We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Network & Security Expert with strong expertise in Palo Alto Networks security solutions, SD-WAN technologies, enterprise routing, and Cisco campus networking.
The ideal candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing, optimizing, and supporting secure global network infrastructures across data centers, campuses, branch offices, and cloud environments.
This role requires a strategic thinker capable of aligning network and security architectures with business objectives while ensuring respect of the corporate standards and practices, high availability, performance, scalability, and cybersecurity compliance.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design, implement, and maintain enterprise security architectures based on Palo Alto Networks NGFW, including security policy development, network segmentation, Zero Trust frameworks, firewall lifecycle management, rule optimization, threat prevention, and advanced security feature deployment.
- Conduct security assessments, risk analyses, and architecture reviews to ensure compliance and resilience.
- Design, deploy, and operate Palo Alto Prisma Access and GlobalProtect environments, providing secure connectivity for remote users and branch offices through Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and remote user protection services.
- Troubleshoot complex access, authentication, and connectivity issues across enterprise environments.
- Design, implement, and manage Palo Alto Prisma SD-WAN solutions, including application-aware routing, WAN optimization, dynamic path selection, performance monitoring, and automated failover, while collaborating with service providers to enhance WAN connectivity.
- Design and support enterprise routing infrastructures based on BGP, including route analysis, troubleshooting, optimization, traffic engineering, and redundancy solutions across multi-site and hybrid-cloud environments.
- Participate in network transformation and migration initiatives.
- Design, deploy, and support Cisco Catalyst switching infrastructures, managing enterprise LAN environments with VLAN architecture, Layer 2/Layer 3 services, high availability, and network segmentation.
- Design and operate Cisco Wireless infrastructures, ensuring optimal coverage, user experience, performance analysis, and capacity planning for LAN and Wi-Fi services.
- Provide Level 3 support and technical escalation for complex network and security incidents.
- Develop and maintain network standards, technical documentation, and operational procedures.
- Contribute to change management, problem management, and major incident resolution processes.
- Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership across projects and operational teams.
- 10+ years in enterprise networking and cybersecurity
- Global multi-site and multinational environments
- Strong troubleshooting skills across network and security domains
- Cloud and hybrid architecture experience
- Palo Alto (NGFW, Prisma Access, GlobalProtect, Prisma SD-WAN, Strata Cloud Manager)
- Firewall & Security Management (Policies, Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, DNS Security, SSL Decryption, VPNs)
- Zero Trust, SASE & Identity-Based Access Control
- Routing & Switching (BGP, LAN/WAN, High Availability, Network Segmentation)
- Cisco Technologies (Catalyst, Wireless, VLANs, STP, QoS)
- Cloud Networking (Azure, AWS)
Preferred Certifications
- Palo Alto: PCNSA, PCNSE, Prisma Certifications
- Cisco: CCNP Enterprise, CCE Enterprise Infrastructure
- Additional: CISSP, CCSP, Azure Network Engineer Associate, AWS Advanced Networking Specialty
Key Competencies
- Network & Security Architecture
- Technical Leadership
- Problem Solving & Strategic Thinking
- Stakeholder & Incident Management
- Project Delivery & Cross-functional Collaboration
- Availability to travel within Portugal when required.
- Availability for occasional international travel.
- Experience in multicultural and international environments is considered a plus.
