Palo Alto Firewall Subject Matter Expert - Universal Technologies : Job Details

UNIVERSAL Technologies is seeking a Palo Alto Firewall Subject Matter Expert for a part-time hybrid role in New York City, expected to work 30 hours a week. The consultant will provide advanced expertise in Palo Alto firewall technologies, perform complex firewall migrations, and ensure network security best practices are implemented and maintained. This position requires approximately two onsite visits per week to various NYC locations, along with occasional night and weekend work to support implementations.

WHO WE ARE

UNIVERSAL Technologies, LLC is a Women-Owned (M/WBE) IT consulting company focused on delivering enterprise systems that significantly improve our clients' IT performance. We work across the IT spectrum including Development, Business/Systems/Data Analysis, Project Management, Cybersecurity, Network Engineering, and High-Level System Architecture.

We take pride in placing talented professionals on mission-critical technology projects that drive public sector transformation and operational excellence.

WHAT WE OFFER

Our W2 employees can expect the following benefits:

• Competitive pay

• Health/Dental Insurance

• Group Life Insurance

• 401K

• HSA/FSA

• Pre-Tax Transportation Program

• Generous Paid Time Off/Holiday

MANDATORY SKILLS/EXPERIENCE

• 10+ years of experience in enterprise network engineering and firewall administration

• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks firewalls, including centralized management with Panorama

• Proven experience in complex firewall migrations, security policy design, and rulebase optimization

• Strong background in Layer 2/3 networking, VLANs, routing protocols (OSPF, BGP), NAT, VPNs, and high availability configurations

• Familiarity with security best practices (NIST, CIS Benchmarks) and modern threat prevention mechanisms

• Experience with packet capture analysis, log correlation, and advanced troubleshooting techniques

• Excellent communication, documentation, and collaboration skills

• Palo Alto certifications preferred (PCNSE, PSE, or equivalent)

• Bachelor's degree

• A minimum of 15+ years of related experience

• 2+ years of supervisory experience OR 5+ years of program/project management experience

SCOPE OF SERVICES

• Provide subject matter expertise (SME) in Palo Alto firewall technologies, including Panorama, App-ID, User-ID, threat prevention, and GlobalProtect VPN

• Review and validate current firewall configurations, security policies, NAT rules, and routing across various locations

• Design and implement optimized Palo Alto firewall policies aligned with security best practices and institutional requirements

• Collaborate with network leads at the various locations to plan and execute firewall migrations, including cutover planning and rollback procedures

• Analyze and translate existing firewall rulesets to Palo Alto syntax and logic

• Conduct pre-migration assessments, gap analysis, and post-migration validation and testing

• Assist in developing and refining Method of Procedures (MOPs), migration playbooks, and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

• Participate in troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and resolution of complex network or firewall-related issues

• Support knowledge transfer and mentoring of internal technical staff

UNIVERSAL Technologies is an equal opportunity employer.