Required Qualifications
- 10 or more years of network security, infrastructure security, or security engineering experience, with at least 4 years in a consulting, professional services, or client-facing delivery role.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience designing and deploying next-generation firewalls in enterprise production environments on at least two of the following platforms: Palo Alto Networks (PAN-OS and Panorama), Cisco Secure Firewall (FTD and FMC), and Fortinet (FortiGate and FortiManager).
- Production experience deploying Cisco ISE for 802.1X authentication, TACACS+ device administration, and network access policy enforcement across wired, wireless, and VPN environments, including distributed node deployments.
- Production experience with F5 BIG-IP application delivery, including Local Traffic Manager and at least one of BIG-IP DNS for global server load balancing or BIG-IP Advanced WAF.
- Production experience with at least one SASE platform, Zscaler (ZIA and ZPA) or Palo Alto Prisma Access, including secure web gateway, CASB, and ZTNA policy configuration and connector or traffic forwarding design.
- Strong understanding of routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP), VPN technologies (IPsec, SSL/TLS), network segmentation, DNS, and Zero Trust architecture principles.
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS VPC, Azure VNet, GCP VPC) including security groups, cloud firewalls, cloud-native load balancing, and hybrid connectivity architectures.
- Experience with identity and access management platforms (Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, SAML 2.0, SCIM) and their integration with firewall, network access control, application delivery, and SASE solutions.
- Experience integrating security platforms with SIEM (Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel) and syslog infrastructure, and automating deployment with Terraform, Ansible, and vendor REST APIs.
- Demonstrated record of independently leading large, multi-technology projects and cross-practice engagements, including directing the work of other technical resources.
- Executive-level written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce client-ready deliverables at varying levels of technical detail.
- Ability to travel at least 25 percent.
Soft Skills
- Executive-level communication skills with the ability to present technical strategies and risk assessments to C-level stakeholders and security leadership.
- Ability to scope engagements, set client expectations, and manage delivery timelines and profitability in a consulting environment.
- Self-directed, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating independently on-site at client facilities or leading remote delivery engagements.
- Collaborative approach to cross-functional work with networking, identity, cloud infrastructure, compliance, and application development teams.
- Skilled at translating complex technical concepts into business outcomes and actionable recommendations for non-technical audiences.
- Genuine interest in developing other engineers, with the patience and structure to grow capability rather than absorb the work.
The compensation range indicated in this posting reflects the On-Target Earnings (“OTE”) for this role, which includes a base salary and any applicable target bonus amount. This OTE range may vary based on the candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications, and geographic location.
Why AHEAD
Through our daily work and internal groups like Moving Women AHEAD and RISE AHEAD, we value and benefit from diversity of people, ideas, experience, and everything in between.
We fuel growth by stacking our office with top-notch technologies in a multi-million-dollar lab, by encouraging cross department training and development, sponsoring certifications and credentials for continued learning.
USA Employment Benefits include
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- 401(k)
- Paid company holidays
- Paid time off
- Paid parental and caregiver leave
- Plus more! See benefits https://www.aheadbenefits.com/ for additional details.
Use of AI
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, assessing responses, or to capture recordings and create transcriptions or summaries during interviews. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.
If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please refer to the Candidate Privacy Notice or contact us at privacy@ahead.com.
You may opt-out of the review or analysis of your application and resume by AI tools by using the General Application. Please include the role you wish to apply for in the Additional Information field. You may also choose to opt-out of recording and transcription at any time, including after joining an interview. Candidates will not be penalized for choosing to opt-out.