Senior Network Security Engineer - Firewall Migration

Position Summary:Ibex is hiring on behalf of its client for a highly skilled Senior Network Security Engineer to lead a large-scale network security transformation initiative within an enterprise environment in KARACHI/LAHORE who can work in Night Shift.This role requires a hands-on technical leader who can take ownership of the project from initial assessment through final handover. The successful candidate will be responsible for evaluating the current security landscape, analyzing and optimizing security policies, designing the target architecture, overseeing implementation activities, managing testing and validation efforts, leading production cutover activities, and providing ongoing post-deployment support.The ideal candidate will have extensive experience delivering complex network security projects, strong expertise across leading next-generation firewall technologies, and the ability to collaborate effectively with infrastructure, security, and application stakeholders while serving as the primary technical point of contact throughout the engagement.Position Details:Title: Senior Network Security EngineerLevel: Senior / Lead (8+ Years of Experience)Employment Type: Project-Based Contract (Potential Extension)Reports To: Project Delivery ManagerProject Scope:The selected candidate will be responsible for managing all project phases from discovery through post-implementation support.Discovery & AssessmentReview and document the existing network and security architecture.Evaluate routing, segmentation, VPNs, NAT, security controls, authentication mechanisms, and high availability configurations.Identify application dependencies and critical traffic flows.Produce current-state design documentation and technical recommendations.Policy Review & Optimization:Assess existing security and access control policies.Identify redundant, unused, overlapping, or overly permissive rules.Recommend policy improvements aligned with security best practices.Work with stakeholders to validate and approve proposed changes.Solution Design & Build:Design and implement the target security architecture.Configure and integrate security management, monitoring, and reporting platforms.Translate and migrate existing policies, objects, and configurations.Document configuration decisions, exceptions, and risk considerations.Deployment & Transition:Plan and execute deployment activities with minimal impact to business operations.Develop migration and rollback strategies.Coordinate implementation activities with relevant stakeholders.Validate operational readiness prior to production transition.Testing & Validation:Develop detailed test plans and success criteria.Validate application connectivity, VPN functionality, routing behavior, logging, monitoring, and security controls.Coordinate testing with infrastructure and application owners.Document and resolve identified issues.Cutover & Post-Implementation Support:Lead production cutover activities.Execute approved runbooks and contingency plans.Provide post-deployment support, troubleshooting, and performance optimization.Conduct knowledge transfer sessions and deliver final project documentation.

Key Responsibilities

Lead technical workshops and design discussions with stakeholders.Assess and optimize firewall, routing, and security configurations.Design secure and scalable enterprise security architectures.Migrate policies, objects, and security configurations while maintaining operational stability.Develop implementation, testing, validation, and rollback plans.Coordinate user acceptance testing and application validation activities.Lead change management and production deployment activities.Troubleshoot complex network and security issues during and after implementation.Produce technical documentation, operational procedures, and architecture diagrams.Provide regular project status updates and technical guidance.Act as the primary technical escalation point throughout the engagement.Required Qualifications:8+ years of enterprise network security engineering experience.5+ years of hands-on experience supporting next-generation security platforms in production environments.Proven experience leading complex infrastructure or security transformation projects from planning through production support.Strong knowledge of: Network security architectureSecurity policy managementNetwork Address Translation (NAT)VPN technologiesIntrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)Web filtering and content inspectionIdentity-based access controlsSSL/TLS inspection and decryptionHigh Availability (HA) environmentsSecurity monitoring and logging solutionsExperience with security configuration migration and policy conversion tools.Strong networking expertise including: OSPFBGPVLANsVRFsStatic RoutingPolicy-Based RoutingExperience executing production deployments, change management processes, and rollback procedures.Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills.Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and documentation capabilities.Ability to work U.S. business hours and participate in planned maintenance windows as required.Preferred Qualifications & Certifications:Network SecurityFCP – Network SecurityFCSS – Network SecurityFCXPCNSEPCNSANetworkingCCNP EnterpriseCCNP SecuritySecurityCISSPGIAC (GCIA, GCFW)Additional Preferred Experience:Enterprise-scale multi-site deployments.Security management and centralized policy administration platforms.Automation using Python, Ansible, and APIs.SIEM integrations including Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, and QRadar.Identity and access management integrations with Active Directory, Entra ID, and SAML.Consulting or professional services experience.Experience working within regulated and compliance-driven environments such as PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or NIST frameworks.