Security Firewall Administrator

Konnect IT Group, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Konnect IT Group, Inc. is seeking an experienced Senior Network Engineer for hands-on design, deployment, and maintenance of enterprise security and networking in Chicago. The role is onsite at O’Hare/Midway data-center locations and requires strong expertise with Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco, routing, VPN, and DNS.

You will document changes in ServiceNow and coordinate with vendors and clients. The ideal candidate has 5+ years in network engineering or security operations, plus certifications or

Qualifications

• 5+ years of enterprise network engineering, firewall administration, or security operations.
• Hands‑on experience with Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco and related platforms.
• Strong knowledge of firewall rules, ACLs, NAT/PAT, segmentation, logging, and security policy enforcement.
• Experience with OSPF, BGP, static routing, routing protocols, and IPsec VPN technologies.
• Experience using ServiceNow or similar ticketing/change-management systems.
• Excellent communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Configure, administer, maintain, and troubleshoot Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco, and related platforms.
• Manage firewall policies, VPN connectivity, routing, switching, and LAN security controls.
• Troubleshoot enterprise network and firewall issues using logs, CLI, and monitoring tools.
• Configure routing protocols and related enterprise network services.
• Support IPsec VPN, IOS upgrades, password recovery, and maintenance.
• Support DNS architecture and Infoblox where applicable.
• Monitor security environments with Panorama, FortiManager, Cisco DNA Center, SolarWinds, etc.
• Maintain incident, service request, and change-management documentation in ServiceNow.
• Develop implementation, test, contingency, and rollback plans; network diagrams and procedures.
• Coordinate with project managers, vendors, client stakeholders, and internal teams.
• Contribute to change-management, documentation, security, and operational procedures.
• Perform other network and security-related activities as assigned.

Skills

Enterprise network engineering

Firewall administration

TCP/IP & subnetting

OSPF/BGP routing

Incident management

Client/vendor coordination

Education

Bachelor’s or higher in IT/CS/Cybersecurity

Tools

Panorama

FortiManager

Cisco DNA Center

SolarWinds

Infoblox

Job description

Location: Chicago, IL — Onsite Only

Candidates must be able to work onsite at Chicago-area data center locations, including O’Hare and Midway. This is not a remote position.

What You’ll Do

• Configure, administer, maintain, and troubleshoot Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco, and related enterprise network security platforms.
• Manage firewall policies, ACLs, NAT/PAT, segmentation, logging, VPN connectivity, routing, switching, and LAN security controls.
• Troubleshoot enterprise network and firewall issues using ICMP, DNS, packet analysis, logs, command-line tools, and monitoring platforms.
• Configure and support routing protocols including OSPF, BGP, static routing, and related enterprise network services.
• Configure and troubleshoot TCP/IP, IP subnetting, spanning-tree protocols, VLANs, trunking, tunneling, vPCs, switch stacks, and VSS.
• Support IPsec VPN configuration, troubleshooting, and connectivity.
• Perform IOS upgrades, password recovery, and related network maintenance activities.
• Support Infoblox and DNS architecture where applicable.
• Monitor network security environments using tools such as Panorama, FortiManager, Cisco DNA Center, Cisco Prime, Cisco ISE, SolarWinds, or similar platforms.
• Support incident response, outage troubleshooting, service restoration, and escalation activities.
• Maintain accurate incident, service request, and change-management documentation in ServiceNow.
• Develop implementation plans, test plans, contingency plans, backout plans, firewall change documentation, network diagrams, and operational procedures.
• Coordinate work with project managers, technical leads, vendors, client stakeholders, and internal infrastructure teams.
• Contribute to consistent change-management, documentation, security, and operational procedures.
• Perform other network and security-related activities as assigned.

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of enterprise network engineering, firewall administration, or network security operations experience.
• Strong hands‑on experience administering and troubleshooting enterprise firewall and network environments.
• Palo Alto PCCET certification or equivalent experience.
• Fortinet NSE 1–3 or higher, or equivalent experience.
• Strong understanding of firewall rules, ACLs, NAT/PAT, network segmentation, logging, and security policy enforcement.
• Hands‑on knowledge of TCP/IP, IP subnetting, routing, switching, VLANs, trunking, spanning tree, and enterprise network architecture.
• Experience configuring and troubleshooting OSPF, BGP, static routing, and related network protocols.
• Experience with IPsec VPN technologies.
• Strong incident‑management, troubleshooting, escalation, and change‑control discipline.
• Experience using ServiceNow or a similar enterprise ticketing and change‑management platform.
• Strong Microsoft Visio or network diagramming skills.
• Excellent customer service, written communication, verbal communication, documentation, and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively across client, vendor, technical, and management teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Cisco CCNA or CCNP.
• Additional Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco, or network security certifications.
• Experience with Panorama, FortiManager, Cisco DNA Center, Cisco Prime, Cisco ISE, SolarWinds, or similar enterprise management platforms.
• Experience with Infoblox and DNS architecture.
• College degree in information technology, cybersecurity, networking, computer science, or a related field.
• Experience supporting highly regulated, mission‑critical, or airport technology environments.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to work onsite at Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway airports as the standard work arrangement.
• Must be able to pass a TSA background check.
• Valid Driver’s License or State ID required.
• Ability to support incident response, maintenance windows, and other operational requirements as needed.

Job Details

Pay: $130,000–$150,000 annually, negotiable, plus benefits

Location: Chicago, IL – City of Chicago Airports

Work Arrangement: Onsite; this is not a remote position.