Senior Network Perimeter Security Engineer

About the role

We are seeking a senior, L3-level Network Perimeter Security Engineer with deep expertise in enterprise network security. This is an engineering and strategy role—not a NOC/SOC or BAU operational position. The ideal candidate brings strong technical judgment, hands-on execution capabilities, and the communication skills required to design and deploy high-impact security solutions within complex enterprise environments. Position is a 6‑month contract, hybrid (3 days onsite / 2 days remote) based in Sugar Land, TX or Atlanta, GA. On‑call rotation participation and occasional after‑hours or emergency support are required.

Responsibilities

• Architecture & Strategy: Define, execute, and continuously improve network security architecture, perimeter defenses, and technology roadmaps.
• Engineering & Deployment: Configure, deploy, and support enterprise network security solutions, including firewalls, IDS/IPS, WAFs, and DDoS mitigation.
• Operations & Threat Management: Monitor systems using SIEM and vulnerability management tools, evaluate emerging threats, and ensure compliance with security controls.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Partner with infrastructure, security, and operations teams on large‑scale initiatives; manage vendor relationships.
• Escalations & Mentorship: Serve as an L3 Subject Matter Expert (SME), support incident response and high‑priority troubleshooting, and mentor junior engineers.

Requirements

• Experience: 10+ years of overall IT experience, with 5+ years dedicated to hands‑on information security.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Core Technical Expertise:
  • Advanced experience managing enterprise‑scale firewall technologies (Cisco, Palo Alto, FortiGate, Checkpoint, or Juniper) across large environments (100+ firewalls).
  • Strong depth in enterprise networking protocols and architecture (TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, VPN, LAN/WAN/WLAN).
  • Solid working knowledge of network services (DNS, DHCP, RADIUS, VLANs) and dual OS environments (Windows & Linux).
• Work Style: Proven ability to operate independently, resolve ambiguity, and communicate effectively with cross‑functional stakeholders.

Skills

• Strongly Preferred Technical Skills:
  • Cloud Security: Azure, AWS, or GCP.
  • Modern Perimeter & Zero Trust: Zscaler (ZTNA) and Web Application Firewalls (WAF).
  • Identity & Access Management: SAML, SCIM, OAuth, and OpenID.
  • Endpoint & Systems: Endpoint protection tools (e.g., SCCM).
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • 5+ years of experience with Network Access Control (NAC), specifically Cisco ISE.
  • Network automation tools (Ansible, Terraform, Puppet).
  • Industry certifications: CISSP, PCNSE, Fortinet NSE, CCSE/CCSA, CISM, GIAC, CEH, or ZCE.
  • Deep packet analysis (NetFlow, IP SLA), QoS, Multicast, and enterprise monitoring (SolarWinds Orion).