Network Security Engineer

About this position

South Africa | Hybrid / Remote | R60k per month CTC| Intermediate Specialist (L2)

Primary Purpose of the Role

• Firewall Management
• Network threat detection
• Secure connectivity
• Perimeter and internal network hardening

We are seeking a skilled Network Security Specialist to join the Security Operations and Engineering team. This role focuses on designing, implementing, and maintaining secure network environments, while supporting day-to-day operational security needs.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience in firewalls, VPNs, IDS/IPS, and network monitoring tools, with a strong understanding of network-based threat detection and mitigation

You will work closely with:

• Security Operations (SOC)
• Infrastructure teams
• Cloud and endpoint teams

The role requires a proactive mindset to:

• Strengthen security posture
• Improve detection capabilities
• Support incident response
• Ensure stable and secure network services

Key Responsibilities

Network Security Engineering & Protection

• Implement and manage firewalls (Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco ASA/Firepower)
• Configure and maintain:
• Network segmentation
• Access control policies
• NAT, routing, and secure rulesets
• IPSec tunnels
• Manage IDS/IPS systems and tune alerts to reduce false positives

Threat Detection & Monitoring

• Collaborate with SOC to improve detection logic and refine alert tuning

Secure Connectivity & Access

• Configure and maintain secure VPN solutions (site-to-site and remote access)
• Implement Zero Trust principles where applicable
• Enforce secure remote access policies
• Troubleshoot connectivity, latency, and performance security impacts

Network Infrastructure Security

• Maintain secure configurations of switches, routers, and wireless networks
• Ensure firmware and patch compliance
• Enforce secure protocols (SSH, HTTPS, SNMPv3)
• Support cloud network security (NSGs / Security Groups, routing controls)

Incident Response & Support

• Act as L2 escalation point for network-related security incidents
• Assist with incident triage and containment actions
• Provide technical support for breaches and firewall misconfigurations

Governance, Documentation & Operations

• Maintain network diagrams, firewall rule documentation, SOPs, and playbooks
• Participate in change management processes, audits, and reviews
• Ensure configurations align with security policies and compliance frameworks (basic CIS/NIST alignment)

Required Experience and Skills

• 2–4 years in network security and firewall administration
• Practical experience with firewalls (Fortinet, Palo Alto, Cisco or similar), VPN technologies, IDS/IPS systems
• Strong understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, routing, and network protocols
• Certifications (any of):
• Fortinet NSE 4 / NSE 5
• Cisco CCNA Security / CCNP Security
• CompTIA Security+ / Network+

Nice-to-Have

• Experience with Microsoft Sentinel or other SIEM platforms
• Cloud networking (Azure / AWS basics)
• Exposure to web proxies, email security gateways, web application firewalls, Zero Trust Network Access

Personal Attributes

• Security-minded and detail-oriented
• Strong problem-solving ability
• Good communicator (technical ↔ non-technical)
• Self-driven and able to work in hybrid/remote environments
• Eager to learn and grow in network security

Pay: R60 000,00 per month

Work Location: In person