Senior Network and Security Operations Specialist

The Canada Life Assurance Company • Toronto, ON

1d • CA$105,000 - CA$120,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Network and Security Specialist for our Network & Security Response team, responsible for providing technical expertise across our enterprise network and security platforms. This role is deeply technical and hands-on, focused on ensuring the stability, resilience, and effective operation of the tools and systems that protect and connect the organization. Our ideal candidate possesses broad technical knowledge across network and security technologies, extensive experience managing complex tooling ecosystems, and a proven ability to lead during high-pressure major incidents. You will guide a team of senior technical practitioners, drive operational maturity, and ensure our network & security tools run reliably, securely, and efficiently.

Requirements

• Post-secondary degree/diploma in IT or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of hands-on operations experience in enterprise network and/or security environments.
• Strong technical understanding of network protocols, security tooling, and complex infrastructure operations.
• Experience supporting or managing large-scale tools from multiple vendors (Cisco/Meraki, Palo Alto/NGFW/Prisma, Check Point, F5, Microsoft, Cloudflare, etc.).
• Familiarity with automation, scripting, IaC (Terraform, Ansible), and DevSecOps operating practices.
• Ability to lead during high-impact situations while balancing long-term operational resilience.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and collaboration skills.
• Familiar with Infrastructure as Code and delivering infrastructure change via DevSecOps pipelines including Terraform and Ansible.
• Proven ability to develop and maintain collaborative business relationships.
• Able to pivot and quickly change direction in response to changing priorities.
• Experience coaching and mentoring technical practitioners.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and relationship building skills.
• You can balance pressure to deliver with the need to deliver a secure, resilient platforms
• You demonstrate approachability, innovation and thought leadership
• You are a systems thinker, an effective communicator, and can find the balance between when to be tactical vs. strategic.

Nice To Haves

• Certifications in networking, cloud, or security (CCIE, PCNSE, CISSP, CISM, AZ-500/700, etc.) preferred.
• Experience working in financial services industry an asset.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational support for network & security tooling issues, delivering expert troubleshooting and deep technical analysis.
• Lead and coordinate technical bridge during significant (Major Incident) network or security platform–related incidents, ensuring quick mitigation and clear communication.
• Guide L1/L2 teams and managed service partners during escalations, ensuring efficient triage and resolution.
• Participate in post-incident reviews focused on systemic fixes, stability improvements, and operational learning.
• Lead cross-functional root cause investigations and Problem Management efforts to improve service reliability, reduce recurring incidents, and enhance operational resilience across Network & Security Services.
• Develop automation that improves repeatability, speeds up issue detection, and reduces manual effort in daily operations.
• Improve alert quality, tooling integration, and operational workflows to enhance response effectiveness and reduce noise.
• Collaborate with engineering and architecture teams to ensure new tools and capabilities are operationalized methodically with strong handoffs.
• Work with vendors and managed service partners to ensure accountability, quality, and timely resolution of issues.
• Ensure alignment with technology, change, and security standards across all supported tooling.
• Support compliance audits, risk assessments, and vulnerability remediation planning.

Benefits

• Career Development: Opportunities for career advancement, access to industry-leading learning programs and up to $2,000 annually towards education reimbursement.
• Health & Wellness: Flexible health and dental benefits, plus a $5,000 mental health benefit to support your well-being.
• Time Off: In addition to regular vacation and personal days, we support community involvement with a volunteer day.
• Financial Security: Company-matching pension plan, share ownership program and additional investment options.
• Rewards and Recognition: Employee recognition programs, service milestone celebrations, employee discounts and more!
• Emphasis on Community: We provide a workplace where employees feel connected and supported through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, social clubs and events.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree