Firewall & Network Security Specialist

Security 1st Consulting; Newport News, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

NNPS is seeking a Firewall and Network Security Specialist to conduct a comprehensive review of firewall configurations, policies, and IPS settings across two data centers. You will document findings tied to threat patterns and NIST 800-53 boundary protection controls, coordinate on-site reviews with IT staff, and deliver actionable remediation steps to strengthen network security.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years of enterprise firewall experience and vendor certifications such as PCNSE, NSE 4, or

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience reviewing and assessing enterprise firewall configurations.
• Active firewall vendor certification: Palo Alto PCNSE, Fortinet NSE 4+, Cisco CCNP Security, or equivalent.
• Experience evaluating IPS configurations and firewall rule logic.

Responsibilities

• Conduct on-site and remote review of firewall configuration, rule sets, policies, and logs.
• Review overall firewall architecture and network boundary protection strategy.
• Evaluate application-level controls, protocol filters, and traffic management configurations.
• Assess Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) configuration and effectiveness.
• Document configuration weaknesses, policy gaps, and rule conflicts with remediation steps.
• Frame findings in the context of NIST 800-53 boundary protection and network access control requirements.
• Coordinate on-site access with NNPS IT staff to review configuration without disrupting operations

Skills

Firewall configuration review

Written communication

Education

PCNSE Certification

NSE 4 Certification

CCNP Security Certification

Tools

Palo Alto Networks

Fortinet

Cisco Security

Job description

The Firewall and Network Security Specialist conducts a comprehensive review of NNPS firewall configuration, access policies, and IPS settings. The NNPS network spans two geographically diverse data centers connected by a privately-owned fiber WAN serving 50+ facilities. You will review the full firewall architecture and produce specific, actionable findings tied to current threat patterns and NIST 800-53 boundary protection controls

Responsibilities

• Conduct on-site and remote review of NNPS firewall configuration, rule sets, policies, and logs.
• Review overall firewall architecture and network boundary protection strategy.
• Evaluate application-level controls, protocol filters, and traffic management configurations.
• Assess Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) configuration and effectiveness.
• Document configuration weaknesses, policy gaps, and rule conflicts with clear remediation steps.
• Frame findings in the context of NIST 800-53 boundary protection and network access control requirements.
• Coordinate on-site access with NNPS IT staff to review configuration without disrupting operations

Required Qualifications

• 5 or more years of experience reviewing and assessing enterprise firewall configurations.
• Active firewall vendor certification — Palo Alto PCNSE, Fortinet NSE 4 or higher, Cisco CCNP Security, or equivalent.
• Experience evaluating IPS configurations and firewall rule logic.
• Strong written communication skills for findings documentation.

Preferred Qualifications

• CISSP or CISM certification.
• Experience with K-12 or municipal government network environments.
• Familiarity with WAN environments using privately-owned fiber infrastructure.
• Experience reviewing firewall configurations in the context of NIST 800-53 compliance