Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of enterprise LAN/WAN, data center, and branch connectivity, including routing, switching, and SD-WAN.

• Architect, deploy, and manage next-generation firewalls (Palo Alto, FortiGate), including security policies, NAT, segmentation, and high availability.

• Own the firewall rule lifecycle: review, optimize, audit, and clean up rule bases to keep them compliant with security standards.

• Design and maintain site-to-site and remote-access VPN solutions.

• Configure and tune IDS/IPS, URL filtering, and threat prevention profiles on network security platforms.

• Design and secure Azure Virtual Networks (VNets), including hybrid connectivity (ExpressRoute, VPN Gateway), NSGs, and Azure Firewall.

• Monitor and analyze network performance, and implement optimizations to improve speed, reliability, and uptime.

• Provide Tier 3 escalation support for complex network, firewall, and voice issues.

• Investigate and respond to network-related security incidents in coordination with the security team.

• Coordinate vulnerability assessments and penetration tests on network infrastructure, and drive remediation.

• Manage SSL/TLS certificate issuance and renewal for network and security devices.

• Enforce privileged access controls for network and firewall devices (PAM, AAA, TACACS+/RADIUS).

• Manage and support VoIP systems, including SIP configuration, call routing, and voice quality monitoring.

• Lead network changes through the change management process, including planning, risk assessment, and rollback plans.

• Maintain up-to-date documentation of network configurations, architecture diagrams, changes, and procedures.

• Participate in developing, testing, and executing disaster recovery and business continuity plans.

• Mentor junior engineers and work with IT, infrastructure, and application teams to secure services end to end.

• Evaluate new technologies and manage relationships with vendors and service providers.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Networking, or a related field.

• 7+ years of experience in network engineering, with at least 3 years managing enterprise firewalls.

• Deep knowledge of routing and switching protocols (BGP, OSPF, VLANs, STP, HSRP/VRRP, QoS).

• Expert hands-on experience with Palo Alto and/or FortiGate firewalls in production environments.

• Hands-on experience with Cisco, HP, and Huawei switching and routing.

• Experience with Azure networking (VNets, hybrid connectivity, Azure Firewall/NSGs).

• Solid understanding of network security principles, segmentation, and Zero Trust concepts.

• Experience with VoIP technologies, including Cisco Call Manager and Avaya.

• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, and the ability to lead under pressure during outages and incidents.

• Excellent documentation and communication skills.

Preferred Certifications

PCNSE, Fortinet NSE 4–7, CCNP Enterprise / CCNP Security (CCIE a plus), Microsoft AZ-700

Tools & Technologies

• Firewalls and VPNs (Palo Alto, FortiGate, Azure Firewall)

• Panorama / FortiManager / FortiAnalyzer

• Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS)

• Network monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, PRTG, Zabbix)

• Vulnerability scanners (Nessus, Qualys)

• Privileged Access Management (PAM), TACACS+/RADIUS

• VoIP platforms (Cisco CUCM, Avaya)