Responsibilities
- Configure and manage F5 BIG-IP load balancers to optimize application delivery, SSL offloading, and traffic management
- Administer alternative load balancing products such as Citrix ADC (NetScaler), NGINX Plus, and HAProxy to ensure high availability and performance
- Configure and troubleshoot Cisco IOS and Nexus series routers and switches to maintain resilient network routing and switching environments
- Implement and manage network routing protocols including OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, and VLANs to ensure efficient data flow and network segmentation
- Configure and enforce security policies on Next-Generation Firewalls including Check Point and Palo Alto Networks to prevent threats and secure network perimeters
- Manage alternative firewall solutions such as Fortinet FortiGate and Cisco Firepower, including both on-premise and cloud firewall instances
- Design and implement zero-trust network architectures to enhance organizational security posture
- Design and deploy Azure Firewall and alternative cloud firewall solutions (AWS Network Firewall, Google Cloud Armor) following cloud-native security best practices
- Configure and manage Azure Application Gateway and alternative application gateways (AWS Application Load Balancer, Google Cloud Load Balancing) including web application firewall (WAF) implementation
- Implement and maintain Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS) using products like Check Point and Palo Alto Networks, including rule tuning, log analysis, and incident response
- Apply deep knowledge of network security protocols such as IPSec, SSL/TLS, and 802.1x to secure network communications
- Implement network access control (NAC) solutions and manage Tacacs Server for authentication and authorization
- Perform security assessments and remediation including CIS hardening on network devices to ensure compliance and reduce vulnerabilities
- Apply ITIL best practices to network operations and incident management to improve service delivery and reliability
- Utilize strong networking knowledge including IP addressing, routing, and VLAN configuration to support network infrastructure
Required competencies and certifications
- Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- Minimum of 5 years of hands-on experience in network and security infrastructure management
- Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification
- Experience deploying and supporting Cisco SDWAN, Cisco ACI, F5 load balancers, Check Point or Palo Alto Firewalls
Preferred competencies and qualifications
- Familiarity with Software-Defined Networking (SDN) concepts and implementation including Cisco ACI, VMware NSX, Juniper Contrail, and Cisco UCS Cluster SDN Controllers
- Experience implementing SD-WAN solutions and policy management through controllers
- Proficiency in network monitoring and analytics tools such as SolarWinds, PRTG, and Nagios for performance analysis and optimization
- Experience with NetFlow tracing and network traffic analysis
- Skills in configuring and managing VPN and remote access solutions including Cisco AnyConnect and Palo Alto GlobalProtect
- Network automation skills including scripting with Python or Ansible and experience with network orchestration tools
