DescriptionZero Trust Security EngineerLocation: Vienna, Virginia or Pensacola, FL
Note: The selected candidate will not start until 6/1/2026.
About This RoleThe Zero Trust Security Engineer is responsible for driving the implementation of Zero Trust security rules, including formal requests to firewall teams, ongoing coordination, validation of changes, and post-implementation verification. This role is execution-focused and serves as the single point of accountability for ensuring Zero Trust rules are implemented correctly, completely, and auditably across firewall and security platforms.
Key ResponsibilitiesRule Implementation & Coordination- Translate Zero Trust analysis outputs into formal firewall and security rule requests
- Submit detailed implementation requests to firewall teams, including:
- Source identities (users, groups, roles)
- Destination applications, addresses, and services
- Required ports, protocols, and application IDs
- Ensure requests meet firewall team standards and contain all required technical details
Cross-Team Execution- Act as the primary liaison between Zero Trust, IAM, firewall engineering, and application teams
- Track firewall requests from submission through completion
- Resolve implementation questions, clarifications, or discrepancies with firewall engineers
Validation & Verification- Validate that implemented firewall rules exactly match approved Zero Trust requirements
- Perform post-implementation testing to confirm:
- Authorized access works as expected
- Unauthorized access is blocked
- Identify and remediate misconfigurations, partial implementations, or policy drift
Audit & Lifecycle Management- Ensure all implemented rules are properly tagged, documented, and traceable to application and Zero Trust requirements
- Maintain implementation records for audit, compliance, and reporting
- Support ongoing refinement of Zero Trust rules as application access requirements evolve
Required Skills & Experience- Hands-on experience working with enterprise firewalls (Palo Alto preferred)
- Strong understanding of user-based and application-aware firewall policies
- Experience submitting and managing firewall rule requests in enterprise environments
- Ability to validate security rule implementations and troubleshoot access issues
- Strong coordination and communication skills across technical teams
Preferred Qualifications- Experience implementing Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions
- Familiarity with IAM, Entra ID groups, AD groups, and RBAC models
- Experience integrating firewall rules with application onboarding frameworks
- Knowledge of audit, compliance, and security reporting requirements
Success Looks Like- Firewall rules are requested properly and implemented right the first time
- Clean handoffs with minimal back and forth
- Verified, auditable Zero Trust enforcement across applications
