Senior Cisco/Palo Alto Network Architect

Description

Cognizant Technology Solutions is currently seeking a highly skilled Senior Cisco/Palo Alto Network Architect who will be responsible to take ownership of assigned task/project and make relevant design decisions needed to provide requested deliverable based on client requirements that meet the CIS Technical Standards.

The candidate must provide high and detailed Low Level designs for network and security, implementation skills and combine technical intelligence with communication and presentation abilities. This candidate needs to have strong hands-on experience in Cisco networking and ideally experience with Cisco ASA and/or Palo Alto Firewalls. This position requires candidate to do the specific device configuration of all networking equipment.

Works on advanced, complex technical projects or business issues requiring state of the art technical or industry knowledge. Works with overall Project management and timelines and communication. Will also provide a leadership role and individual contributor role for overall Network Architecture Projects.

The candidate must have a strong specialized skillset with knowledge and experience and responsible for:

Datacenter/remote office and MFG extensive experience Design and Implementation • Layer 2/3 technologies - VLANs, vPC, Segmentation • Coordinating with Vendors for Support • Network appliances and firewalls Health Check Monitoring & Reporting • Configuring and Managing and Data or Voice circuits (SD-WAN, MPLS, Internet, SIP) • Manage routing tables and IP addresses • Managing network security infrastructure, including firewalls, proxies, web filters, ACLs, and network access control • Troubleshoot Network Performance issues • Remote Restarts of Component after Outage/Activities • Managing Firewall policies on Cisco ASA, Palo Altos, Firepower Devices, Site to Site VPN and ACLs • Routing/Switching Issues/Changes • WAN/LAN Troubleshooting • Performing VLAN/Port MACD • Network appliance and firewall Firmware/Software Upgrades • Coordinating Vendor Dispatch Management • Configure Manage F5 or similar Load Balancer • Connectivity and link consistency tests • network Hardware Diagnostics • Perform network traffic analysis as needed • Routing and switching optimization • Perform Bandwidth Management and Optimization (LAN and Wireless) • Decommission & Shutdown Activities • SOP & Run book Creation & Documentation • Ability to monitor network appliance CPU and memory and interface utilization issues • Some experience with Intrusion detection and IPS a plus • Automation experience is a plus, such as automated network device • Python or other scripting experience

Required Qualifications: • Extensive network architecting experience with Palo Alto and Cisco networking, other WAN technologies and Cisco SD-WAN Viptela and Meraki SD-WAN • Exceptional communication both written and spoken skills - able to speak to top executives, business and technical leaders. Able to adapt vocabulary and style for each situation; able to represent complex ideas with effective documents and visuals and to adapt presentations to the expectations and background of the audience • Extensive collaboration and stakeholder management skills - able to work effectively with others on common tasks; build rapport, gain support, instill confidence, take actions which respect the needs and contributions of others; find common ground; negotiate win-win solutions; and share credit with others; all while achieving the objectives of both the team and stakeholders. • Applied knowledge of enterprise networking architecture WAN and LAN frameworks, methods, and tools • Strong experience in network and security concepts and technologies • Good experience in server hardware and virtualization technologies including VLAN/VXLAN • Some applied knowledge of cloud networking technologies (AWS, Azure, Private cloud, etc.) • Good knowledge of high availability networking infrastructure designs and methodologies • Sound knowledge of systems monitoring and incident handling, capacity planning and performance tuning • Solid understanding SOX, PCI-DSS, or HPIAA regulatory compliance. Understanding of FDA IT compliance and quality control and/or Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) a plus

Education and Certifications: • Minimum of 15+ years' experience in networking both datacenters and remote offices or MFG facilities including leading complex network projects • Five plus years Infrastructure Consulting experience • Current (not expired) technical certifications preferred (CISSP, HPE , Silver Peak , Cisco (CNP, CCIE) Red Hat, VMware) • Bachelor's degree in computer science, business, information systems or related discipline or demonstrated 12+ years IT related work experience.

Other Requirements/Skills: • Exceptional decision-making and problem and troubleshooting solving skills • Proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Visio • Exceptional personal time management, planning and organizational skills • Home office setup (fast Internet, phone or mobile phone, etc.)