Jr Palo Alto Integration Tech

Koniag Government Services•Washington, DC

22h•Hybrid

About The Position

Koniag Data Solutions is seeking a motivated and technically developing Palo Alto Integration Technician (Junior) to support enterprise network security operations and IT administrative and operational support services for a federal government client. This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a government background investigation, PIV credentials, and all requisite IT access authorizations. Primary work will be performed at the client site and approved remote/telework locations. This role serves as an entry-level technical support function responsible for assisting in the administration, monitoring, and operational support of enterprise Palo Alto Networks security platform capabilities across a complex federal IT environment spanning on-premises infrastructure, cloud platforms, and hybrid network environments. The ideal candidate is an enthusiastic and detail-oriented early-career network security professional with foundational knowledge of Palo Alto Networks technologies, enterprise networking concepts, and Federal cybersecurity compliance requirements. This individual must possess a strong desire to learn and grow within a dynamic federal IT security environment, a collaborative and disciplined work ethic, and the technical foundation necessary to support the administration and monitoring of enterprise Palo Alto Networks security infrastructure under the guidance of mid-level and senior engineers. The Palo Alto Integration Technician (Junior) will serve as a supporting technical contributor within the program's network security team, assisting mid-level and senior Palo Alto Networks engineers in the day-to-day administration, monitoring, and operational support of enterprise Palo Alto Networks security infrastructure. This individual supports the protection of Government networks and systems through the monitoring of Palo Alto Networks platform health and security events, execution of routine administrative tasks, preparation of change documentation, and maintenance of platform operational records under established procedures and senior engineer guidance.

Requirements

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Network Engineering, or a related field from an accredited college or university. Equivalent combination of education, military technical training, or directly relevant hands-on experience may be considered.
Minimum of 0–2 years of experience in network security, IT operations, firewall administration, or a closely related technical discipline, including internship, academic project, military service, or entry-level professional experience in a relevant field.
Foundational knowledge of network security concepts, including firewalls, network segmentation, VPN technologies, intrusion detection and prevention, and threat prevention principles.
Foundational knowledge of enterprise networking concepts, including TCP/IP networking, routing, switching, VLANs, and network addressing, sufficient to understand and support Palo Alto Networks firewall operations and log analysis activities.
Ability to obtain and maintain a government background investigation, PIV credentials, and all requisite IT access authorizations prior to performing work.
Foundational knowledge of Palo Alto Networks NGFW platform concepts, including security policy structure, zone-based security architecture, security profiles, log types, and basic administrative navigation within the PAN-OS management interface.
Solid foundational knowledge of enterprise networking concepts, including TCP/IP protocol suite, IP addressing and subnetting, routing fundamentals, switching and VLANs, VPN concepts, and firewall zone architectures sufficient to support log analysis, change documentation, and basic troubleshooting activities.
Basic understanding of network security principles, including defense-in-depth, least-privilege access control, network segmentation, threat prevention concepts, and common network-based attack vectors relevant to enterprise firewall operations.
Familiarity with Federal cybersecurity frameworks and requirements, including NIST SP 800-53, FISMA, DISA STIGs, and applicable Federal network security policies, at a foundational level sufficient to support compliance documentation and audit evidence collection activities.
Strong attention to detail and accuracy with demonstrated ability to execute routine administrative tasks, document operational activities, and maintain platform records with a high degree of precision and consistency.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to document security events, platform health observations, and administrative activities clearly and accurately in ITSM tickets, change management records, and operational logs.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a cross-functional technical team, following established procedures, escalating issues promptly and accurately, and actively seeking guidance from senior personnel on complex or unfamiliar technical situations.
Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams for documentation, reporting, and team communication activities.
Strong commitment to professional growth and continuous learning, with demonstrated motivation to develop Palo Alto Networks technical expertise, network security knowledge, and Federal compliance understanding over time.
Ability to manage multiple concurrent monitoring, administrative, and documentation tasks with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail in a fast-paced operational environment.

Nice To Haves

Prior hands-on exposure to Palo Alto Networks NGFW or Panorama platforms through academic coursework, personal lab environment, employer training, or professional experience.
Familiarity with Federal cybersecurity frameworks, including NIST SP 800-53, FISMA, and applicable DISA STIGs, through academic study or professional experience.
Prior experience supporting network security or IT operations activities in a federal government IT environment.
Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA) certification or active pursuit as a near-term professional development objective — strongly preferred.
CompTIA Network+ certification or equivalent networking knowledge certification demonstrating solid foundational enterprise networking competency.
CompTIA Security+ certification or equivalent foundational cybersecurity certification.
Familiarity with Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS command-line interface (CLI) for basic system status verification, log review, and diagnostic data collection activities.
Familiarity with Palo Alto Networks Panorama centralized management platform interface, including device management console navigation, policy review, and log querying capabilities.
Basic familiarity with Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect remote access technology, including client installation, connectivity troubleshooting concepts, and common user support scenarios.
Basic familiarity with Palo Alto Networks WildFire cloud-based malware analysis platform, including submission concepts, verdict types, and basic log review activities.
Familiarity with ITIL-based IT Service Management concepts and enterprise ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow for incident documentation, change request management, and ticket management activities.
Basic familiarity with the MITRE ATT&CK framework and its application to understanding common adversary network-based tactics, techniques, and procedures relevant to enterprise firewall operations and threat log analysis.
Basic familiarity with cloud networking concepts, including virtual networks, security groups, and cloud-based firewall deployments in AWS and/or Microsoft Azure environments.
Familiarity with enterprise change management processes, including change request documentation, CAB submission procedures, and implementation plan development concepts.
Participation in cybersecurity competitions, Capture the Flag (CTF) events, home lab networking and security projects, academic cybersecurity programs, or equivalent hands-on learning activities demonstrating initiative and practical skill development.
Basic familiarity with network traffic analysis concepts and tools such as Wireshark for packet capture review and basic network troubleshooting support activities.
Familiarity with DISA STIG compliance checking concepts and tools relevant to network security platform configuration compliance assessment activities.

