Sr. Technical Support Engineer, Focused Services, NGFW

Palo Alto Networks; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 103,400 - 167,200; Full time

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks in Reston, Virginia is seeking a Senior Technical Support Engineer to drive customer success in the cybersecurity industry. In this role, you will provide tailored support for complex post-sales challenges, ensuring a deep evaluation of multiple factors.

The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of progressive experience in network security and technical support, along with strong communication skills for diverse audiences. This position offers competitive compensation including salary and bonuses.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in network security or technical support engineering.
• Strong grasp of OSI layers and networking operations.
• Excellent communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert-level technical assistance and troubleshoot issues.
• Act as a customer advocate and support diverse needs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for project enhancements.

Skills

Expert Troubleshooting

Network Security

Technical Communication

AI Optimization

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education

BS in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Wireshark

tcpdump

GNS3

Job description

Job Summary

Are you passionate about driving customer success in the cybersecurity industry? We are looking for a dynamic and proactive Senior Technical Support Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will work closely with our valued customers to address their complex post‑sales challenges, where analyzing situations or data requires a deep and comprehensive evaluation of multiple factors. As a critical thinker, you will leverage advanced methods, techniques, and assessment criteria to drive effective solutions. Your strong ability to articulate intricate technical issues to both technical and non‑technical audiences will enable you to collaborate seamlessly with stakeholders beyond your immediate domain of expertise. In this role, you will serve as a designated customer advocate, delivering tailored support that includes weekly reviews, root cause analysis for critical issues, release assessments, upgrade planning, and quarterly business reviews. You will develop an in‑depth understanding of each customer’s unique implementation and business objectives, proactively driving best practices to enhance their security posture. Regularly engaging in technical discussions with cross‑functional teams, you will foster a culture of transparency that leads to stronger products, improved workflows, and enhanced cybersecurity. Your agility and problem‑solving skills will be crucial in providing rapid, high‑quality assistance often in high‑pressure situations, ensuring our customers feel supported every step of the way.

Key Responsibilities

• Expert Troubleshooting & Fault Isolation: Deliver expert‑level technical assistance to customers, taking complete ownership of support cases including multi‑vendor troubleshooting and fault isolation. Replicate customer network issues and validate configurations in a lab environment to expedite resolution.
• AI Optimization & Troubleshooting: Leverage internal AI‑powered diagnostic utilities, automated log analyzers, and machine learning tools to accelerate root‑cause analysis, optimize multi‑vendor troubleshooting workflows, and decrease time‑to‑resolution for complex network security events.
• Customer Advocacy & Strategic Support: Act as a designated advocate driving customer success. Understand unique implementations and business objectives to deliver tailored support, including structured weekly reviews, root cause analysis, upgrade planning, release assessments, and QBRs.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Partner effectively with stakeholders beyond the immediate domain, engaging with cross‑functional teams (Account, Sales, Engineering, QA) to address software defects, enhancements, and strategic customer requests.
• Knowledge Base & Technical Asset Authoring: Author Technical Support Bulletins and troubleshooting guides to enhance internal and customer‑facing resource repositories. Driving technical enablement by conducting screenings and onboarding new hires on technical/soft skills.
• Provide support that includes mandatory weekend, holiday shift work and on‑call support. Support includes a blend of as‑needed and rotational coverage, which is subject to change.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive experience in network security or enterprise technical support engineering.
• Education: BS in computer science, information technology, computer architecture, electrical engineering, mathematics, or related experience / equivalent military experience required.
• Advanced Network Analysis & OSI Debugging: Deep understanding of packet flow across multiple OSI layers, along with advanced knowledge of networking operations (TCP and UDP, SNMP, IPv6, VLSM, CIDR, and NAT - Static, Dynamic, and PAT).
• Diagnostic Tool Expertise: High proficiency with advanced network troubleshooting tools (e.g., Wireshark, tcpdump, GNS3).
• Authentication Integration: Strong grasp of enterprise authentication and directory protocols (LDAP, TACACS+, Radius).
• Stakeholder Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills; proven track record of clearly articulating technical issues to both technical and non‑technical audiences, explaining technical impact in crisp business terms to executive and C‑level stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Virtualization experience (AWS, Azure, VMWare, OpenStack).
• Experience with Windows, MAC OS, and Linux (Debugging, Editing Registries, Plist, etc.).
• Experience with Python or Shell scripting to automate troubleshooting data collection.
• Multi‑Vendor Security Appliance Exposure (Cisco Advanced Security Appliances, Palo Alto Next‑Generation Firewalls, Prisma Access, Cisco Firepower, Checkpoint Firewalls, Cisco Switches, and Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems).

Compensation Disclosure

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non‑sales roles) or base salary + commission target (for sales/com‑missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here (https://benefits.paloaltonetworks.com/).

$103,400.00 - $167,200.00/yr

Employment Conditions

While the Company will consider applicants who have current work authorization and require a transfer of an existing H‑1B visa, the Company is not currently considering applicants who require new visa sponsorship (including new H‑1B petitions) or individuals currently in OPT/CPT status who will require future sponsorship to maintain work authorization.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship?: Yes

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at [e-mail].

Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.