Senior Firewall SME / Team Lead

We are

At Synechron, we believe in the power of digital to transform businesses for the better. Our global consulting firm combines creativity and innovative technology to deliver industry-leading digital solutions. Synechron’s progressive technologies and optimization strategies span end-to-end Artificial Intelligence, Consulting, Digital, Cloud & DevOps, Data, and Software Engineering, servicing an array of noteworthy financial services and technology firms. Through research and development initiatives in our FinLabs we develop solutions for modernization, from Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain to Data Science models, Digital Underwriting, mobile-first applications and more. Over the last 20+ years, our company has been honored with multiple employer awards, recognizing our commitment to our talented teams. With top clients to boast about, Synechron has a global workforce of 16,500+, and has 58 offices in 20 countries within key global markets.

Additional Information*

The base salary for this position will vary based on geography and other factors. In accordance with law, the base salary for this role if filled within NYC, NY is $125K - $130K/year & benefits (see below).

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Senior Firewall SME / Team Lead to provide technical leadership and hands-on delivery for firewall governance, remediation, and VPN-related initiatives. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in enterprise network security, firewall technologies, VPN architectures, and large-scale remediation programs. This role requires leading a team of security professionals while coordinating across multiple business and technology functions to ensure secure, compliant, and efficient network security operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on leadership for external firewall rule reviews, optimization, and remediation activities.
• Lead and coordinate a team of five security/network professionals, including:
• Work planning and prioritization
• Technical guidance and mentoring
• Resource allocation
• Dependency management
• Status reporting and stakeholder communication
• Escalation management for risks, issues, and blockers
• Drive VPN remediation and network security improvement workstreams from planning through implementation.
• Collaborate effectively with network engineering, security operations, infrastructure teams, application owners, and relevant enterprise stakeholders.
• Review and validate firewall change requests, rule implementations, and remediation activities to ensure compliance with security standards and operational requirements.
• Assess firewall configurations for security risks, redundancy, and optimization opportunities.
• Ensure technical deliverables are complete, accurate, secure, and implementation-ready.
• Support incident investigations, root cause analysis, and remediation efforts related to network security controls.
• Maintain governance processes, documentation, operational procedures, and implementation standards.
• Provide regular progress updates to senior management and stakeholders.

Required Skills & Experience

• Experience in Network Security and Firewall Administration.
• Strong expertise in enterprise firewall technologies such as:
• Palo Alto Networks
• Check Point
• Cisco Firepower / ASA
• Fortinet
• Extensive experience managing VPN technologies including IPsec and remote-access VPN solutions.
• Strong understanding of:
• Network Security Architecture
• TCP/IP
• Routing and Switching
• NAT
• Security Policies and Access Controls
• Experience leading technical teams and managing complex remediation programs.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience with firewall rule lifecycle management, governance, and compliance processes.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Industry certifications such as:
• CISSP
• CCNP Security
• PCNSE
• CCSA/CCSE
• Fortinet NSE
• Experience in large-scale enterprise or financial services environments.
• Familiarity with security frameworks, risk management processes, and audit requirements.
• Experience with network security automation and scripting tools.

We can offer you:

• A highly competitive compensation and benefits package
• A multinational organization with 58 offices in 20 countries and the possibility to work abroad
• Laptop and a mobile phone
• 10 days of paid annual leave (plus sick leave and national holidays)
• Maternity & Paternity leave plans
• A comprehensive insurance plan including: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and long-/short-term disability (plans vary by region)
• Retirement savings plans
• A higher education certification policy
• Commuter benefits (varies by region)
• Extensive training opportunities, focused on skills, substantive knowledge, and personal development.
• On-demand Udemy for Business for all Synechron employees with free access to more than 5000 curated courses
• Coaching opportunities with experienced colleagues from our Financial Innovation Labs (FinLabs) and Center of Excellences (CoE) groups
• Cutting edge projects at the world’s leading tier-one banks, financial institutions and insurance firms
• A flat and approachable organization
• A truly diverse, fun-loving and global work culture

SYNECHRON’S DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT

Diversity & Inclusion are fundamental to our culture, and Synechron is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative ‘Same Difference’ is committed to fostering an inclusive culture – promoting equality, diversity and an environment that is respectful to all. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce helps build stronger, successful businesses as a global company. We encourage applicants from across diverse backgrounds, race, ethnicities, religion, age, marital status, gender, sexual orientations, or disabilities to apply. We empower our global workforce by offering flexible workplace arrangements, mentoring, internal mobility, learning and development programs, and more.

All employment decisions at Synechron are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to the applicant’s gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.