Firewall Support Engineer

Thales; Otago; On-site; NZD 85,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Thales in Otago, New Zealand seeks a Firewall Support Engineer to safeguard company data and systems. You will administer security infrastructure, monitor breaches, and conduct in-depth incident investigations under pressure.

You will work with IT, development and L3 teams, perform vulnerability assessments, manage firewalls (Palo Alto, Fortigate, Check Point) and SIEM, document policies, and participate in on-call rotations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Security, Computer Science, or related field.
• 3+ years in cybersecurity or information security with L2 support experience.
• Strong TCP/IP, network security, Linux/Windows, and cloud security knowledge.
• Hands-on with SIEM, firewalls, vulnerability scanners, and IR platforms.
• Preferred certifications such as CISSP, CEH, or CompTIA Security+.

Responsibilities

• Investigate and respond to security incidents escalated from L1 support.
• Monitor security alerts from SIEM and dashboards.
• Conduct vulnerability assessments and coordinate pen-testing.
• Manage security infrastructure including firewalls, IDS/IPS, EDR/AV.
• Develop and enforce security policies and documentation.
• Proactively hunt threats to improve detections.
• Collaborate with IT, development, and L3 teams; mentor junior staff.
• Prepare detailed incident reports for management.
• On-call rotation may be required.

Skills

Cybersecurity

Incident response

Network security

Cloud security

ITSM familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Security / CS

Tools

SIEM

Firewalls

Vulnerability scanners

IR platforms

Job description

The Firewall Support Engineer plays a crucial role in safeguarding the company's data and systems. This individual is responsible for day-to-day administration of security infrastructure, monitoring breaches, conducting in-depth incident investigations, and implementing technical solutions to mitigate risks. The role requires a deep understanding of network protocols, security tools, and the ability to work under pressure during security incidents.

Responsibilities

• Incident Response: Investigate and respond to security incidents and breaches escalated from L1 support, performing root cause analysis to prevent recurrence.

• Monitoring & Analysis: Monitor and analyze security alerts and events from various sources, including SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) platforms (e.g.,QRADAR) and security dashboards.

• Vulnerability Management: Conduct regular vulnerability assessments and coordinate penetration testing activities to identify weaknesses in systems and networks.

• Security Infrastructure Management: Implement, configure, troubleshoot, and maintain security technologies such as firewalls (e.g., Palo Alto, Fortigate, Check Point), intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), EDR/AV, CipherTrust (Tokenization Server), HSM, 2FA, PAM, IBM Guradium and Rapid 7.

• Policy & Documentation: Develop, maintain, and enforce security policies, procedures, and documentation, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations.

• Threat Hunting: Proactively search for hidden threats, malware, and vulnerabilities in the system to enhance detection capabilities.

• Collaboration & Mentorship: Collaborate with IT, development, and L3 teams to address security issues and implement best practices. May also assist in training and mentoring junior (L1) security staff.

• Reporting: Prepare detailed reports and documentation of security incidents, analyses, and system status for management and compliance purposes.

• On-Call Support: May require participation in a 24/7 on-call rotation to address critical incidents and ensure minimal downtime and be onsite if necessary.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Information Security, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.

• Experience: 3+ years of proven experience in cybersecurity or information security roles, with a focus on L2 support or similar responsibilities. Minimally 1-2 years of experience in supporting mission critical systems with a stringent SLA of 99.9%

• Technical Proficiency: Strong understanding of security protocols, TCP/IP, network security, operating systems (Linux, Windows), and cloud security concepts. Well-versed in IT Service Management (ITSM) standards, processes, guidelines and best practices is an advantage.

• Tool Experience: Hands-on experience with security tools such as SIEM, firewalls, vulnerability scanners (e.g., Tenable), and incident response platforms.

• Certifications (Preferred): Relevant certifications such asCompTIASecurity+,CertifiedEthical Hacker (CEH),orCISSParehighly valued.

• Soft Skills: Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and excellent communication and collaboration skills.