Senior Network Security Engineer

Job Title: Senior Network Security Engineer (Contract)

Employment Type: Contract to Hire

Location: Hybrid

Duration: 8 months with possible extension

Location: Hybrid (3 days in 2 days remote)

• Salisbury NC preferred
• 2^nd choice is any other Ahold location
  • Chicago IL Quincy MA Greenville SC Scarborough ME Carlisle PA Landover MD

Role Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Network Security Engineer (Contract) to provide hands-on technical and operational support for enterprise network security environments. This role requires deep expertise in next-generation firewalls Zero Trust and ZTNA solutions VPN technologies and Network Access Control (NAC).

The engineer will be responsible for day-to-day security operations audit support vulnerability and change management and will participate in an on-call rotation to support critical incidents and outages.

Key Responsibilities

Network Security Engineering & Operations

Lead configuration administration and optimization of Palo Alto Networks firewalls including policy design upgrades and complex troubleshooting

Manage and support FortiGate firewalls in an enterprise environment

Administer Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN for secure remote access

Design implement and support Zscaler ZPA and ZIA

Support and enhance Zscaler ZTNA / Zero Trust architecture

Implement and manage ClearPass NAC and TACACS for secure network access control

Network & Infrastructure

Provide senior-level support for routing and switching (added advantage)

Collaborate with network and infrastructure teams to ensure secure scalable designs

Security Governance & Risk Management

Support internal and external security audits and compliance remediation efforts

Lead and participate in vulnerability management including assessment reviews remediation coordination and validation

Drive and follow established change management processes including impact analysis approvals and post-change reviews

Support incident response root cause analysis and post-incident reporting

Tools Monitoring & Documentation

Develop and maintain technical documentation security standards diagrams and SOPs

Use ServiceNow for incident change and problem management

Monitor and troubleshoot environments using SolarWinds or similar tools

Utilize Jira for task tracking and project coordination (added advantage)

Experience with Tufin for firewall policy management and compliance is highly desirable

On-Call Responsibilities

Participate in an on-call rotation to support security incidents outages and emergency changes

Respond promptly to after-hours alerts related to firewalls VPN ZTNA and NAC services

Perform troubleshooting mitigation and recovery activities during on-call events

Document incidents and corrective actions following on-call engagements

Required Skills & Experience

Senior-level hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks firewalls

Strong experience managing FortiGate firewalls

Proven expertise with Zscaler ZPA ZIA and ZTNA

Experience supporting Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN

Hands-on knowledge of ClearPass NAC and TACACS

Strong understanding of enterprise network and security architecture

Experience with security audits vulnerability management and formal change management processes

Ability to work independently in a contract role and take ownership of deliverables

Preferred / Added Advantages

Routing and switching experience (Cisco or equivalent)

Experience with Tufin

Familiarity with ServiceNow SolarWinds and Jira

Security certifications such as PCNSE Fortinet NSE CCNP Security CISSP or equivalent

Soft Skills & Contract Expectations

Excellent troubleshooting and analytical skills

Strong written and verbal communication abilities

Willingness to support on-call and after-hours activities as required

Ability to operate effectively in fast-paced production environments

Strong attention to detail with a security-first mindset