Network Security Engineer - Palo Alto Next Gen Firewall (SC Cleared)

Saunders Scott; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Saunders Scott is seeking a mid–level Network Security Engineer to maintain and secure the enterprise network security estate, focusing on Palo Alto NGFWs, SASE services, and related security tooling in the UK. The role requires SC clearance and covers operating hours from 08:00 to 18:00 with occasional out‑of‑hours maintenance.

You will triage incidents, implement changes with peer review, and work across cross‑functional IT and security teams to ensure governance and audit compliance.

Qualifications

• Experience with enterprise NGFWs and lifecycle management.
• Hands-on with Palo Alto, Fortinet, SASE, and F5 platforms.
• Familiarity with ITIL processes and change management.

Responsibilities

• Operations & Service Management: support security infrastructure and firewalls per ITIL practices.
• Incident & Issue Ownership: triage, diagnose, remediate, and close incidents; escalate with evidence as needed.
• Change Delivery: translate requirements into controlled production changes with peer review and rollback plans.
• Problem Management: perform root‑cause analysis and implement preventative solutions.
• Vendor & Team Coordination: manage escalations with vendors, MSPs, and IT/security teams.
• Documentation & Governance: maintain configurations, asset records, runbooks, and diagrams; apply least‑privilege and audit compliance.

Skills

Networking protocols

Firewall administration

Troubleshooting

NGFW platforms

Cloud networking (AWS/Azure)

Vulnerability management

Email security (Mimecast)

Scripting (Python, PowerShell)

ITIL / vendor certifications

Job description

Network Security Engineer – Palo Alto Next Gen Firewall (SC Cleared)

Mid–level role within the Security Support team responsible for maintaining the availability, security, and operational health of the enterprise network security estate, focusing on firewalls and SASE services.

Key Responsibilities

• Operations & Service Management: Support security infrastructure and firewalls following ITIL practices (incident, request, problem, change management).
• Incident & Issue Ownership: Methodically triage, diagnose, remediate, and close incidents; escalate with evidence when needed.
• Change Delivery: Translate requirements into support actions and execute controlled production changes with peer review, testing, and rollback plans.
• Problem Management: Perform root–cause analysis on recurring issues and implement preventative solutions.
• Vendor & Team Coordination: Manage technical escalations with vendors, MSPs, and internal cross–functional IT/security teams.
• Documentation & Governance: Maintain configurations, asset records, runbooks, and diagrams; apply least–privilege principles and audit compliance in a regulated environment.

Technical Requirements

• Networking & Protocols: Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, NAT, TLS, HTTP/S, static/dynamic routing (BGP, OSPF), VRFs, and segmentation.
• Firewall & Security Administration: Hands–on experience with enterprise NGFWs (policy, NAT, VPNs, security profiles) and lifecycle management (upgrades, patching, rule recertification).
• Troubleshooting: Advanced diagnosis using PCAPs, logs, and monitoring tools for asymmetric routing, MTU, authentication, and application connectivity issues.
• Preferred Platforms: Palo Alto / Fortinet (Panorama, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer), SASE solutions, and F5 (or equivalent load balancers).
• Desirable: AWS/Azure networking, vulnerability management (Tenable), email security (Mimecast), basic scripting/automation (Python, PowerShell, APIs), and ITIL or vendor certifications (PCNSE, NSE, CCNA/CCNP).

Working Conditions

• Shift Rota: Coverage between 08:00 and 18:00, with occasional out–of–hours maintenance as required.
• Clearance: Security Check (SC) clearance required.