Network Security / Firewall Engineer
Location: Lake Forest, IL (Hybrid-3 Days/Week) | Reports To: VP, Security | Contract

Overview
Our client is seeking a Network Security / Firewall Engineer to design and own enterprise security controls across network, cloud, and endpoint environments. This is a hands-on role requiring someone who thinks independently, owns issues end to end, and engages stakeholders directly — not an order taker.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and manage firewall strategy across the enterprise.
• Apply security controls across network, cloud, and endpoint: firewalls, proxies, IDS/IPS, SWG, segmentation, and micro-segmentation.
• Implement and operate ZTNA/SASE solutions.
• Develop and maintain secure network design (LAN/WAN/WLAN).
• Integrate SIEM/EDR telemetry and build security logging pipelines.
• Drive OT/ICS secure network segmentation (preferred).
• Assess vulnerabilities and remediate penetration test findings.
• Own issues end to end: analyze traffic, pick up the phone, engage stakeholders, and drive resolution without hand-holding.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS, IT, Cybersecurity, or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years in information security focused on infrastructure security architecture.
• Hands-on NGFW, IDS/IPS, secure web gateways, segmentation, and micro-segmentation.
• Secure network design (LAN/WAN/WLAN).
• Cloud security across Azure, AWS, and GCP.
• IAM: MFA, conditional access, and identity governance.
• SIEM/EDR telemetry integration and security logging pipelines.
• Assessment and penetration-test remediation experience.
• Forthright, resourceful, and engaging — must own issues end to end.

Preferred Qualifications

• CISSP, CISM, or CEH certification.
• SASE/ZTNA hands-on: Zscaler, Palo Alto Prisma Access, Cisco, or Netskope.
• Secure SD-WAN experience.
• OT/ICS secure network integration experience.

Pay rate: $65/hr. This is a 6-month contract position, Hybrid-3 Days/Week in Lake Forest, IL. Candidates must be authorized to work in the US: Green Card, H1B, H4 EAD, L2 EAD, TN Visa, or US Citizen.

About Us

Peterson Technology Partners (PTP) is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating a transparent, inclusive, and human-centered hiring experience.

For nearly three decades, PTP has operated as one of the top IT staffing and recruiting firms in the USA—built on trust, long-term partnerships, and technical excellence.

Based in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, IL, our team of more than 500 employees and consultants is dedicated to:

• Helping every client make the best hiring decisions possible
• Matching professionals with the right IT jobs and career opportunities

As part of that commitment, we believe in providing clear information about how our hiring technologies work and how your data is used. The following section outlines our AI-assisted interview process and your rights as a candidate.

AI-Assisted Interview Experience (Pete & Gabi – Rebecca):

To provide a consistent, fair, and flexible experience for all candidates, we use AI-assisted tools to support parts of the interview process. This includes our proprietary AI platform Pete & Gabi, which includes AI recruiter Rebecca.

These AI hiring tools help us:

• Conduct recorded video interviews
• Transcribe interviews
• Summarize candidate responses
• Generate job-related insights
• Streamline communication and scheduling

Please note that:

• The AI does NOT make hiring decisions; all decisions are made by our human recruiters, hiring managers, or client partners.
• The AI does not evaluate facial expressions, emotions, or physical traits; it is used only to support fairness, consistency, and efficiency.

If you prefer a non-AI interview format, we will gladly provide an alternative.