Palo Alto Cloud Engineer - Contract - Columbia, SC

Palo Alto Cloud Engineer Location: Columbia, SC Hybrid (2 days in office, 3 days remote). Interview Process: 1 round, Virtual/Online Duration: 12 Months Employment Type: Contract Experience Required: 10+ Years Candidate location: Candidate MUST be a NC, GA, SC resident and willing to relocate to SC prior to starting the role at their own expense. (Preference for resources local to South Carolina). Project Scope: We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Palo Alto Cloud Engineer to design, implement, and support secure cloud infrastructure across AWS and Azure environments. This is a hands-on engineering role focused on deploying and managing cloud security solutions, including Palo Alto VM-Series Firewalls and F5 technologies. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in cloud security architecture, Zero Trust implementations, and enterprise firewall management. Key Responsibilities: · Design and deploy secure, scalable, and highly available cloud infrastructure in AWS and Azure. · Deploy, configure, and manage Palo Alto VM-Series Firewalls in cloud environments. · Configure and support F5 BIG-IP LTM and ASM solutions. · Troubleshoot and resolve cloud infrastructure and security configuration issues. · Design and implement Zero Trust security architectures. · Configure Panorama for centralized firewall management. · Develop and maintain security policies, threat prevention, logging, and monitoring solutions. · Ensure cloud environments comply with security and regulatory standards. · Work closely with infrastructure, networking, security, and application teams. · Create and maintain technical documentation, deployment guides, and incident reports. Required Skills & Experience: · 10+ years of Network Security and Engineering experience. · Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience with Palo Alto VM-Series Firewalls in both AWS and Azure. · Strong experience with: Panorama Management Security Policy Design Threat Prevention Log Analysis · Experience designing and implementing Zero Trust security architectures. · Minimum 5 years of experience deploying and supporting F5 BIG-IP LTM. · Strong knowledge of AWS and Azure cloud infrastructure. Preferred Skills: · Palo Alto Firewalls · F5 BIG-IP LTM · F5 ASM · F5 iRules · Infoblox DDI · Forescout · OPSWAT MetaDefender/ICAP · BIG-IP F5 XC · Prisma Cloud · Cisco Umbrella Preferred Skills: · PCNSA or PCNSE · Microsoft SC-100 Cybersecurity Architect · AWS Certified Solutions Architect Education Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field OR 10+ years of equivalent professional experience as a Palo Alto Cloud Engineer. Must hold at least one Palo Alto, AWS, or Azure certification.