Cybersecurity Architect

About DMI

DMI is a leading global provider of digital services operating at the intersection of public and private sectors. Our broad capabilities encompass IT managed services, cybersecurity, cloud migration, and application development, ensuring on-site and remote support to clients across governments, healthcare, financial services, transportation, manufacturing, and other critical infrastructure sectors.

About the Opportunity

DMI seeks an accomplished Firewall Engineer with project lead experience and hands-on engineering expertise. As a key member of our team, you will be responsible for the engineering, implementation, and support of security solutions for the State of Maryland DoIT Security Operations Center (SOC), with a special focus on enterprise firewall systems.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct thorough gap assessments and analysis of security solutions, recommending improvement initiatives to enhance overall security posture.
• Implement scalable, redundant, and reliable firewall solutions, ensuring seamless integration with existing infrastructure.
• Prioritize security hardening of firewall configurations, guaranteeing robust protection against potential threats.
• Maintain configuration management and control of architectural/design/functional configuration changes to firewalls, ensuring compliance with established standards.
• Provide expert troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and support for firewall-related issues, minimizing downtime and maximizing system availability.
• Oversee firewall patch/upgrade monitoring, reviews, maintenance scheduling, and deployment, ensuring timely updates and optimal performance.
• Manage firewall operational and security audit logs, identifying trends and areas for improvement.
• Develop and configure firewall security and operational alerts, dashboards, and reporting, enabling data-driven decision-making.
• Monitor firewall operational and security alerts and dashboards, promptly addressing any emerging concerns.
• Define, implement, and monitor process/procedures for maintaining the lifecycle of firewall policies and rules, ensuring consistency and effectiveness.
• Configure, maintain, and support additional firewall services such as URL filtering, Malware Sandboxing Analysis, Threat Intelligence Feeds, Threat Prevention, User ID, etc.
• Provide firewall log correlation support for emerging and retroactive security incident investigations, facilitating swift resolution and mitigation.
• Support the integration with other security tools such IDS/IPS, SIEM, NACs, VPN, etc., fostering a cohesive security ecosystem.
• Develop requirements and create roles-based Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documents, ensuring clarity and adherence to established best practices.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6-8 years of hands-on experience in Network Engineering/Architecture.
• At least five (5) years of technical experience in architecture, design, implementation, and support of firewall technologies.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related scientific or technical discipline.

Required Skills/Certifications

• Must possess current Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) certification or hands-on experience implementing Palo Alto Advanced/NextGen features, including App-ID, User-ID, Content-ID, URL Filtering, Threat Prevention, WildFire, Virtual Wire, Virtual System (VSys), Global Protect, NAT Policies, Security Profiles, Inbound SSL Decryption, Outbound SSL Decryption (SSL Forward Proxy), File Blocking, and Data Filtering.
• Hands-on experience with Palo Alto Panorama for centralized management of PANOS firewalls.
• Able to perform self-directed tasks, gather requirements, plan, execute firewall architecting and deployment efforts, demonstrating initiative and problem-solving skills.
• Strong understanding of network security architecture, design, and implementation best-practices, including Defense-in-depth architecture and emerging Zero Trust architecture.
• Hands-on experience with firewall architecture, design, and implementation.
• Operational and security hardening configuration expertise for firewall solutions.
• Configuration management and change control knowledge for firewall solutions.
• Excellent analytical and troubleshooting skills, able to identify DNS, DHCP, WiFi protocols, NTP, SNMP, routing, switching, and firewall issues affecting connectivity of applications and services.
• Working knowledge of network infrastructure components, including Routers, Switches, IDS, IPS, NAC, VPN Gateways, Wireless APs, etc.
• Outstanding leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills, with excellent written and oral communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to effectively work both autonomously and as part of a team, utilizing tools and analytical skills to plan and execute technical changes.

Desired Skills/Certifications

• Hands-on experience with Juniper firewalls.
• CISSP, CompTIA Security , CCNA/CCNP Security, Juniper JNCIP-SEC, or relevant industry security certifications.
• Cisco CCNA or CompTIA Network , or relevant networking industry certifications.
• Experience in project task technical analysis, planning, and estimation.
• Experience with technology capabilities market research, technical analysis/review, and recommendation.

Min. Citizenship Status Required

U.S Citizenship.

Physical Requirement(s)

None.

Location

Crownsville, MD.

Benefits of Working at DMI

DMI offers a diverse, prosperous, and rewarding work environment, where employee wellbeing is a top priority. Our comprehensive benefits package includes various perks and incentives designed to meet different interests and needs, while also providing opportunities for professional growth and career advancement. The following categories comprise your DMI wellbeing:

• Convenience/Concierge - Virtual visits through health insurance, pet insurance, commuter benefits, discount tickets for movies, travel, and many other items to provide convenience.
• Development - Annual performance management, continuing education, and tuition assistance, internal job opportunities along with career enrichment and advancement to help each employee with their professional and personal development.
• Financial - Generous 401k matches both pre-tax and post-tax (ROTH) contributions along with financial wellness education, EAP, Life Insurance, and Disability to help provide financial stability for each DMI employee.
• Recognition - Great achievements do not go unnoticed by DMI through Annual Awards ceremony, service anniversaries, peer-to-peer acknowledgment, employee referral.
• Wellness - Healthcare benefits, Wellness programs, Flu Shots, Biometric screenings, and several other wellness options.