Fortinet Network Engineer/Architect with Security Clearance

Job: Fortinet Network Engineer / Architect Location: Costa Mesa, CA (onsite) Contract: 4-6 months (3-5 days/week for the first 90 days, then part-time) Overview Seeking a senior Fortinet engineer/architect to support a Cisco-to-Fortinet wireless migration. This role will embed onsite to stabilize network performance, resolve roaming/connectivity issues, and define a repeatable deployment model. Responsibilities * Lead wireless validation (Ekahau); resolve coverage gaps, roaming issues, RF interference, and misconfigs * Troubleshoot FortiGate/FortiOS (policies, routing, NAT, HA, IPS/AV impacts) * Optimize SD-WAN (rules, health checks, SLAs, BGP/OSPF overlays) * Assess switching, VLANs, uplinks, and IDF/MDF readiness * Conduct wireless stress testing (iPerf) and document findings * Develop a standardized Fortinet deployment playbook * Present findings and remediation plans to technical teams and stakeholders Requirements * Strong Fortinet experience: FortiAP, FortiGate, FortiOS, FortiWLC, SD-WAN * Proven troubleshooting in complex enterprise wireless environments * Cisco-to-Fortinet migration experience preferred * Knowledge of FortiWLC vs. FortiOS controller models * Strong routing (BGP, OSPF), NAT, and SD-WAN expertise * Experience standardizing multi-site deployments Certifications * NSE 4 (required) * NSE 7 / FCSS (preferred) * NSE 8 (preferred) Soft Skills * Strong client-facing communication (technical + executive) * Self-directed, hands-on problem solver * Collaborative with internal teams