Responsibilities

Monitor Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Panorama, Prisma Access, and Cortex XDR platform dashboards and management consoles under the guidance of senior engineers, identifying and escalating platform health issues, service disruptions, and anomalous conditions.
Monitor NGFW and Panorama system health indicators, escalating threshold violations to senior engineers.
Monitor log forwarding and data ingestion pipelines for Palo Alto Networks platforms, identifying and escalating log gaps, forwarding failures, and data quality issues.
Generate and distribute routine Palo Alto Networks platform health and operational status reports.
Assist in the monitoring of Panorama managed device connectivity and policy synchronization status, identifying and escalating managed device connectivity failures or policy push errors.
Support the monitoring of Prisma Access service health and GlobalProtect connectivity status, escalating service disruptions and user connectivity issues.
Execute routine Palo Alto Networks NGFW and Panorama administrative tasks under the direction and oversight of senior engineers, including policy backups, configuration exports, log archival activities, and administrative account management.
Assist in the execution of approved firewall rule changes, security profile updates, and routine configuration modifications under direct senior engineer supervision.
Support the management of Palo Alto Networks administrative user accounts, ensuring account provisioning, modification, and deprovisioning activities are completed accurately and documented.
Assist in the administration and maintenance of Palo Alto Networks platform certificates, including monitoring certificate expiration dates and supporting certificate renewal activities.
Support the execution of Palo Alto Networks platform software updates, security content updates, and application and threat signature updates under senior engineer direction.
Assist in the maintenance of GlobalProtect remote access configurations, supporting routine administrative tasks related to gateway management, user enrollment, and agent deployment activities.
Monitor Palo Alto Networks NGFW threat prevention logs, traffic logs, URL filtering logs, and WildFire analysis results under the guidance of senior engineers, identifying security events requiring escalation.
Assist in the triage and initial analysis of Palo Alto Networks security alerts and threat prevention events, gathering relevant log data and contextual information.
Support the development and maintenance of routine log analysis and alert monitoring procedures.
Assist in the identification of false positive alert patterns and routine security event noise.
Generate routine threat prevention and security event reports from Palo Alto Networks platforms and Panorama.
Assist in the preparation of Palo Alto Networks change request documentation for Change Advisory Board (CAB) submission under senior engineer guidance.
Support the scheduling and coordination of approved Palo Alto Networks platform changes.
Assist in the execution of approved platform changes under direct senior engineer supervision.
Conduct post-implementation verification activities for assigned platform changes.
Maintain accurate and current change management records for all Palo Alto Networks platform changes.
Develop and maintain Palo Alto Networks platform operational documentation under senior engineer guidance.
Maintain accurate and current records of Palo Alto Networks platform configurations, software versions, license status, and hardware inventory.
Assist in the development and maintenance of Palo Alto Networks operational runbooks and standard operating procedures.
Contribute to the program's knowledge management repository by documenting common troubleshooting procedures, routine administrative task instructions, and monitoring escalation criteria.
Ensure all platform documentation is version-controlled, accurately reflects current platform configurations, and is maintained in the program's designated documentation management repository.
Assist in Palo Alto Networks platform compliance activities, supporting the collection of audit evidence, configuration compliance screenshots, and operational documentation artifacts required for ATO and continuous monitoring reporting.
Support configuration compliance assessment activities, assisting senior engineers in executing DISA STIG compliance checks and documenting findings and remediation status.
Ensure all administrative and operational activities are conducted in compliance with applicable Federal cybersecurity frameworks, client security policies, and program security requirements.
Assist in the tracking and documentation of Palo Alto Networks platform vulnerability remediation activities.
Ensure all activities involving CUI, sensitive system configuration data, or other protected information categories are handled in accordance with applicable security requirements and data handling restrictions.
Actively pursue professional development and technical skills growth in Palo Alto Networks technologies, network security engineering, and Federal IT compliance.
Participate in team knowledge sharing sessions, technical training activities, and platform familiarization opportunities.
Stay current with Palo Alto Networks platform updates, new feature releases, security content updates, and relevant Federal cybersecurity policy developments.
Work toward achieving foundational Palo Alto Networks certification as a near-term professional development objective.