbooks, lab environments, and demonstrations.
Collaborate with Accenture cloud, network, SOC, and identity teams to address all aspects of client outcomes.