Principal Technical Consultant, Network Security Architect

AHEAD

18h

About The Position

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation. At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD. We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual's race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived. We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD. We are seeking an elite Principal Technical Consultant, Network & Security Architect to join our Network Services Architecture team. This individual must bring deep, hands-on expertise in enterprise networking, network security, and cloud networking, paired with the communication skills and leadership presence required to guide customers, influence decisions, and architect large-scale solutions. This is a high-impact, customer-facing architecture role. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable designing complex architectures, presenting to executive stakeholders, and leading engineers through implementation.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in enterprise networking and network security.
Expert-level proficiency with: Cisco routing, switching, and data center technologies
Expert-level proficiency with: Palo Alto Networks firewalls, Panorama, HA, and advanced security features
Expert-level proficiency with: Palo Alto Prisma Access and SD-WAN
Strong understanding of: BGP, OSPF, EVPN/VXLAN, MPLS, QoS, segmentation
Strong understanding of: Zero Trust, threat prevention, SSL decryption, URL filtering, WildFire
Solid working knowledge of Azure and AWS networking and security constructs.
Exceptional communication and presentation skills—able to lead a room of customers with confidence.
Strong consultative presence; able to influence decisions and drive architectural direction.
Ability to simplify complex topics for both technical and non-technical audiences.
Proven experience mentoring engineers and guiding cross-functional teams.

Nice To Haves

CCNP/CCIE (Routing & Switching, Security, or Data Center)
Palo Alto PCNSE
AWS Solutions Architect or Azure Architect certifications

Responsibilities

Lead the end-to-end architecture of enterprise network and security solutions across data center, campus, WAN, and cloud environments.
Design scalable, resilient architectures leveraging: Cisco networking, Palo Alto Networks firewalls (PA-Series, Panorama, HA architectures), Palo Alto Prisma Access and Prisma SASE, Palo Alto SD-WAN
Develop high-level and low-level designs, migration plans, and implementation frameworks.
Evaluate new technologies and provide strategic recommendations to leadership.
Serve as the primary architectural lead in customer workshops, whiteboard sessions, and executive briefings.
Translate complex technical concepts into clear, business-aligned narratives.
Build trusted advisor relationships with customer stakeholders at all levels.
Lead technical discussions, drive consensus, and guide customers through architectural decisions.
Provide expert-level guidance during deployment, configuration, and cutover activities.
Mentor engineering teams and ensure architectural integrity throughout project execution.
Troubleshoot complex issues across networking, security, and cloud domains.
Design and integrate secure network architectures for Azure and AWS, including: VNET/VPC design, Cloud firewalls and security groups, Transit gateways and cloud routing, Hybrid connectivity (IPSec, ExpressRoute, Direct Connect)
Align cloud network security with enterprise security frameworks and zero-trust principles.