Job Description
Only local San Francisco Bay Area candidates!
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Direct W2 contractors only! No 3rd party agencies! No Visa sponsorship available
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100 % onsite.
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Location: Santa Clara CA
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Role: Senior Network Engineer (Palo Alto Firewall Specialist)
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Contract Duration: 4-6+ Months
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Pay Rate: $80 to $90
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Overview: We are seeking a hands-on Network Engineer with strong expertise in Palo Alto firewalls to support an enterprise network environment. The ideal candidate will be actively involved in network hardening, migration initiatives, and day-to-day network engineering tasks, working closely with infrastructure and security teams onsite.
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Must Have: Advanced hands-on experience on Palo Alto Firewalls, Panorama or Strata Cloud Manager, and Cisco Switching and Meraki. These are non-negotiable for this role.
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Good to Have: Exposure to cloud networking in any capacity.
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Important: We are looking for enterprise network engineers with broad multi-site experience. Data center only profiles will not be considered.
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- Cisco Nexus Switches
- eBGP vs iBGP
- Setting up PaloAlto firewall
- Supporting Cisco products
- TCP flags
- Packet Capture Analysis
- BGP configurations for an enterprise edge network.
- NAT policies
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Key Responsibilities:
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Network & Security (Hands-on)
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- Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Palo Alto firewalls (policies, NAT, VPNs, security profiles).
- Perform network hardening in line with enterprise security standards and best practices.
- Support firewall rule optimization, audits, and performance tuning.
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Enterprise Network Operations
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- Design, implement, and support enterprise-grade network infrastructure.
- Execute network migration projects, including cutovers and post-migration validation.
- Troubleshoot complex network issues across LAN/WAN environments.
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Routing, Switching & Hardware
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- Configure and support routing and switching (VLANs, OSPF, BGP, STP).
- Perform rack-and-stack of network switches, cabling, and physical network setup.
- Work on switch upgrades, replacements, and hardware refresh activities.
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Skills required:
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Cisco Switching (Nexus/Meraki) Enterprise Network Migration & Troubleshooting Network Hardening & NAT/VPN Policies OSPF Palo Alto Firewalls (Panorama/Strata Cloud Manager) Rack & Stack & Enterprise LAN/WAN Infrastructure Routing & Switching (BGP STP
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- Strong hands-on experience with Palo Alto firewalls (mandatory).
- Proven experience in enterprise network environments.
- Solid knowledge of network hardening and security best practices.
- Expertise in routing and switching
- Experience with network migration projects.
- Hands-on experience with rack and stack of switches and network equipment.
- Ability to work 100% onsite in Santa Clara.
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Preferred/Nice to Have:
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- Palo Alto certifications (PCNSA / PCNSE).
- Experience working in large-scale enterprise or data center environments.
- Strong documentation and communication skills.
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