Network Engineer - Firewall & Load Balancing

Peraton; Ashburn (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Peraton is seeking an experienced Network Engineer—Firewall & Load Balancing—to design, implement, and secure enterprise network security infrastructure. The role focuses on F5 BIG-IP load balancing, Palo Alto NGFW, and Cisco FTD managed via FMC, with onsite work in Ashburn, Springfield, or Orlando.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience with enterprise security platforms, network troubleshooting, secure configurations, and collaboration with government stakeholders to ensure secure,

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hands-on experience in enterprise network engineering or security.
• Experience administering F5 BIG-IP solutions including LTM, SSL, and traffic management.
• Experience configuring Palo Alto NGFWs, VPNs, NAT, and Panorama.
• Experience supporting Cisco FTD devices via FMC and related security policies.
• Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, routing, VLANs, and network segmentation.
• Experience with network monitoring tools such as SolarWinds, Splunk, or Wireshark.

Responsibilities

• Design, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot enterprise network security infrastructure.
• Administer F5 BIG-IP environments including LTM, GTM, virtual servers, pools, and iRules.
• Manage SSL profiles, health monitors, and traffic policies for load balancing.
• Support Palo Alto NGFW policies, decryption, and VPN configurations via Panorama.
• Operate Cisco FTD devices using FMC and tune security policies.
• Develop and maintain ACP, IPS, and Snort rule tuning within FMC and security platforms.
• Perform firewall event analysis, incident investigations, and root cause analysis.
• Support network performance, SLA adherence, VLANs, and VPN connectivity.

Skills

F5 BIG-IP

Palo Alto NGFW

Cisco FTD

FMC

VLANs

VPN configurations

TCP/IP networking

Security principles

Zero Trust

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Associate's degree

High school diploma/equivalent

Tools

F5 BIG-IP LTM

F5 GTM/DNS

Palo Alto Panorama

Cisco FMC

Wireshark

SolarWinds

Splunk

PRTG

Job description

Network Engineer – Firewall & Load Balancing

Job Locations: US-VA-Springfield | US-VA-Ashburn | US-FL-Orlando

Responsibilities

Peraton is seeking an experienced Network Engineer to join our team of qualified and diverse individuals. The Network Engineer – Firewall & Load Balancing will support the DHS CBP Network Operations Center (NOC) by designing, implementing, securing, and maintaining enterprise network security infrastructure. This role will provide hands‑on support for mission‑critical network environments with a focus on F5 BIG‑IP load‑balancing solutions, Palo Alto Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW), and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) managed through Firepower Management Center (FMC).

The ideal candidate will have experience managing complex enterprise security platforms, troubleshooting network security issues, implementing secure configurations, and supporting hybrid infrastructure environments. The Network Security Engineer will collaborate with network operations, cybersecurity teams, and government stakeholders to maintain secure, reliable, and compliant network services.

Location: Onsite based in either Ashburn, VA, Springfield, VA or Orlando, FL. Candidates must reside near one of these locations to be considered.

• Design, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot enterprise network security infrastructure, including firewalls, load balancers, VPN solutions, and network security platforms.
• Administer and support F5 BIG‑IP environments, including Local Traffic Manager (LTM), Global Traffic Manager (GTM/DNS), virtual servers, pools, iRules, SSL profiles, health monitors, and traffic policies.
• Perform SSL/TLS certificate management, traffic optimization, application delivery troubleshooting, and load‑balancing configuration.
• Support F5 Advanced Web Application Firewall (WAF) policies and security configurations.
• Configure and manage Palo Alto Networks Next Generation Firewalls, including security policies, NAT, QoS, decryption, and VPN configurations.
• Administer Palo Alto Panorama for centralized firewall management across enterprise environments.
• Configure and maintain Palo Alto security capabilities, including App‑ID, User‑ID, Content‑ID, Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, and WildFire.
• Manage Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) devices using Firepower Management Center (FMC).
• Develop and maintain Access Control Policies (ACP), IPS policies, malware inspection policies, and Snort rule tuning within Cisco FMC.
• Perform firewall event analysis, security monitoring, incident investigation, and troubleshooting activities.
• Support network engineering activities including VLANs, segmentation, routing protocols, VPN connectivity, and network performance optimization.
• Develop and maintain network documentation including diagrams, standard operating procedures, and technical runbooks.
• Support change management activities by ensuring network security changes are tested, documented, approved, and implemented in accordance with established processes.
• Monitor network performance, troubleshoot incidents, perform root cause analysis, and support service level agreement (SLA) requirements.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to support Zero Trust architecture, defense in depth strategies, and security compliance requirements.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree with 8 years of experience, Master’s degree and 6 years of experience, Associate’s degree with 10 years of experience, or high school diploma/equivalent with 12 years of experience.
• U.S. citizenship (required for CBP and government positions).
• Must have the ability to obtain a CBP Public Trust clearance.
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience supporting enterprise network engineering or network security environments.
• Experience administering and troubleshooting F5 BIG‑IP solutions, including LTM, virtual servers, pools, SSL profiles, and traffic management configurations.
• Experience configuring and managing Palo Alto Networks Next Generation Firewalls, including security policies, NAT, VPNs, and Panorama administration.
• Experience supporting Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) devices using Firepower Management Center (FMC).
• Strong understanding of network security concepts, TCP/IP networking, OSI model, routing protocols, VLANs, VPNs, and network segmentation.
• Experience using network monitoring and troubleshooting tools such as SolarWinds, PRTG, Splunk, Wireshark, or similar platforms.

Desired Qualifications:

• Active security clearance required; DHS clearance or prior DHS suitability preferred.
• Experience supporting DHS, CBP, federal government, or other mission‑critical network environments.
• Experience with DISA STIGs, NIST 800‑53 security controls, or federal cybersecurity compliance requirements.
• Experience supporting SD‑WAN technologies such as Palo Alto Prisma SD‑WAN or Cisco Viptela.
• Experience supporting cloud networking environments, including AWS, Azure, and hybrid connectivity solutions.
• Experience with network automation and scripting using Python, Ansible, Terraform, or similar technologies.
• Experience using IT Service Management platforms such as ServiceNow or Remedy.
• Experience supporting legacy Cisco ASA migration to Cisco Firepower Threat Defense.
• Preferred Certifications:
  • F5 Certified BIG‑IP Administrator (F5‑CA)
  • Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE)
  • Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Security or CCNP Enterprise
  • Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Security
  • CompTIA Security+ or equivalent security certification

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.