Senior Firewall Engineer (Palo Alto Firewall) - Hybrid - Xcel Engineering

COMPANY OVERVIEW

XCEL Engineering, Inc. is an award-winning small business that provides trusted information technology, engineering, consulting and project management solutions and services to federal agencies and organizations. Originally founded in 1971 by professional engineers at the University of Tennessee, XCEL was acquired in 2003 by U.S. Army and Navy veterans and in 2023 became a MartinFed company.

XCEL Engineering is a part of IT Lab Partners (ITLP) which was created to support a leading research facility in the East Tennessee region in recruiting the best and the brightest technical talent. Considering joining our impressive team today!

JOB OVERVIEW

XCEL Engineering has an opening for a Senior Network Engineer (Palo Alto Firewall) to join our team of talented and diverse individuals.The position's primary work duties are network engineering, Palo Alto Firewall management, system administration, and providing technical consulting to various work-for-others projects

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• The primary responsibility for this position is network design, configuration and troubleshooting and specifically advanced Palo Alto skills
• Responsible for Cisco Network Enterprise
• Responsible for the daily secure operations of the network enclaves.
• Providing coordination, notification, escalation and documentation to resolve events/issues, efficiently minimizing customer impact.
• Interfacing with and providing outage reports to various levels of management.
• Assisting with other tasks as needed or as assigned by management.
• Ensure systems are configured and maintained per cyber security common control requirements so that accreditation is retained.
• Create and maintain infrastructure documentation as it relates to infrastructure systems design, configuration, support, and processes.
• Identify, create, communicate, and implement process engineering for technologies to create end-to-end service offerings.
• Conduct research, cost-benefit and return-on-investment analysis on proposed hardware, software and systems to justify recommendations, support purchasing efforts and aid management in making infrastructure design and architecture decisions.
• Manage capacity and performance of the WAN/LAN network platforms, ensuring the integrity of the infrastructure.
• Proactively monitor, test, collect and analyze system performance statistical data to improve quality of the network environment.
• Diagnose and resolve complex configuration and troubleshooting issues within a multi-vendor infrastructure.
• Adhere to a customer serviced focused culture

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• United States citizen with the ability to obtain a security clearance.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field with a minimum of 5 years relevant experience is required. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Knowledgeable in the use of network and configuration management. Working knowledge of Cisco IOS, Arista, JUNOS, routers, multilayer switch, and layer 2 & 3 switch configuration and deployments.
• Cisco, Palo Alto, Juniper firewall experience highly desired.
• Palo Alto Tagging for policy rules, address objects, address groups, zones, services and link to interfaces.
• Knowledge of Cisco, Arista and Juniper Routers/Switches including Catalyst, Nexus, MX, EX, SRX.
• Good oral communication and technical writing skills.
• Good problem-solving skills and the ability to visualize a problem or situation and think abstractly to solve it.
• Ability to handle constantly changing work priorities, to be able to multitask effectively during busy times, and to exercise patience and professionalism during stressful situations.
• Ability to work responsibly with or without supervision.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Visio.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of Python, REST-API, Shell Scripting, and other scripting languages highly desired.
• Familiarity with JSON and YAML data structures.
• FIREMON, Algosec or other firewall management tools.
• Network Security knowledge, including familiarity with Zero Trust.
• Client VPN technologies, such as Cisco AnyConnect, Global Protect.
• Implementation and Design of IPSEC VPN.
• Design, implement, and operate a multi-datacenter network.
• Familiarity with IPv6 implementations.
• Experience with vulnerability scanning.
• Working knowledge of routing protocols (OSPF, BGP, etc.)

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

• Inside office environment.
• Working on a computer for long periods of time.
• May involve long period of sitting at a desk.
• The work environment is fast-paced and sometimes involves extreme deadline pressures.

OTHER DUTIES

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Xcel Engineering is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, religious creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, protected Veteran Status, genetics or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or disabled veteran, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access Xcel Engineering's current openings as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by calling 855.212.1810. Thank you for your interest in Xcel Engineering.

All positions at Xcel Engineering, Inc. are contingent upon passing both a background check and drug screening prior to a start date and are subject to random drug screenings during the employment period. In addition, Xcel Engineering is an E-Verify employer.