Network (Firewall & Switching) Engineer

Job details

Hekima is a collaborative network of elite professionals established by IT veterans. Our goal is to bridge the gap between having a good job and a great career by providing opportunities that will help develop and refine the skills of the IT professionals within our network. We are actively seeking a Network (Firewall & Switching) Engineer who will exemplify Hekima s culture and mission.

About the company

At Hekima, we are guided by the conviction that the true measure of a company s stature is not found in its name, but in its people. Our founders, seasoned IT executives and industry architects, bring a wealth of experience in delivering innovative solutions to leading corporations and government entities. This expertise forms the cornerstone of Hekima a company dedicated to achieving excellence through investing in people.

We noticed a disconnect in the traditional service model talent was often undervalued and seen as interchangeable. This mindset not only stifles individual growth but also hampers organizational success. Driven by our firsthand experiences, we set out to challenge this perspective, with a belief that appreciating and developing talent is not just beneficial but crucial for enduring success.

Our team comprises seasoned IT professionals committed to delivering superior service and thoroughly vetted, skilled experts. We grasp the essentials of success in this industry, focusing on recruiting and training talent, as well as fostering meaningful relationships with our candidates and clients. By prioritizing a personal approach, we aim to understand individual and organizational needs, ensuring we align our services with their career and IT objectives.

Overview

Hekima is looking for a Network (Firewall & Switching Engineer) to support an Enterprise IT as a Service (EITaaS) program. The ideal candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing the organization's network infrastructure to ensure maximum performance, security, and scalability across classified and unclassified networks. The candidate will act as the Firewall and Network subject matter expert for all networking configurations to deliver enhanced capabilities and services to the enterprise solutions.

The ideal candidate will be a Palo Alto Networks subject matter expert with extensive hands-on experience in advanced firewall security, enterprise network infrastructure to design, operate and maintain enterprise network security operations

Skills

The ideal candidate will have hands-on expertise in Palo Alto Networks security solutions

Expertise in Palo Alto Networks security solutions and Panorama management

Strong understanding of Cisco networking technologies and configurations, including Nexus, Catalyst, ASR, ASA

Proven experience with Cisco routing and switching (R/S) technologies

Strong understanding of Layer 2/3 networking and routing protocols

Expertise in physical network infrastructure and security concepts

A proven track record of implementing zero-trust architectures and advanced threat detection systems

Proficiency with cloud security, including security group policies, IAM, and compliance frameworks

Experience with infrastructure automation using Ansible, and Python

Knowledge of DevOps methodologies and CI/CD pipelines

Experience with SIEM tools and incident response frameworks

Ability to work onsite

Battle-tested troubleshooting skills honed in high-pressure, mission-critical environments

Responsibilities

The role requires a deep understanding of cloud environments (Azure), network security, automation (Terraform, Ansible), and Agile/DevOps methodologies

Design, implement, and manage Palo Alto Networks firewalls and security solutions, ensuring optimal security posture and performance

Monitor, analyze, and respond to security incidents, ensuring robust threat detection and response capabilities

A proven track record of implementing zero-trust architectures and advanced threat detection systems

Configure and maintain Cisco networking infrastructure to include Nexus, Catalyst, ASR, ASA

Develop and deploy network security policies, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS)

Enhance automation and orchestration using Ansible, and Python to improve efficiency and scalability

Collaborate with cloud teams to integrate security solutions within AWS and Azure environments

Ensure compliance with security best practices, industry standards.

Integrate security solutions within Azure environments

Provide mentorship and training to junior engineers and cross-functional teams

Coordinate with remote team members to ensure network consistency and performance

Operate in a work environment that is primarily onsite Qualifications

Must currently hold active secret clearance

Hekima is an equal opportunity employer, which does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin or ancestry, religion, age, sex, disability, medical condition, sexual preference or orientation, marital or familial status, veteran's status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations. The Firm's policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment. It is the Firm s policy to recruit, hire, train, promote and compensate the best qualified individuals based only upon relevant factors such as experience, work quality and professional attitude.