Network Security Engineer

Title: Tier 3 Network Security Engineer – Cisco Secure Firepower-W2
Location: Austin, TX
Duration: 12 Months/contract
Work Arrangement: Primarily Remote with Periodic On-Site Support

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a Tier 3 Network Security Engineer with deep Cisco Firepower expertise who can independently troubleshoot complex firewall, VPN, routing, and traffic-flow issues in a large enterprise environment. Candidates with Cisco FMC + Firepower + VPN + Snort 3 + advanced packet analysis experience should be prioritized

Position Overview:

We are seeking a highly skilled Tier 3 Network Security Engineer with strong hands-on expertise in Cisco Secure Firepower Firewalls to support an enterprise-scale Managed Network Services (MNS) environment for a state government agency.

The engineer will serve as a Tier 3 escalation point for complex firewall and network security issues, providing advanced troubleshooting, operational support, root cause analysis, and execution of approved network changes. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC), Firepower, VPN troubleshooting, traffic analysis, and enterprise network security.

Experience supporting large-scale enterprise or government environments and knowledge of Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN are highly desirable.

Location & Work Expectations:

• Position is primarily remote.
• Periodic on-site support in the Austin area will be required.
• On-site activities may include:
• Layer 1 / physical support
• Direct support during major or high-risk network changes
• Critical troubleshooting requiring hands-on access
• Availability for after-hours maintenance and scheduled change windows is required.
• Participation in an on-call rotation is required.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as a Tier 3 escalation point for complex firewall and network security incidents.
• Perform advanced troubleshooting and root cause analysis for Cisco Secure Firepower issues.
• Administer and support Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC).
• Monitor firewall health, system performance, traffic flows, and connection behavior.
• Analyze and troubleshoot network traffic using packet inspection and flow analysis.
• Configure, troubleshoot, and optimize:
• Access Control Rules
• NAT/PAT
• Security Intelligence policies
• IPS and File Policies
• Snort 3
• Troubleshoot and support site-to-site and remote-access VPNs, including Cisco AnyConnect.
• Support routing protocols within secured network environments.
• Participate in formal change management processes, including documentation, peer review, approvals, and scheduled implementations.
• Execute approved changes during after-hours maintenance windows when required.
• Participate in emergency incident response and on-call support.
• Collaborate with network engineering, security, operations, and other technical teams.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, network diagrams, configuration records, and operational reports.
• Support contractual and agency-defined operational and security processes.

Required Technical Skills:

• Strong hands-on experience with Cisco Secure Firepower Firewalls.
• Strong operational experience with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC).
• Advanced firewall troubleshooting and root cause analysis.
• Experience with Snort 3, including IPS and File Policies.
• Strong traffic flow analysis and packet inspection skills.
• Hands-on experience with NAT/PAT configuration and troubleshooting.
• Experience with Security Intelligence policies.
• Strong understanding of Access Control Rules and firewall policy analysis.
• Strong understanding of OSI Layers 1–7, particularly Layers 1–4.
• Proven experience troubleshooting Cisco AnyConnect VPN and other VPN technologies.
• Strong understanding of routing concepts and protocols in secured network environments.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN.
• Experience with ServiceNow or similar ITSM platforms.
• Experience creating and maintaining network topology diagrams.
• Microsoft Visio experience.
• Experience supporting enterprise-scale or government network environments.
• Managed Network Services (MNS) experience.

Soft Skills:

• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Excellent troubleshooting and analytical skills.
• Ability to clearly document technical findings, configurations, and change activities.
• Ability to work effectively in structured, process-driven environments.
• Strong collaboration skills with engineering, operations, and business stakeholders.
• Ability to remain effective during critical incidents and high-priority troubleshooting situations.