Senior Network Architect

TechHeads; Ireland; Hybrid; EUR 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Flexitime

Strong pension

Job summary

TechHeads is seeking a senior Network Security Architect in Ireland to own the network security architecture with a focus on Palo Alto firewalls, enterprise networking and Zero Trust. The role is hybrid and involves shaping strategy, standards and governance across on-premise and cloud environments, with guidance to engineers and vendors.

You will lead security design across projects, manage upgrades and migrations, and drive secure configurations, monitoring and improvements in collaboration

Qualifications

• Extensive experience as Network Security Architect in large, complex environments.
• Strong design and governance skills for Palo Alto environments.
• Proven ability to document architecture patterns, roadmaps and designs.

Responsibilities

• Act as network and cybersecurity solution architect across projects (on-prem, Azure, third-party).
• Own Palo Alto firewall architecture, design standards, high availability and lifecycle planning.
• Provide technical direction to engineers, vendors and MSPs.
• Support vulnerability remediation, assessments and security improvements.

Skills

Palo Alto firewall

Enterprise networking

Security architecture

Azure hybrid-cloud

Zero Trust

Job description

Network Security Architect – Palo Alto & Enterprise Networks

TechHeads are working with a major Irish organisation looking to hire an experienced Network Security Architect to join its Cyber Security function.

This is a senior technical architecture position within a large, complex and geographically dispersed enterprise environment. The role will take ownership of network security architecture, with a particularly strong focus on the organisation’s Palo Alto firewall estate, alongside enterprise networking, hybrid Azure connectivity, segmentation and Zero Trust.

The organisation is currently undergoing a significant technology and cybersecurity transformation, with a substantial pipeline of security, infrastructure, lifecycle and business transformation projects. This is an opportunity to join at an important stage of that journey and have genuine influence over the future direction of its network security architecture.

This is a fully technical architecture role rather than a people-management position. You’ll operate at architecture and design level, while providing technical direction to Firewall and Network Engineers, project teams, suppliers and Managed Service Providers.

The position also offers an excellent overall benefits package and work-life balance, including hybrid working, flexitime, a strong pension, alongside the stability associated with a large established organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Acting as the Network and Cybersecurity Solution Architect across security, infrastructure and business transformation projects, designing secure and resilient solutions across on-premise, Microsoft Azure and third-party environments.
• Taking architecture ownership and design authority for the Palo Alto firewall environment, including design standards, zoning, ruleset principles, high availability, resilience, management platforms and integration with wider security services.
• Leading the architecture and technical assurance of Palo Alto firewall upgrades, migrations, lifecycle planning and replacement programmes, including testing, rollback, resilience and service transition.
• Producing and reviewing High-Level Designs, Low-Level Designs, network diagrams, security patterns, technical standards, architecture roadmaps and risk assessments.
• Developing network security architecture across segmentation, Zero Trust, LAN/WAN, wireless, VPN, remote access, secure internet access, DMZ, IDS/IPS and network security monitoring.
• Providing technical direction and design guidance to Network and Firewall Engineers, ensuring implementations align with agreed architecture and security standards.
• Working closely with Managed Service Providers, Palo Alto/network security suppliers and technology vendors, providing technical oversight across changes, incidents, maintenance, lifecycle management and service improvements.
• Supporting vulnerability remediation, penetration testing, security assessments and audits while driving improvements in secure configuration, patching, logging, monitoring, automation and standardisation.

Requirements:

• Deep Palo Alto firewall expertise is essential. You should have demonstrable experience designing and governing Palo Alto environments, including firewall architecture, ruleset design, zoning, high availability, central management, upgrades, migrations and lifecycle planning.
• Significant experience within Network Security Architecture, Cybersecurity Solution Architecture or a comparable senior technical network/security role in a complex enterprise environment.
• Strong enterprise networking knowledge covering routing, switching, segmentation, Zero Trust, VPN, remote access, IDS/IPS, wireless, DNS, secure internet access and network monitoring.
• Experience designing secure connectivity across on-premise and Microsoft Azure hybrid-cloud environments, including third-party integrations.
• Strong experience producing architecture and design documentation including HLDs, LLDs, network diagrams, technical standards, architecture patterns and technology roadmaps.
• Experience supporting significant network/firewall migrations, upgrades and technology replacement programmes.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with experience working across engineering teams, senior stakeholders, suppliers, vendors and Managed Service Providers.
• Palo Alto certification is highly desirable, while Cisco CCNP/CCIE, CISSP, SABSA, TOGAF, GIAC, Microsoft Azure and/or Aruba certifications or equivalent experience would be advantageous.

Benefits include hybrid working, flexitime, strong pension and semi-state benefits, excellent work-life balance and the potential to accrue up to 40 days’ annual leave, excluding bank holidays.