Pay Rates: $120 130/hrJob Title: Palo Alto Network SMEStart Date: 9/9/2025Duration: 9/9/2025 12/31/2025Part Time: 30 hours per weekLocation: NYC - Hybrid: Resource will need to be onsite approximately 2 times per week at various client locations across NYC. In addition, there will be night and weekend work to support the implementation.Travel: Requires periodic on-site visits to client's locations across NYC.Key Responsibilities:Provide subject matter expertise (SME) in Palo Alto firewall technologies, including Panorama, App-ID, User-ID, threat prevention, and global protect VPN.Review, configure and validate 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 HANDS-ON troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and resolution of complex network or firewall-related issues.Support knowledge transfer and mentoring of internal technical staff.Required Qualifications: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 rule base 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).Additional requirements:Requires a process-driven professional with meticulous attention to detail in configuration, deployment, and troubleshooting.Demonstrated ability to architect and support resilient Palo Alto firewall deployments with automated failover.Education and Experience:Bachelor's degree.A minimum of 15+ years of related experience.2+ years of management experience OR 5+ years of program/project management experience.