Network Security Engineer
6 - 10 years
Suffolk County, NY
Contract
Onsite
1 month ago
About the role
Senior Palo Alto Network Security Engineer
Location: Smithtown, NY (Onsite – 5 days/week, limited flexibility)
Duration: 6–12 Month Contract (Potential Contract-to-Hire)
Start Date: ASAP
This position requires the ability to work without current or future sponsorship. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis.
*Extensive background check required due to public sector environment
Overview
We are seeking a Senior Palo Alto Network Security Engineer to step into a critical, hands-on role supporting and leading enterprise firewall operations. This position is ideal for a true SME who can immediately stabilize the environment, lead key security initiatives, and mentor junior team members.
This is not a task-based role — the right candidate will bring strong judgment, risk awareness, and the ability to push back when necessary while elevating the overall team capability.
Key Responsibilities
Firewall & Security Operations
Projects & Engineering Initiatives
Mentorship & Leadership
Required Qualifications
Preferred Qualifications
Location: Smithtown, NY (Onsite – 5 days/week, limited flexibility)
Duration: 6–12 Month Contract (Potential Contract-to-Hire)
Start Date: ASAP
This position requires the ability to work without current or future sponsorship. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis.
*Extensive background check required due to public sector environment
Overview
We are seeking a Senior Palo Alto Network Security Engineer to step into a critical, hands-on role supporting and leading enterprise firewall operations. This position is ideal for a true SME who can immediately stabilize the environment, lead key security initiatives, and mentor junior team members.
This is not a task-based role — the right candidate will bring strong judgment, risk awareness, and the ability to push back when necessary while elevating the overall team capability.
Key Responsibilities
Firewall & Security Operations
- Own day-to-day operations of the Palo Alto firewall environment
- Execute complex rule creation, modification, and optimization
- Evaluate changes with a strong focus on risk assessment and security best practices
- Support IPSec VPN configurations, firewall upgrades, and related security controls
Projects & Engineering Initiatives
- Lead Panorama migration and firewall centralization efforts
- Conduct comprehensive rulebase audit and cleanup (~1,000+ rules)
- Identify redundancies, stale rules, and optimization opportunities
- Drive IPSec tunnel redesign across enterprise environments
- Partner closely with Palo Alto Professional Services to maximize limited engagement hours
- Address findings from security reviews and optimization assessments
Mentorship & Leadership
- Provide hands-on mentorship to junior engineers (critical requirement)
- Guide team on:
- Risk-based decision making
- Change validation and impact analysis
- Security best practices
- Ensure proper documentation and knowledge transfer
Required Qualifications
- 5–10+ years of network security engineering experience
- Deep, hands-on expertise with Palo Alto Firewalls (PAN-OS) and Panorama
- Strong experience with firewall rule management and optimization
- Experience with IPSec VPNs, segmentation, and secure architecture
- Proven ability to operate independently in complex environments
- Ability to assess risk and challenge decisions when appropriate
- Strong troubleshooting and communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Palo Alto certifications (e.g., PCNSE)
- Experience in public sector or highly regulated environments
- Experience working alongside vendor professional services teams
- Prior mentorship or team leadership experience
Skills
IT Services and IT Consulting