W2 contract || Senior Network Security Engineer – WAAP (Web Application & API Protection)

About the role

Client is an innovative, dynamic company with a rich past and a promising future. Today, Client is one of the world's leading technology companies providing networking, cloud, and security solutions for next-generation IT infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Translate business and application security requirements into enterprise-grade WAAP and network security architectures.
• Develop and support solutions aligned with Client application security and defense-in-depth strategy.
• Lead architecture, design, and deployment of Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) solutions across global environments.
• Develop and drive multi-year roadmap for application-layer security, including WAF, API security, bot protection, and DDoS mitigation.

WAAP Responsibilities

• Architect, implement, and manage WAAP platforms, including:
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF)
  • API Security (discovery, protection, runtime analysis)
  • Bot Management
  • DDoS Protection (L3 L7)
• Design and deploy WAAP solutions using platforms such as:
  • Thales Imperva
  • Cloud-native WAFs (Azure, AWS WAF) or equivalent
• Develop and maintain custom WAF rules, security policies, and signatures to protect critical applications.
• Perform false positive tuning, policy optimization, and rule lifecycle management.
• Enable API discovery, schema enforcement, and protection against OWASP API Top 10 threats.
• Integrate WAAP with:
  • SIEM/SOAR platforms
  • Identity providers
  • Threat intelligence feeds
• Collaborate with application teams to:
  • Onboard applications into WAAP platforms
  • Perform security assessments and risk reviews
  • Ensure minimal performance impact while enforcing strong security controls
  • Implement protection against OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities (SQLi, XSS, RCE, etc.)
• Lead WAAP incident response and root cause analysis for application-layer attacks.
• Define and track application security metrics and KPIs (attack trends, mitigation effectiveness).
• Ensure compliance with security frameworks (CIS, NIST, Zero Trust, data protection standards).

Core Network Security Responsibilities

• Architect and maintain secure network infrastructure across data center, campus, and cloud environments.
• Conduct security design reviews ensuring compliance with enterprise security standards.
• Provide risk reporting, control effectiveness, and security posture visibility.
• Support internal and external security audits.
• Manage and optimize Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems.
• Develop and maintain network security policies and procedures.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity, infrastructure, and application teams globally.

Technical Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in network security architecture, engineering, and operations.
• WAAP & Application Security Expertise (Mandatory):
  • Strong experience with WAAP platforms (Akamai preferred; Cloud WAF or equivalent accepted)
  • Deep understanding of OWASP Top 10 (Web & API)
  • Application-layer threats and mitigation techniques
• Hands-on experience in:
  • WAF policy creation and tuning
  • API security controls (schema validation, authentication enforcement)
  • Bot mitigation strategies
  • DDoS protection architecture (L3 L7)
  • Traffic analysis (HTTP/HTTPS, TLS inspection)
  • Behavioral-based threat detection
• Strong understanding of:
  • Secure application architectures (monolith, microservices, APIs)
  • DevSecOps integration and CI/CD security controls (nice to have)
• Network Security & Infrastructure:
  • Strong hands-on experience in:
    • Firewalls (Fortinet, Palo Alto, Juniper)
    • IDS/IPS, VPN, SIEM
  • Expertise in:
    • Firewall policy design, NAT, routing, inspection, and threat prevention
  • Experience in designing secure:
    • Hybrid (on-prem + cloud + internet-facing) environments
  • Experience in:
    • Proxy architectures (forward/reverse)
    • Secure internet gateways
• Networking & Protocol Expertise:
  • Strong knowledge of:
    • TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP/HTTPS, TLS/SSL
    • Routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, MPLS)
  • Experience with:
    • QoS, NetFlow, ACLs, NAT, IP traffic management
    • Network monitoring and analysis tools
• Cloud & Integration Experience:
  • Securing applications in:
    • AWS, Azure, GCP
  • Familiarity with:
    • Cloud-native WAF and API security tools
  • Integration experience with:
    • SIEM, EDR/XDR, IAM platforms
• Data Center & Enterprise Networking Experience:
  • Managing enterprise environments with:
    • Aruba, Arista, Juniper switches
    • Firewalls, load balancers, WAN optimization tools
  • Understanding of:
    • High availability and performance optimization for application traffic
• Operations & Lifecycle Management:
  • Lead onboarding and lifecycle management of applications into WAAP platforms.
  • Perform security tuning, upgrades, and optimization activities.
  • Support incident response and threat mitigation at application layer.
  • Work within ITIL frameworks (incident, problem, change management).

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, IT, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years of experience in enterprise network security and application security.
• Preferred Certifications:
  • CCNP / CCIE / JNCIE
  • Security certifications (CISSP, CISM)
  • Vendor certifications (Akamai, AWS Security, Azure Security)

Key Differentiators

• Positions WAAP as a primary security control layer, not an add-on.
• Strong alignment with:
  • Application security + Network security convergence
  • Defense-in-depth strategy
• Emphasizes:
  • API security (modern requirement)
  • Bot/DDoS protection (critical for internet-facing apps)
• Keeps strong foundation in:
  • Firewalls, SIEM, network architecture