Senior Network Engineer – Zscaler Specialist
About The Position
Peraton is seeking an experienced Senior Network Engineer specializing in Zscaler cloud security platforms to support network infrastructure and security operations. The role serves as a subject matter expert in Zscaler technologies, leading the design, deployment, migration, and optimization of Zero Trust and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architectures. The engineer collaborates with network, security, and cloud teams to modernize legacy security infrastructure and implement scalable, cloud-based solutions that protect users, applications, and data across distributed environments. The position requires extensive hands-on experience with Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) and Zscaler Private Access (ZPA), strong networking fundamentals, and expertise in network security engineering, policy management, and enterprise security architecture. It is full-time and on-site at one of the designated locations in Ashburn, Virginia; Springfield, Virginia; or Orlando, Florida. The engineer participates in an on-call rotation for critical Zscaler infrastructure and user connectivity incidents.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree and 8 years of experience, a master's degree and 6 years of experience, an associate's degree and 10 years of experience, or a high school diploma or equivalent and 12 years of experience.
- Must be a U.S. citizen and eligible to obtain the required DHS CBP clearance.
- At least 5 years of hands-on network engineering or network security engineering experience, including at least 2 years of dedicated Zscaler platform administration and architecture experience.
- Hands-on experience administering, configuring, and troubleshooting ZIA and ZPA, including security policies, application segments, App Connectors, and access controls.
- Strong understanding of ZTNA, SASE, SSL/TLS inspection, certificate management, and enterprise security policy enforcement.
- Strong networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP/S, BGP, routing, firewall policies, and Zscaler forwarding methods such as GRE/IPsec tunnels and PAC files.
- Working knowledge of identity federation and provisioning technologies, including SAML 2.0, SCIM, Microsoft Entra ID, and Okta.
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, and communication skills, including the ability to resolve complex connectivity and security issues and collaborate across network, security, and cloud teams.
Nice To Haves
- Experience supporting federal government, defense, or other regulated environments.
- An active DHS Public Trust or Top Secret security clearance or higher.
- Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), including CCNP Enterprise or CCNP Security.
- Zscaler Certified Professional (ZCP) certification in ZIA and/or ZPA; Zscaler Certified Engineer (ZCE) or Zscaler Certified Architect (ZCA) certification is also desirable.
- Experience with ZDX, Zscaler Posture Control, or CNAPP capabilities.
- Experience integrating Zscaler with SIEM platforms such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or IBM QRadar, and SD-WAN platforms such as Cisco, VMware VeloCloud, or Fortinet.
- Experience deploying Zscaler solutions across AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
- Knowledge of security and compliance frameworks, including NIST SP 800-53, FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA, or DoD STIGs.
- Experience with scripting and automation using Python, Ansible, Terraform, or Zscaler APIs.
- Additional certifications such as Palo Alto PCNSE, CCIE Security, CompTIA Security+, AWS or Azure Security Specialty, or CCSP.
Responsibilities
- Architect, deploy, and manage the Zscaler product portfolio, including ZIA, ZPA, ZDX, and Zscaler Posture Control/CNAPP.
- Lead migrations from legacy VPN, on-premises proxies, and traditional perimeter firewalls to Zscaler SASE architecture.
- Design and enforce ZIA security policies covering threat prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, DNS security, cloud firewall, bandwidth controls, and data loss prevention.
- Configure and manage ZPA application segments, server groups, App Connectors, and access policies for Zero Trust application access.
- Integrate Zscaler with identity providers, including Azure AD/Entra ID, Okta, and Ping Identity, and with SAML/SCIM provisioning.
- Deploy and manage Zscaler Client Connector (Z-App) on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android endpoints.
- Configure Zscaler forwarding methods, including GRE/IPsec tunnels, PAC files, proxy chaining, and SD-WAN integrations.
- Integrate Zscaler with SD-WAN platforms such as Cisco Viptela, VMware VeloCloud, and Fortinet for automated traffic steering.
- Monitor platform health, user experience metrics, and security events through the Zscaler Admin Portal and ZDX.
- Perform log analysis and threat hunting using Zscaler NSS integrated with SIEM platforms such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, and QRadar.
- Lead policy audits and optimization to reduce attack surface, improve performance, and ensure compliance.
- Collaborate with application owners to onboard workloads into ZPA and define least-privilege access policies.
- Participate in an on-call rotation to support critical Zscaler infrastructure and user connectivity incidents.
- Mentor junior engineers on Zero Trust principles, SASE architecture, and Zscaler platform operations.
- Maintain architecture diagrams, policy runbooks, onboarding guides, and change records.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
