Senior Network Engineer – Zscaler Specialist

Peraton•Ashburn, VA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Peraton is seeking a Senior Network Engineer specializing in Zscaler cloud security platforms to support enterprise network security and infrastructure modernization initiatives. 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 focuses on Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) and Zscaler Private Access (ZPA), along with related capabilities as needed. It includes integrating identity providers and SD-WAN platforms, configuring security policies and traffic forwarding, monitoring platform health and security events, troubleshooting complex incidents, and providing technical leadership and mentorship. The position requires full-time, on-site presence in Ashburn, Virginia; Springfield, Virginia; or Orlando, Florida, and participation in an on-call rotation.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and 8 years of experience, master's degree and 6 years of experience, associate's degree and 10 years of experience, or 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 dedicated to Zscaler platform administration and architecture.
Hands-on experience configuring, administering, and troubleshooting ZIA and ZPA.
Strong understanding of ZTNA, SASE, and enterprise cloud security architectures.
Experience configuring ZIA security policies, SSL/TLS inspection, certificate management, and threat prevention controls.
Experience configuring ZPA App Connectors, application segments, and policy-based access controls.
Working knowledge of identity federation and provisioning technologies, including SAML 2.0, SCIM, Microsoft Entra ID, or Okta.
Strong networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP/S, BGP, routing, firewall policies, and Zscaler traffic forwarding methods.
Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, and communication skills, including the ability to resolve complex connectivity and security issues.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting federal government, defense, or other regulated environments.
Active DHS Public Trust or Top Secret security clearance or higher.
Active Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification; CCNP Security is preferred, and CCNP Enterprise is acceptable.
Zscaler Certified Professional (ZCP) certification in ZIA and/or ZPA.
Zscaler Certified Engineer (ZCE) or Zscaler Certified Architect (ZCA) certification.
Experience with ZDX or Zscaler Posture Control and cloud-native application protection capabilities.
Experience integrating Zscaler NSS with Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or IBM QRadar.
Experience integrating Zscaler with Cisco Viptela, VMware VeloCloud, or Fortinet SD-WAN platforms.
Experience deploying Zscaler solutions across AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform environments.
Knowledge of NIST SP 800-53, FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA, or DoD STIGs.
Experience with scripting and automation using Python, Ansible, Terraform, or Zscaler APIs.
Experience supporting large-scale Zscaler deployments across thousands of users or multiple geographic regions.
Familiarity with Palo Alto Prisma Access or other SASE platforms.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Network Engineering, or a related field; equivalent combinations of education, training, and professional certifications will be considered.
Additional certifications such as Palo Alto PCNSE, CCIE Security, CompTIA Security+, AWS or Azure Security Specialty, or CCSP.

Responsibilities

Design, deploy, configure, and maintain Zscaler solutions, primarily ZIA and ZPA, and support ZDX and cloud-native application protection capabilities as required.
Lead migrations from legacy VPNs, on-premises proxies, and traditional perimeter security to Zscaler cloud security architectures.
Deploy and manage Zscaler Client Connector across supported endpoint platforms.
Maintain architecture diagrams, configuration documentation, policy runbooks, onboarding guides, and change records.
Implement and optimize ZTNA and SASE solutions to protect enterprise applications, users, and data.
Configure ZIA security policies, including URL filtering, threat prevention, SSL/TLS inspection, DNS security, cloud application controls, and DLP.
Configure and manage ZPA application segments, App Connectors, server groups, and access policies to enforce least-privilege access.
Manage certificate configurations, inspection policies, and security bypass rules; conduct policy audits and optimization to reduce attack surface, improve performance, and support compliance.
Integrate Zscaler with identity providers such as Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, and Ping Identity using SAML and SCIM provisioning.
Configure traffic forwarding methods, including GRE and IPsec tunnels, PAC files, and proxy chaining.
Integrate Zscaler with SD-WAN platforms, including Cisco Viptela, VMware VeloCloud, and Fortinet, to support secure traffic steering.
Collaborate with application owners to onboard workloads into ZPA and establish access controls.
Monitor platform health, user experience, connectivity, and security events using the Zscaler Admin Portal and ZDX.
Analyze logs and investigate potential threats using Zscaler NSS and SIEM platforms, including Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, and IBM QRadar.
Troubleshoot complex connectivity, application access, and security policy enforcement issues.
Participate in an on-call rotation supporting critical Zscaler infrastructure and user connectivity incidents.
Collaborate with network, security, and cloud teams to resolve incidents and maintain reliable service delivery.
Mentor junior engineers on Zero Trust principles, SASE architecture, Zscaler administration, and network security best practices.
Maintain technical documentation, operational procedures, and troubleshooting guides.
Identify opportunities to improve security controls, platform performance, and operational efficiency.
Communicate technical issues, risks, and recommended solutions to engineering teams and stakeholders.