Senior Network Security Architect

Role overview

Architecture and connectivity

• Own layered, multi-vendor firewall architecture across perimeter and data centre boundaries; define segmentation, micro-segmentation and Zero Trust designs.
• Establish reference designs, technical standards and firewall policy governance; collaborate with network, infrastructure and cybersecurity architects.
• Design site-to-site and remote-access VPN, SD-WAN security, network access control, secure out-of-band management and controlled administrative access.
• Design WAF, load balancing, SSL inspection, secure web gateway, DDoS mitigation, IDS/IPS, threat prevention and sandboxing.

OT, operations and delivery

• Design OT security aligned with IEC 62443, including zone and conduit segmentation, air-gapped controls and data diodes where required.
• Define vulnerability and patch remediation; integrate security logs and events with SIEM, NDR and SOC platforms and establish firewall management and monitoring.
• Support operational readiness and handover to NOC and security operations teams for 24/7 support.
• Guide engineers, review designs and deliverables, govern build quality, resolve technical issues and communicate decisions and risks.

Required qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• Typically 7+ years of relevant industry experience, including at least 3 years in network security architecture or technical leadership.
• Architecture knowledge across Palo Alto NGFW/Panorama, Fortinet FortiGate/FortiManager/FortiAnalyzer, F5 BIG-IP WAF/LTM, Cisco ISE and Cisco Secure Workload/Secure Network Analytics.
• Experience with segmentation, micro-segmentation, Zero Trust and secure access controls; knowledge of OT security, IEC 62443, air-gapped networks and data diodes.
• Strong understanding of VPN/IPSec, SD-WAN security, NAT, routing and Layer 2–7 troubleshooting; experience integrating security devices with SIEM, syslog/CEF and NDR.
• Knowledge of secure-by-design practices and vulnerability management; strong problem-solving, delivery coordination and stakeholder communication skills.
• Palo Alto PCNSE and/or Fortinet NSE 7 or above, or relevant current equivalent, and ITIL 4 Foundation certification; professional proficiency in English.

Preferred qualifications and experience

• Large campus, government, defence or critical infrastructure experience and multi-vendor security implementation governance are preferred.
• CCNP Security, CCIE Security, CISSP or CISM; an advanced relevant degree; and Arabic proficiency are preferred.