Senior Network Engineer - Load Balancer / Firewall Specialist

Peraton is seeking an experienced Senior Network Engineer specializing in load balancing and firewall technologies to support enterprise network infrastructure and security operations. This individual will serve as a subject matter expert (SME) in application delivery, traffic management, and network security, with a primary focus on Palo Alto Networks firewalls and enterprise load balancing solutions. The Senior Network Engineer will lead the design, deployment, administration, and optimization of these technologies to ensure secure, reliable, and high performing network services across distributed and hybrid cloud environments.

The ideal candidate will bring hands on experience with Palo Alto Networks next generation firewalls and F5 BIG IP or comparable application delivery platforms, along with strong networking fundamentals, security policy management, and advanced troubleshooting skills.

This position requires full time, on site presence at one of the designated locations in Ashburn, VA; Springfield, VA; or Orlando, FL.

Day to Day Roles and Responsibilities:

• Architect, deploy, and manage enterprise load balancing platforms: F5 BIG-IP (LTM, GTM/DNS, ASM, APM), Citrix ADC (NetScaler), HAProxy, NGINX, or AWS/Azure load balancers
• Design and maintain Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) infrastructure with a primary focus on Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS, as well as Fortinet FortiGate, Cisco Firepower/FTD, or Check Point
• Develop and enforce firewall rulesets, security policies, NAT configurations, and zone-based access controls using Palo Alto Panorama for centralized policy management across distributed deployments
• Configure and manage Palo Alto-specific security features: App-ID, User-ID, Content-ID, Security Profiles (Antivirus, Anti-Spyware, Vulnerability Protection, URL Filtering, WildFire)
• Deploy and manage Palo Alto GlobalProtect for remote access VPN and mobile workforce security
• Configure and optimize load balancing algorithms, health monitors, persistence profiles, SSL offloading, and iRules/policies
• Manage SSL/TLS certificate lifecycles, including termination, re-encryption, and certificate management platforms
• Implement and maintain Web Application Firewall (WAF) policies - including Palo Alto Prisma Cloud and F5 ASM - to protect against OWASP Top 10 and application-layer threats
• Manage Palo Alto Panorama templates, device groups, and log forwarding at scale across multi-site deployments
• Support high availability (HA) architectures including active/active and active/passive clustering for both firewalls and load balancers
• Integrate load balancing and firewall solutions with hybrid and multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Perform firewall rule base audits, cleanup, and optimization to reduce attack surface
• Conduct traffic analysis and packet capture to diagnose complex application and connectivity issues
• Collaborate with application, DevOps, and security teams to onboard new services and define traffic policies
• Lead incident response for firewall- and load balancer-related outages and security events
• Participate in an on-call rotation to provide 24/7 support for critical infrastructure
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers on firewall and ADC architecture and operations
• Maintain up-to-date documentation: topology diagrams, rule justifications, runbooks, and change records

• Bachelor’s degree and 8 years of experience, a master’s degree and 6 years of experience, an associate’s degree and 10 years of experience, or a high school diploma or equivalent and 12 years of experience.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and eligible to obtain the required DHS CBP clearance.
• Minimum of 5 years of hands on network engineering experience, including at least 2 years dedicated to load balancing, firewall administration, or both.
• Demonstrated hands on experience administering and troubleshooting Palo Alto Networks PAN OS firewalls and F5 BIG IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) or a comparable application delivery controller (ADC).
• Experience configuring firewall security policies, NAT, application aware controls, and centralized firewall management using Palo Alto Panorama or equivalent tools.
• Strong understanding of load balancing, application delivery, SSL/TLS termination, health monitoring, and high availability configurations.
• Solid networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, HTTP/S, DNS, routing protocols, and network address translation.
• Experience analyzing network traffic, troubleshooting complex connectivity issues, and resolving problems across Layers 3 through 7 of the OSI model., * Experience supporting federal government, defense, or other regulated environments.
• An active DHS Public Trust or Top Secret security clearance or higher is preferred.
• Active Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification. CCNP Security is preferred, and CCNP Enterprise is acceptable.
• Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) or F5 BIG IP certification.
• Experience with Palo Alto GlobalProtect, Panorama, App ID, User ID, Content ID, and WildFire.
• Experience with Palo Alto Prisma Access, Prisma SD WAN, VM Series firewalls, or other cloud delivered security solutions.
• Experience with cloud security services across AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Familiarity with Web Application Firewall (WAF) technologies, including F5 Application Security Manager (ASM), and application security best practices.
• Experience with network security automation using Python, Ansible, Terraform, or vendor specific APIs.
• Knowledge of security monitoring and SIEM integrations, including Splunk, IBM QRadar, or Microsoft Sentinel.
• Familiarity with security and compliance frameworks, including NIST SP 800 53, FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA, or DoD Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs).
• Experience supporting federal government, defense, or other regulated environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Network Engineering, or a related field. Equivalent combinations of education, training, and professional certifications will be considered.
• Additional certifications such as CCIE Security, Palo Alto security certifications, Fortinet NSE certifications, Check Point CCSE, CompTIA Security+, or AWS and Azure security certifications.

Target Salary Range: $135,000 - $216,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

Benefits Statement: Peraton offers eligible employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, health savings account, short/long term disability, EAP, parental leave, 401(k), paid time off (PTO) for vacation, and company paid holidays. A full listing of available benefits can be viewed at https://www.careers.peraton.com/benefits.

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees solve the most daunting challenges that our customers face. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.