Senior Security Engineer Palo Alto Network

Job Description: Senior Security Engineer (Palo Alto Network)

• *Location: Hyderabad Department: Security Engineering Employment Type: Full-Time*

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Security Engineer Palo Alto r Senior Network Security Engineer.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, configure, deploy, and maintain Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) using Panorama and/or Strata Cloud Manager (SCM).
• Develop, review, and optimize firewall security policies, NAT rules, App-ID/User-ID/Content-ID configurations, and security profiles.
• Manage firewall rule base hygiene, including periodic rule reviews, cleanup of unused/overly permissive rules, and change control documentation.
• Monitor firewall health, performance, and log data (via Panorama, SCM, or SIEM integration) to proactively identify anomalies and security incidents.
• Troubleshoot complex network and security issues across LAN, WAN, VPN (site-to-site and remote access), and cloud connectivity (Prisma Access/SASE).
• Support firewall upgrades, patching, HA pair configuration/failover testing, and disaster recovery planning.
• Collaborate with network, security operations, and infrastructure teams on architecture design, segmentation strategy, and Zero Trust initiatives.
• Participate in incident response activities, providing firewall log analysis and containment actions as needed.
• Participate in an On-Call rotation to support P1/P2 firewall and network security incidents outside of business hours.
• Maintain accurate documentation of network diagrams, firewall configurations, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and change records.
• Ensure compliance with internal security policies and relevant regulatory/industry frameworks (e.g., HIPAA, NIST, PCI-DSS as applicable).
• Evaluate new Palo Alto features/releases and recommend adoption where it improves security posture or operational efficiency.
• Provide Tier 2/3 escalation support and mentor junior team members on firewall and networking best practices.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of hands-on experience administering Palo Alto Networks firewalls via Panorama and/or Strata Cloud Manager (SCM).
• Strong foundational networking knowledge: TCP/IP, routing (static/OSPF/BGP), switching, VLANs, DNS, DHCP, and network segmentation concepts.
• Proven experience configuring security zones, security/NAT policies, App-ID, User-ID, SSL decryption, and threat prevention profiles.
• Experience with VPN technologies (IPSec site-to-site, Global Protect remote access).
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills; able to diagnose and resolve complex network/security issues under pressure.
• Solid understanding of network security best practices, including least-privilege access and defense-in-depth principles.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively across cross-functional IT and security teams.
• Experience with Prisma Access / SASE and cloud-delivered security architecture.
• Basic working knowledge of core security engineering and cybersecurity concepts (e.g., defense-in-depth, CIA triad, common attack techniques, vulnerability and patch management, and security frameworks such as NIST).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical risk into business terms for non-technical stakeholders and remain composed under pressure during incident response.

Preferred Certifications

• PCNSE (Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer) - strongly preferred and reflects the expected depth of expertise at this experience level.
• PCNSA (Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator) - acceptable as a baseline if PCNSE is still in progress.
• CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) or equivalent networking certification.
• CompTIA Security+ (or ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity) - a basic cybersecurity certification demonstrating foundational security knowledge.
• Additional relevant certifications: PCCSE (Prisma Cloud), PCSAE, or CompTIA Network+ are a plus.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have Experience

• Experience working in a healthcare organization or other highly regulated industry, with familiarity with HIPAA and PHI-handling requirements.
• Exposure to automation/scripting (PowerShell, Python, Terraform, or Ansible) for firewall policy management or reporting.
• Experience in integrating firewall logs with SIEM platforms (e.g., Logscale, Splunk, …