Palo Alto Integration Technician, Junior

Digital Global Connectors•McLean, VA

9d•$70,000 - $95,000•Onsite

About The Position

Digital Global Connectors (DGC) is seeking a Palo Alto Integration Technician (Junior) to support the administration, monitoring, and day-to-day operation of enterprise Palo Alto Networks security infrastructure within a Federal Government IT environment. This is a local, on-site position requiring a daily commute to the customer site in the Washington, DC/Northern Virginia area. Only candidates who currently reside within a reasonable daily commuting distance of the worksite will be considered. This position is not remote or hybrid, and candidates planning to relocate to the area at a later date will not be considered for this opening. This is an excellent opportunity for an early-career cybersecurity or networking professional interested in developing hands-on expertise with Palo Alto Networks technologies. The Palo Alto Integration Technician will work alongside experienced network and security engineers supporting Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW), Panorama, Prisma Access, GlobalProtect, and Cortex XDR. The ideal candidate has a strong foundation in networking and cybersecurity, excellent attention to detail, and a demonstrated interest in developing expertise in Palo Alto Networks technologies and Federal cybersecurity operations.

Requirements

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Network Engineering, or a related field. Equivalent education, military technical training, or directly relevant hands-on experience may be considered.
0–2 years of experience in network security, cybersecurity, IT operations, firewall administration, or a related technical discipline.
Relevant experience may include internships, academic projects, military technical experience, home-lab experience, or entry-level professional experience.
Foundational understanding of network security concepts, including firewalls, network segmentation, VPNs, intrusion detection/prevention, and threat-prevention concepts.
Foundational understanding of enterprise networking, including: TCP/IP, IP addressing and subnetting, Routing and switching, VLANs, VPN technologies, Firewall zones and network segmentation
Basic understanding of cybersecurity principles such as defense-in-depth and least-privilege access.
Strong attention to detail and ability to follow established technical and security procedures.
Ability to accurately document activities, observations, security events, and technical issues.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability and willingness to learn new technologies and develop Palo Alto Networks expertise.
Ability to obtain and maintain the required Government background investigation, PIV credentials, and IT access authorizations.
Must currently reside within reasonable daily commuting distance of the Washington, DC/Northern Virginia customer worksite and be available to report on-site each workday.
Candidates requiring relocation, remote work, or a hybrid work arrangement will not be considered for this position.

Nice To Haves

Previous exposure to Palo Alto Networks NGFW or Panorama through employment, military service, internships, academic coursework, certification training, or a home lab.
Previous Federal Government contracting or Federal IT experience.
Familiarity with NIST SP 800-53, FISMA, or DISA STIGs.
Familiarity with Panorama.
Familiarity with GlobalProtect.
Familiarity with WildFire.
Basic familiarity with Cortex XDR.
Basic familiarity with AWS and/or Microsoft Azure networking.
Familiarity with ServiceNow or another enterprise ITSM platform.
Familiarity with enterprise change-management and CAB processes.
Basic familiarity with MITRE ATT&CK.
Familiarity with Wireshark or similar network-analysis tools.
Participation in cybersecurity competitions, Capture the Flag (CTF) events, cybersecurity academic programs, home-lab projects, or other practical cybersecurity learning activities.
Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA) or current Palo Alto Networks equivalent
CompTIA Security+
CompTIA Network+
CCNA
Other relevant entry-level cybersecurity, networking, or Palo Alto Networks certifications
Candidates who are actively pursuing a relevant Palo Alto Networks certification are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Monitor Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Panorama, Prisma Access, and Cortex XDR platforms and dashboards.
Monitor firewall and platform health indicators, including CPU and memory utilization, session capacity, interface status, and high-availability synchronization.
Monitor Panorama device connectivity and policy synchronization.
Monitor Prisma Access service health and GlobalProtect connectivity.
Identify and promptly escalate platform health issues, service disruptions, configuration problems, and other anomalous conditions.
Monitor log forwarding and data-ingestion processes and identify potential gaps or failures.
Generate routine platform health, availability, and operational status reports.
Perform routine Palo Alto Networks NGFW and Panorama administrative activities under the direction of experienced engineers.
Assist with approved firewall rule changes, security profile updates, and configuration modifications.
Perform configuration backups, exports, log archival, and other routine platform maintenance.
Support administrative account provisioning, modification, and deprovisioning.
Monitor platform certificate expiration dates and assist with certificate renewal activities.
Assist with software, security-content, application, and threat-signature updates.
Support routine GlobalProtect administrative and user-connectivity activities.
Monitor Palo Alto Networks traffic, threat prevention, URL filtering, and WildFire logs.
Perform initial triage of security alerts and events.
Collect logs and supporting information for investigation by senior security analysts and engineers.
Identify potential false positives and recurring security-event patterns.
Assist senior personnel with improving monitoring and alerting procedures.
Generate routine security-event and threat-prevention reports.
Assist with preparation of Palo Alto Networks change requests for Change Advisory Board (CAB) review.
Help develop implementation steps, impact descriptions, rollback procedures, and testing documentation.
Assist with approved platform changes under the supervision of senior engineers.
Perform defined post-implementation testing and verification.
Maintain accurate change-management documentation and records.
Develop and maintain platform configuration records and operational documentation.
Maintain records of software versions, licenses, hardware inventory, and platform configurations.
Assist with development and maintenance of operational runbooks and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Document common troubleshooting procedures and routine administrative activities.
Maintain accurate and current records within designated program repositories.
Assist with collection and preparation of compliance and audit evidence.
Support ATO and continuous-monitoring documentation activities.
Assist with DISA STIG compliance checks and documentation of findings.
Support vulnerability tracking and remediation documentation.
Perform assigned activities in accordance with applicable Federal cybersecurity requirements, including NIST SP 800-53, FISMA, applicable DISA STIGs, and customer security requirements.
Properly safeguard CUI, sensitive system configuration information, and other protected information.