Senior Network Security Engineer

HCF Australia; Sydney; On-site; AUD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

50% subsidy on hospital and extras

Family-friendly employer

18 weeks parental leave

Mental health and wellbeing programs

Job summary

HCF Australia is seeking a Senior Network & Security Engineer to own and operate enterprise networks and security platforms across on‑prem, data centre, cloud, and branch environments. This hands-on role acts as Tier 3 escalation and technical authority for routing, switching, firewalls, wireless, SD‑WAN, and application delivery technologies.

You will lead complex incident responses, drive improvements aligned with HCF cyber security standards, and mentor junior engineers while maintaining

Qualifications

• 8+ years in senior network and security engineering within large enterprise or regulated environments.
• Hands-on experience with Cisco (Routing, Switching, ACI, DC, Wireless, ISE) and Palo Alto firewalls.
• Designing and operating AWS networking (VPCs, Transit Gateway) and hybrid cloud networking.
• Strong scripting and IaC skills (Python/PowerShell, Terraform, CI/CD).

Responsibilities

• Own and operate enterprise network and security platforms across on‑prem, data centre, cloud, and branch environments.
• Provide Tier 3 leadership for complex incidents and root cause analysis.
• Maintain lifecycle management, upgrades, and vulnerability mitigation of networks.
• Act as technical authority for availability, performance, segmentation, and secure traffic flows.
• Configure and optimize firewall policies and threat prevention.
• Mentor junior engineers and document runbooks and procedures.

Skills

Network engineering

Security engineering

Cisco routing & switching

Palo Alto

SD-WAN

AWS networking

Azure networking

Network automation

Python

PowerShell

IaC Terraform

Vulnerability management

NIST/CISM

TCP/IP

Tools

Infoblox

F5/NGINX

Cisco IOS

AWS VPCs

Job description

The Senior Network & Security Engineer is responsible for the secure, reliable operation and continuous improvement of HCF’s enterprise network and security platforms across on premises, data centre, cloud, and branch environments. This is a hands on senior engineering role acting as a Tier 3 escalation point and technical authority across routing, switching, firewalls, wireless, SD WAN, and application delivery technologies. You will own critical platforms end to end, lead complex incident response, and drive improvements aligned with HCF cyber security standards and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and operate HCF's enterprise network and security platforms across on‑prem, data centre, cloud, and branch environments.
• Provide Tier 3 support for complex incidents, including incident leadership, root cause analysis, and remediation.
• Maintain and update HCF's network systems, including lifecycle management, upgrades, and vulnerability mitigation of enterprise networks.
• Act as a technical authority for enterprise networks, availability, performance, segmentation, and secure traffic flows.
• Configure and optimise firewall policies, threat prevention, and traffic inspection.
• Support cloud and hybrid networking, with a strong focus on AWS networking.
• Apply cyber risk management practices aligned with NIST, CISM principles, and HCF standards.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and ability to independently collaborate with vendors and service providers to deliver reliable, secure outcomes.
• Mentor junior engineers and uplift engineering practices.
• Maintain clear documentation, standards, runbooks, and operational procedures.

Essential Skills

• 8+ years’ experience in senior network and security engineering roles within large enterprise or regulated environments.
• Strong hands‑on experience with Cisco (Routing, Switching, ACI, DC, Wireless, ISE), Palo Alto, SD‑WAN, Infoblox, and F5/NGINX.
• Strong experience working on enterprise networks and managing complex environments.
• Proven experience designing and operating AWS networking, including VPCs, Transit Gateway, and security controls.
• Understanding of hybrid cloud (AWS and Azure) networking concepts.
• Experience with network automation and monitoring tools
• Scripting skills using Python and/or PowerShell and understanding of IaC(Terraform, CI/CD).
• Strong understanding of network security, vulnerability management, and compliance.
• Excellent problem‑solving, handling escalations, and stakeholder communication skills.

Desirable

• Experience with Security Service Edge (SSE) and Zero Trust architectures.
• Background in healthcare or financial services.
• Relevant certifications (e.g. CCNP, PCNSE, AWS Solutions Architect).

About HCF

At HCF, our purpose is to bring our human touch to healthcare. Since 1932 we’ve been putting our members and their health first. As Australia’s largest not-for-profit health fund, we cover 2 million members with health, life, travel and pet insurance and our vision is to make healthcare understandable, affordable, high quality and member centric.

We want to be true health partners to our members, easily guiding the healthcare choices that are right for them. At HCF, our values are the way we do things and create the necessary culture to help us realise our purpose and deliver our Strategy. Living our values in action we step forward, walk in their shoes, stay human, make it better and get there together.

Culture & Benefits

Purpose-driven passion

We’re united by a common purpose: to make healthcare affordable, understandable, high quality and member-focused.

Wellness and work-life balance

Skills

We’ll empower you with the necessary skills and tools to support your personal wellbeing journey, ensuring you perform at your best. Our offerings include:

• Flexible working arrangements
• 50% subsidy on HCF hospital and/or extras cover
• Family-friendly certified employer
• 18 weeks of parental leave for all new parents
• Mental health and wellbeing programs, including workshops, fitness classes, flu vaccinations, skin checks and more
• Discounts on HCF’s products, including life, pet and travel Insurance, as well as discounts at Fitness First gyms and on our eyecare products.

Collaboration and inclusivity

We embrace diversity as our strength and are committed to maintaining an inclusive and collaborative work environment. Our workplace is welcoming and safe for all our employees, irrespective of their unique characteristics including age, ethnicity, cultural or spiritual background, gender identity, disability, education and socio-economic status.

Continuous learning and growth

We believe in lifelong learning. HCF provides opportunities for personal and professional development. From workshops to mentorship programs, we encourage your growth and curiosity.