Senior WAN & Security Network Architect (SD-WAN Palo Alto)

Cognizant; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off

401(k) plan and contributions

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Senior Network Technology Specialist to design, deploy and optimize WAN and SD-WAN solutions, including Cisco Viptela and Palo Alto Prisma Access, to deliver secure, resilient enterprise connectivity and align with business outcomes.

You will lead high-level design activities, coordinate with cross-functional teams and service providers, and ensure devices run current software while maintaining data across security and routing platforms.

Qualifications

• 6–10 years of hands-on experience with network security, VPNs, and QoS.
• Design expertise in WAN, Cisco SD-WAN Viptela (vSmart, vBond, vManage, vEdge) and IPsec.
• Ability to design, deploy, and troubleshoot large-scale WAN solutions with strong communication.
• Knowledge of Prisma Access SSE or SSE products and routing protocols (BGP, OSPF).
• CCNP Enterprise certification required; SSE certifications are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and implementation of WAN requirements, including circuit migration and SD-WAN.
• Develop HLD and deployment plans and coordinate with stakeholders.
• Ensure devices are upgraded to latest versions and data is maintained in databases.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to maintain network standards with minimal business impact.
• Coordinate with service providers for quotes, circuit renewal, delivery, upgrades, and SLAs.

Skills

Network security

VPNs

QoS

Service provider coordination

Circuit lifecycle

Education

CCNP Enterprise

Tools

Palo Alto Prisma Access

Cisco SD-WAN (Viptela)

Job description

Cognizant is seeking a Senior Network Technology Specialist to design, deploy and optimize WAN and SD-WAN solutions, including Cisco Viptela and Palo Alto Prisma Access, to deliver secure, resilient enterprise connectivity and align with business outcomes.

You will lead high-level design activities, coordinate with cross-functional teams and service providers, and ensure devices run current software while maintaining data across security and routing platforms.