Data Center Network Security Engineer- Sangamon (Information System Analyst II, Opt. N)

Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT); Springfield (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Pension plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) seeks a Data Center Network Security Engineer in Sangamon County to design, implement, and maintain secure data center communications. You will work with firewalls, load balancers, IDS/IPS, and related security components, aligning with organizational standards and incident response processes.

Ideal candidates have 3+ years in network security, hands-on firewall experience (Palo Alto/Cisco), and strong documentation skills.

Qualifications

• Requires four years of college coursework in computer science or related field.
• Three years of professional experience in network services or a related IT field.
• Specialized skills include data center security architecture for on-premises and cloud.
• Experience with enterprise firewalls, firmware updates, and high-availability incidents.
• OS I model knowledge, network diagnostics, and traffic analysis using industry tools.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Data Center Network Security Engineer for Sangamon County.
• Define secure architecture requirements and design security communications.
• Configure, test, and maintain firewall models and load balancers.
• Stay current on products, vendors, and security procedures through ongoing education.
• Coordinate with stakeholders and vendors on security initiatives.

Skills

Data center security

Firewall administration

Network troubleshooting

Security incident response

Technical coordination

Analytical reasoning

Verbal and written communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Wireshark

Panorama

Palo Alto Networks

Cisco firewall systems

Job description

Are you looking for a rewarding career with an organization that values their staff? The Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) is seeking to hire qualified candidates with the opportunity to work in a dynamic, creative thinking, problem solving environment. This position serves as a Data Center Network Security Engineer- Sangamon County for the DoIT, in performing complex hardware and software installations, designing specifications, developing, and modifying secure Data Center network communications, including related security components. In this role, you will assume accountability of deliverables, including maintaining accuracy, compliance with security standards, and alignment with organizational objectives. Additionally, you will collaborate with stakeholders to define secure architecture requirements and design specifications to Data Center security communications, including firewalls, micro-segmentation technologies, intrusion detection/prevention systems, network security appliances, application load balancers, internet filtering solutions, and supporting infrastructure. If you possess these knowledges, skills, abilities, and experience, we invite you to apply for this position to join the DoIT Team!

As a State of Illinois employee, you receive a comprehensive benefits package including:

• Competitive Group Insurance benefits including health, life, dental and vision plans
• Flexible work schedules (when available and dependent upon position)
• 10-25 days of paid vacation time annually (10 days for first year of state employment)
• 12 days of paid sick time annually which carryover year to year
• 3 paid personal business days per year
• 13-14 paid holidays per year dependent on election years
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• Pension plan through the State Employees Retirement System
• Deferred Compensation Program – voluntary supplemental retirement plan
• Optional pre-tax programs -Medical Care Assistance Plan (MCAP) & Dependent Care Assistant Plan (DCAP)
• Tuition Reimbursement Program and Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program eligibility

Essential Functions

• Under administrative direction, serves as a Data Center Network Security Engineer for Sangamon County for the Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) performing complex hardware and software installations, designing specifications, developing, and modifying secure Data Center network communications, including related security components.
• Collaborates with users/stakeholders to define secure architecture requirements and design specifications to Data Center security communications, including firewalls, micro-segmentation technologies, intrusion detection/prevention systems, network security appliances, application load balancers, internet filtering solutions, and supporting infrastructure.
• Configures, tests, and maintains diverse firewall models, application load balancers, micro-segmentation solutions, and network security systems such as Intrusion Detection (IDS), and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) to safeguard critical infrastructure.
• Keeps abreast of new developments in the information technology field by continuing education throughonline training platforms,meetings, training sessions, seminars, and conferences to increase familiarity with and remain current on products, vendors, techniques, and procedures.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college with course work in computer science or directly related fields.
• Requires three (3) years of professional experience in Network Services or a related Information Technology field.

