Network Security / Firewall Services

🧭 Key Responsibilities

1️⃣ Incident & Problem Management (Level 2 Scope)

• Handle escalated incidents from Level 1
• Troubleshoot complex firewall issues (routing, NAT, clustering, performance)
• Perform deep packet analysis when required
• Conduct root cause analysis (RCA)
• Identify recurring issues and open Problem records
• Participate in post-mortem analysis and improvement plans
• Participate in Level 2 on-call rotation

Firewall Engineering & Automation

• Design and maintain automation for:
• Software upgrades (CheckPoint, Fortinet, Open-Source)
• Cluster upgrades and failover validation
• Policy deployment pipelines
• Backup & restore procedures
• Implement infrastructure changes through:
• Ansible / AWX
• Git-based workflows
• CI/CD pipelines
• Ensure infrastructure changes are reproducible and version-controlled
• Contribute to Git repositories and review pull requests
• Maintain configuration as code principles

Configuration Governance & CMDB Integrity

• Ensure all firewall objects and rules align with CMDB data
• Enforce Source of Truth model (e.g., NetBox or equivalent)
• Avoid manual configuration drift
• Implement validation checks before deployment
• Contribute to compliance reporting

Firewall Platform Expertise

🔐 Check Point Software Technologies

• R8x architecture
• Management Server / MDS
• SmartConsole
• ClusterXL
• Policy installation & troubleshooting

🔐 Fortinet

• FortiGate
• FortiManager
• HA clusters
• Security Fabric integration

🔐 Open-Source Firewalls

• nftables / iptables
• pfSense
• OPNsense
• Strong understanding of Linux networking stack

5️⃣ DevOps & Engineering Practices

• Infrastructure as Code mindset
• CI/CD pipeline integration
• Unit testing for automation scripts
• Use of Git branching strategies
• Observability integration (logs, metrics, alerts)
• Secure coding practices for automation

6️⃣ Upgrade & Lifecycle Management

• Plan and execute:
• Major version upgrades
• Hotfix deployment
• Security patching
• Automate pre-checks and post-checks
• Maintain upgrade playbooks
• Document rollback strategies

7️⃣ Security & Compliance

• Ensure firewall configurations align with security policies
• Support audit evidence collection
• Support vulnerability remediation
• Ensure secure configuration standards, and best practices
• Participate in security hardening initiatives

🛠 Technical Skills Required

Mandatory

• 5+ years in enterprise firewall engineering
• Strong knowledge of:
• CheckPoint R8x
• FortiGate
• Solid understanding of:
• TCP/IP
• Routing (BGP, OSPF basics)
• NAT
• VPN technologies
• Experience with Linux networking
• Experience with automation (Ansible preferred)
• Git proficiency
• Strong troubleshooting skills

Nice to Have

• Experience with containerized firewall deployment
• API-driven firewall configuration
• Experience with CI/CD tools (GitLab CI, etc.)
• Experience integrating firewalls with cloud (AWS)
• Experience in high-availability architectures

🧠 Soft Skills

• Analytical mindset
• Ability to perform structured RCA
• Autonomous and proactive
• Strong documentation discipline
• Ability to mentor Level 1 engineers
• Clear communication during incident bridges