Chief Network Security Architect

Job Description:

We are seeking a highly capable Network Security Operations Manager to lead, manage and enhance our organization's network security infrastructure and operations. This role will be responsible for managing key security technologies such as firewalls, proxies, VPNs, NAC, DNS security, WAF and ensuring operational governance and compliance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Security Operations Management:
  • Lead day-to-day operations of all network security tools and platforms, including:
  • Firewalls: Policy governance, segmentation and high-availability (NGFW Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco)
  • Web Proxy & Cloud Proxy: URL filtering, threat prevention and data leak protection (e.g., Zscaler, Netskope)
  • VPN: Strong encryption and access control for workforce and partner (IPSec, SSL VPN, Remote Access Solutions)
  • Network Access Control (NAC): Role-based access, posture checks and OT/IoT security
  • DNS Security & Filtering: DNS-layer protection, malicious domain filtering and response management
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF) On-prem & Cloud-based: Protection of patient data, portals, financial apps and APIs
  • Ensure continuous monitoring, tuning and updating of policies and signatures across platforms.
  • Manage security device configurations, rule optimization and lifecycle management.
• Compliance, Audit & Governance:
  • Ensure adherence to security compliance requirements such as ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR and internal IT security policies.
  • Ensure full compliance with sector-specific regulations (Pharma: GxP, 21 CFR Part 11, HIPAA)
  • Prepare and present periodic audit reports, incident reports and configuration review summaries.
  • Drive risk assessments and remediation plans for security operations. Maintain security documentation, SOPs and audit trails
• Team & Vendor Management:
  • Lead and mentor a team of network security engineers and analysts.
  • Oversee vendor engagements, support contracts, SLAs and AMC renewals for security technologies.
  • Engage with audit, QA, compliance and legal teams for incident reporting and regulatory inspections
  • Coordinate with for integrated security coverage (EDR/DS, if escalation/overlap arises).
• Incident Response & Troubleshooting:
  • Collaborate with SOC for effective investigation and response to network security incidents.
  • Coordinate the response to security incidents, including detection, analysis, containment, eradication and recovery.
  • Lead root cause analysis and containment for network-based threats (e.g., suspicious VPN activity, firewall rule violations).
  • Manage escalations and coordinate with external vendors or OEMs for critical issues.
• Projects & Improvements:
  • Drive security hardening and optimization projects related to network security tools.
  • Lead or support security hardening, firewall rule optimization and proxy architecture redesign projects
  • Lead or contribute to technology upgrades, migration projects, mergers acquisitions, data center shifts.
  • Maintain security documentation, playbooks and standard operating procedures.
  • Prepare and validate BOM, BOQ and risk registers for new deployments

Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor's or Masters in Computer Science, Information Security or related field
• Certifications: CISSP, CISM, CCNP Security, CP, Palo Alto PCNSE, Fortinet NSE, ISO 27001 LA
• Experience: 10-12 years of experience in network operations, with 3-5 years in leadership or managerial role
• Skills: Firewalls (Checkpoint, Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco Firepower), Proxies (Netskope, Forcepoint, Zscaler), VPN (Cloudflare, Cisco AnyConnect, FortiClient, GlobalProtect), NAC (Forescout, Cisco ISE, Aruba ClearPass), DNS Security (Cisco Umbrella, Infoblox, Cloudflare DNS), WAF (AWS/Azure WAF, F5, Imperva, Akamai, Cloudflare), EDR & DS (Crowdstrike, Falcon, Trellix, MS Defender, Sentinel, etc.)