Specialized Skills

• Requires three (3) years of professional experience in data center network security, including designing, implementing, documenting and maintaining secure architectures for on-premises and cloud environments in alignment with organizational and regulatory security standards, including experience with formal change control processes, configuration management and audit-ready documentation.
• Requires three (3) years of professional experience with enterprise firewall administration, including configuration, testing, maintenance, upgrades, and hardening of diverse firewall models (e.g. Palo/Cisco) to safeguard critical infrastructure, as well as implementing vendor-recommended firmware/software updates, coordinating vendor support, and resolving production incidents in high-availability environments.
• Requires three (3) years of professional experience with OSI Model Layers 1 through 7, network diagnostic tool integration, packet analyzers, and complex network troubleshooting, including administration of enterprise security systems and traffic analysis using tools including Wireshark and Panorama and participation in incident response, root cause analysis and SLA-driven break/fix operations using enterprise monitoring platforms.
• Requires three (3) years of professional experience with data center and cloud network security architecture, including micro-segmentation technologies, application load balancers, traffic management and internet/content filtering solutions supporting muti-tiered applications, including capacity planning, performance optimization, vulnerability assessment, and collaboration with stakeholders to define secure architecture requirements.
• Requires three (3) years of experience with intrusion detection and protection systems (IDS/IPS), Domain Name Services (DNS) administration, including analysis of security events and implementation of mitigation strategies to ensure secure and efficient traffic flow.
• Requires three (3) years of professional experience in technical project coordination, including multitasking across complex security initiatives, collaborating with stakeholders and vendors, supporting change control processes and strategic planning for data center network security implementations.
• Ability to analyze data logically and exercise sound judgement in defining and evaluating problems of an operational or procedural nature.
• Ability to lead and coordinate cross-functional teams, aligning individual contributions toward shared goals to consistently deliver high-impact results.
• Developed verbal and written communication skills to present technical information clearly and precisely to diverse audiences, including business users, development teams, and agency executives.
• Certifications in one or more of the following: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Security, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Security, CompTIA Security, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Routing and Switching, Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (CCSE), or similar relevant certification(s) in Information Security.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three (3) years of professional experience in data center network security, including designing, implementing, documenting and maintaining secure architectures for on-premises and cloud environments in alignment with organizational and regulatory security standards, including experience with formal change control processes, configuration management and audit-ready documentation.
• Three (3) years of professional experience with enterprise firewall administration, including configuration, testing, maintenance, upgrades, and hardening of diverse firewall models (e.g. Palo/Cisco) to safeguard critical infrastructure as well as implementing vendor-recommended firmware/software updates, coordinating vendor support, and resolving production incidents in high-availability environments.
• Three (3) years of professional experience with OSI Model Layers 1 through 7, network diagnostic tool integration, packet analyzers, and complex network troubleshooting, including administration of enterprise security systems and traffic analysis using tools such as Wireshark and Panorama and participation in incident response, root cause analysis and SLA-driven break/fix operations using enterprise monitoring platforms.
• Three (3) years of professional experience with data center or cloud network security architecture, including micro-segmentation technologies, application load balancers, traffic management and internet/content filtering solutions supporting multi-tiered applications including capacity planning, performance optimization, vulnerability assessment, and collaboration with stakeholders to define secure architecture requirements.
• Three (3) years of experience with intrusion detection and protection systems (IDS/IPS), Domain Name Services (DNS) administration, including analysis of security events and implementation of mitigation strategies to ensure secure and efficient traffic flow.
• Three (3) years of professional experience in technical project coordination, including multitasking across complex security initiatives, collaborating with stakeholders and vendors, supporting change control processes and strategic planning for data center network security implementations.
• Ability to analyze data logically and exercise sound judgement in defining and evaluating problems of an operational or procedural nature.
• Ability to lead and coordinate cross-functional teams, aligning individual contributions toward shared goals to consistently deliver high-impact results.
• Developed verbal and written communication skills to present technical information clearly and precisely to disparate audiences, including business users, development teams, and agency executives.
• Certifications in one or more of the following: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Security, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Security, CompTIA Security, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Routing and Switching, Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (CCSE), or similar relevant certification(s) in Information Security.

Conditions of Employment

• Requires the ability to verify identity.
• Requires employment authorizationto accept permanent full-time position with State of Illinois.
• Requires the ability to pass a position specific, agencyrequiredbackground checkand requiresself-disclosure of criminal history.
• Requirestheability to travelin performance of duties.
• Requires the ability to work overtime including scheduled, unscheduled, short notice, evening, weekends, and holiday.
• Requires the ability to attend seminars, conferences, and training to remain current on methods, tools, ideologies, or other industry related topics relevant to job duties.
• Requires the ability to lift and carry objects or equipment weighing up to30pounds.This is considered medium work as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor (20 CFR 404.1567(c)). Medium work involves lifting no more than 50 pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying objects weighing up to 30 pounds.
• Requires adherence to the revolving door restrictions outlined in 5 ILCS 430/5-45. Consequently, employees should be aware that in the event of receiving a non-State employment offer during state employment or within one year immediately following the termination of State employment, they arerequiredto inform the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies(OEIG) of the Illinois Governor before accepting such non-State employment. Failure to notify the OEIG may result in the imposition of a fine.
• Requires compliance with the provisions outlined in section 4A-101 of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act,necessitatingthe occupant of this position to file of a Statement of Economic Interest.Pursuant to the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act (5 ILCS 420/4A et seq.), specific state officials and employeesare required toannuallysubmitStatements of Economic Interest to the Office of the Secretary of State, which will be accessible to the public for examination and copying. Employees subject to thisrequirementmust also file a Supplemental Statement of Economic Interest with the Executive Ethics Commission, as specified in Executive Order 15-09. Failure tosubmitthese statements in a timely mannermay result in fines and penalties.
• The conditions of employment listed are incorporated and/or related to any duties included in the position description.

The Department of Innovation & Technology (DolT) is the state's IT agency delivering an enterprise approach to statewide technology, innovation, and telecommunication services, as well as policy and standards development, lifecycle investment planning, and cybersecurity services. With over 1,500 employees, DolT delivers IT services and innovative solutions to customer agencies to improve services provided to Illinois residents, DolT offers employees the opportunity to advance their careers, develop new skills and reach their potential, both personally and professionally. DoIT is committed to promoting and preserving a workplace culture that embraces diversity and inclusion. We welcome and value employees with different backgrounds, life experiences and talents. It is the collective sum of our individual differences that provides a broad perspective, leading to greater innovation and achievement.

In recruiting for our team, we recognize the unique contributions of each applicant regardless of culture, ethnicity, race, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, age, religion, disability, and sexual orientation.

Revolving Door

Certain provisions of the revolving door restrictions contained in 5 ILCS 430/5-45 apply to this position. As a result, the employee should be aware that if offered non-State employment during State employment or within one year immediately after ending State employment, the employee shall, prior to accepting any such non-State employment offer, notify the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor (“OEIG”) or may be subject to a fine.

Statement of Economic Interests

This position is subject to Statement of Economic Interests filing as required by the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act.

This position DOES contain “Specialized Skills” (as that term is used in CBAs).

Nearest Major Market: Springfield