Cybersecurity Firewall Analyst
525 S Tryon St - Charlotte, NC
6-12+ Months Contract
$55/hr on W2
Job Summary:
This position focuses on day-to-day next-generation firewall (NGFW) administration, support, and operations across enterprise and regulated environments. The role includes operational troubleshooting and incident response, lifecycle and vulnerability-driven upgrades, firewall policy governance and optimization, and support for compliance activities. The analyst partners closely with Network Engineering, Cybersecurity teams, and business stakeholders to implement secure connectivity while maintaining availability and performance.
Responsibilities & Duties:
- Perform day-to-day firewall policy administration including security policy, NAT, objects, and rule lifecycle governance.
- Administer and support enterprise security controls including segmentation and access enforcement.
- Maintain and improve centralized firewall management practices including templates, baselines, and configuration standardization.
- Plan and execute firewall code upgrades and hardware lifecycle activities.
- Troubleshoot and resolve incidents; lead investigation efforts during outages.
- Analyze firewall traffic and logs to support detection and optimization.
- Participate in cybersecurity and IT projects
- Maintain documentation and contribute to knowledge base.
- Partner with business units to enforce security requirements and standards.
- Identify risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
- Participate in on-call rotation and support critical events.
- Adhere to change management processes and procedures.
- Configure, install, and maintain firewall systems and supporting infrastructure.
Required Technical Experience:
- Hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks NGFW platforms
- Experience with Cisco ASA or comparable firewall platforms
- Experience with centralized firewall management and policy governance
- Familiarity with cloud/virtual firewalls
- Strong networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, HTTP/S, SMB)
- Experience with VPNs, NAT, and network troubleshooting
- Experience with log analysis and monitoring tools
- Scripting experience (Python, PowerShell, or similar)
- Familiarity with cybersecurity concepts (IOCs, incident response, threat analysis)
- Experience with firewall orchestration tools (e.g., Tufin, Algosec)
- Experience supporting enterprise environments
- Compliance experience (NERC CIP, PCI, SOX)
Desired Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, IT, or related discipline (or equivalent experience)
- Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, IT, or related discipline (or equivalent experience)
Certifications:
- Palo Alto Networks (Current role-based certifications such as Network Security Analyst or Next‑Generation Firewall Engineer)
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
- Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Enterprise and/or Security
- Cisco Automation track certifications (CCNA Automation, CCNP Automation)
- Other relevant industry certifications
Skills & Competencies:
- Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills
- Ability to manage multiple priorities
- Strong documentation and communication skills
- Team-oriented with commitment to operational excellence
