Apptad Palo Alto Firewall Operation Support – L3

Title : Palo Alto Firewall Operation Support L3

Location :Palo Alto CA( Onsite)

Role Overview

The L3 Palo Alto Firewall Operation Support Engineer is responsible for advanced troubleshooting configuration and management of Palo Alto firewalls in a complex enterprise environment. This role involves supporting security operations implementing firewall policies handling escalations and collaborating with architecture and engineering teams to ensure robust network security.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide L3-level operational support for Palo Alto firewalls including troubleshooting incident response and change management.
• Perform advanced configuration rule base management and optimization of firewall policies.
• Monitor firewall health performance and logs; proactively identify and resolve issues.
• Analyze and respond to security incidents working closely with SOC and IT teams.
• Manage upgrades patches and firmware updates for Palo Alto devices.
• Conduct root cause analysis for recurring or complex firewall/network issues.
• Collaborate with network architects to design and implement secure network segmentation and DMZ architectures.
• Review and implement change requests ensuring compliance with security standards and change control processes.
• Maintain documentation for firewall configurations operational procedures and troubleshooting guides.
• Participate in audits and compliance activities related to network security.
• Mentor and provide guidance to L1/L2 support teams.

Required Skills & Experience

• 10 years of experience in network security operations with at least 8 years focused on Palo Alto firewall administration.
• Strong expertise in Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS security policies NAT VPN (IPSec/SSL) and threat prevention features.
• Proficient in troubleshooting complex firewall and network issues (routing connectivity performance).
• Experience with centralized management platforms (Panorama).
• Familiarity with integration of firewalls with SIEM IDS/IPS and other security tools.
• Solid understanding of TCP/IP VLANs DMZ and network segmentation.
• Knowledge of change management and ITIL processes.
• Relevant certifications (PCNSE PCNSA CISSP CCNP Security) preferred.
• Excellent communication and documentation skills.

Education

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science Information Technology or related field (or equivalent experience).