Tier 3 Network Security Engineer Cisco Secure Firepower

Location: Remote — Texas residents only, preferably in Austin
Contract: 12 months
Compensation: $11,500–$13,000 USD
Eligibility: U.S. residents only

About the Role

We’re looking for a highly skilled Tier 3 Network Security Engineer with strong hands-on experience supporting Cisco Secure Firepower Firewalls in an enterprise-scale environment.

This contractor role supports a long-term Managed Network Services (MNS) engagement for a State Government Agency, working as part of a dedicated firewall operations team. You’ll serve as a Tier 3 escalation point, handling complex troubleshooting, root cause analysis, operational support, and approved network changes.

The position is primarily remote, with periodic on-site support in the Austin, TX area for critical troubleshooting, major network changes, or situations requiring hands-on access.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as a Tier 3 escalation point for complex firewall and network security issues.


• Troubleshoot and perform root cause analysis for Cisco Secure Firepower incidents.


• Provide day-to-day operational support through Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC).


• Monitor firewall health and system performance.


• Analyze traffic flows, connection behavior, and packet-level issues.


• Support routing protocols within secured network environments.


• Troubleshoot site-to-site and remote access VPNs, including Cisco AnyConnect.


• Analyze, implement, and optimize firewall access control and security policies.


• Work with Snort 3, including IPS and File Policies.


• Troubleshoot NAT/PAT, Security Intelligence policies, and access control rules.


• Participate in formal change management, including documentation, peer review, approvals, and scheduled implementations.


• Execute approved changes during after-hours maintenance windows when required.


• Participate in a team-based on-call rotation for emergency and after-hours incidents.


• Collaborate with engineering teams and operational stakeholders to meet Managed Network Services requirements.


• Clearly document technical findings, configurations, troubleshooting, and change activities.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong hands-on experience with Cisco Secure Firepower Firewalls.


• Advanced firewall troubleshooting and root cause analysis experience.


• Solid operational experience with Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC).


• Strong experience with:
  
  
  
  • Snort 3 — IPS and File Policies
  
  
  • Traffic flow analysis and packet inspection
  
  
  • NAT / PAT configuration and troubleshooting
  
  
  • Security Intelligence policies
  
  
  • Access control rule analysis
  
  
  • OSI Layers 1–7, particularly Layers 1–4
  
  
  
  


• Proven experience troubleshooting Cisco AnyConnect VPNs.


• Strong understanding of routing concepts and protocols in secured network environments.


• Ability to operate effectively within structured, process-driven environments.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills.


• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with engineering and operations teams.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN.


• Experience with ServiceNow or similar ITSM platforms for incident and change management.


• Experience creating and maintaining network topology diagrams.


• Microsoft Visio experience.


• Experience supporting large-scale enterprise or government environments.

Work Expectations

• Primarily remote, with periodic on-site support in the Austin, TX area.


• Availability for after-hours maintenance and scheduled change windows.


• Participation in an on-call rotation.


• Adherence to formal operational, security, and change-control processes.


• Professional communication and documentation appropriate for a government-supported enterprise environment.

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to join a critical enterprise network security operation supporting a long-term government engagement. You’ll work on complex firewall environments where strong Tier 3 troubleshooting skills, operational discipline, and deep Cisco expertise directly contribute to the reliability and security of the network.

If you’re a seasoned Cisco Firepower engineer who enjoys solving difficult security and networking problems and wants to work at the Tier 3 level, we’d love to hear from you.