Network - Firewall Support Specialist:
Six Month PLUS contract projected to last till March 2014. 1st shift, Mon-Fri 8 AM to 5 PM. The selected candidate will be working on a border protection program. The program has national visibility throughout the DHS and law enforcement community. The primary contractor is a recognized global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company.
**The primary function of this position is to install, configure, and maintain network equipment such as firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems and authentication systems**
**Key Responsibilities**
* Responsible for the configuration and maintenance of network firewall and load balancing devices.
* Responsible for acting as the network/router POC for IDENT Operations
* Support the implementation and maintenance of firewall based security zones (DMZs).
* Provide support to internal project teams by adding firewalls, switches and routers to managed DMZs if operated by SBA.
* Assist internal project teams by determining rules that need to be added to the firewalls and identifying the proper routing and addressing for new devices.
* Oversee the firewall configuration management and change management activities: firewall upgrades and enhancement tasks, monitoring and alert handling, manage outages, maintain firewall rules & activities, intrusion detection, and provides administration for Certification & Accreditation requirements.
* Responsible for providing firewall and security device usage and operational reports.
* Implement network upgrades and security requirements/tasks.
* Assist with network intrusion/prevention security log monitoring and analysis
* Coordinate with DHS Security Operations Center (SOC) for network intrusion/prevention compliance.
* Provide daily maintenance and troubleshooting support for security appliance and firewall problems.
* Act as single point of contact for production network interaction.
* Serve as liaison to CBP, EDS and ICE network teams.
* Document current network configurations
* Apply best practices to DC2 and DC1 network design.
* Coordinate with service providers and equipment manufacturers for installation and repairs of such items as firewalls, network intrusion devices, routers, and other collaborative tools and/or emerging technologies.
* Maintain and update system and network documentation.
* Follow established development processes and standards for all work. Identify and propose improvements to the processes and standards as necessary.
* Participate in complex projects with minimal supervision or guidance.
* Assist in compiling administration/training materials to support operational requirements.
* On call support on a limited basis.
* After hours work may be required to meet deployment deadlines, fault resolution and change implementation.
* Problem management; diagnosis, escalation, tracking and resolution.
* Perform traffic engineering analysis on network facilities.

Required Skills:

* U.S. Citizenship Required.
* Must pass screening (financial/criminal background) and must be able to obtain a clearance a DHS background investigation will be conducted no specific clearance required
* Bachelor s degree or 4 years of computer science, information systems, systems engineering, computer network engineering, or other related area preferred and work experience in lieu of a degree.
* 3+ years of IT (Networking) work experience.
* F5 Big IP experience
* Firewall configuration and maintenance experience. (one of F5 BigIP LTM, Cisco, CheckPoint, Juniper)
* Knowledge of routing protocols, for example IP, TCP/IP, OSPF, BGP, Multicast (3 years).
* Ability to work overtime.
* Knowledge of carrier networks. Frame Relay, IP VPN, PTP.
* Independent problem solving and debugging skills.
* Proven analytical and problem solving skills.
* Excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills.
* Firewall troubleshooting experience (AAA, VPN).
* Aptitude to learn new technologies quickly.
* Detail oriented.
* Ability to work with and meet tight deadlines.
* Ability to interact effectively with Senior Management.
* Ability to apply technical/functional knowledge.
**Nice to have**
* Network/Firewall certifications (Cisco, CheckPoint, and Juniper).
* F5 BigIP LTM experience
* Network and/or Desktop service desk experience.
* UNIX/LINUX experience