Information Security Engineer - Network Security

Information Security Engineer

Harris Health System is the public healthcare safety-net provider established in 1966 to serve the residents of Harris County, Texas. As an essential healthcare system, Harris Health champions better health for the entire community, with a focus on low-income uninsured and underinsured patients, through acute and primary care, wellness, disease management and population health services. Ben Taub Hospital (Level 1 Trauma Center) and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital (Level 3 Trauma Center) anchor Harris Health's robust network of 39 clinics, health centers, specialty locations and virtual (telemedicine) technology. Harris Health is among an elite list of health systems in the U.S. achieving Magnet® nursing excellence designation for its hospitals, the prestigious National Committee for Quality Assurance designation for its patient-centered clinics and health centers and its strong partnership with nationally recognized physician faculty, residents and researchers from Baylor College of Medicine; McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth); The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; and the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston.

The Information Security Engineer is responsible for the day-to-day administration, optimization, and troubleshooting of Harris Health's network security infrastructure, with primary ownership of the Cisco Secure Access (SASE) platform. This role serves as the organization's subject matter expert on Cisco security products and ensures the secure connectivity layer supporting the CIO-directed cloud migration is performant, resilient, and aligned with Zero Trust principles. Reporting to the Manager of Security Operations, the Network Security Engineer collaborates closely with the broader security engineering team to ensure Cisco Secure Access integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft E5 security stack (Defender, Sentinel, Entra ID, Purview). This role also partners with IT infrastructure, network operations, and clinical informatics teams to maintain secure access for approximately 15,000 employees across Harris Health facilities. The ideal candidate brings deep hands-on experience with Cisco security products and a working familiarity with Microsoft's cloud security ecosystem. This position is critical to the 24-month security transformation roadmap and the organization's Zero Trust and SASE implementation workstream.

Key Responsibilities

• Security Engineering & Network-Centric Controls
• Engineer, deploy, and maintain security platforms including Microsoft 365 Security Suite, Cisco Secure Access, and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense / Firepower IPS.
• Review and evaluate firewall rules, segmentation strategies, VPN solutions, network enclaves, and DMZ architectures.
• Assist with the review, design and approval of secure network infrastructure configurations.
• Create and maintain security standards, diagrams, and operational procedures.

Threat Detection, Monitoring & Response

• Investigate network-based threats using Firepower IPS, Secure Access logs, M365 Defender alerts, and SIEM telemetry.
• Perform packet captures, traffic flow analysis, and deep network forensics.
• Tune detection logic, security profiles, and policies across Cisco Secure Access and Firepower IPS.
• Collaborate with the SOC on incident triage, escalation, and remediation.

Vulnerability Management, Risk & Compliance

• Coordinate with vulnerability management teams to identify and remediate weaknesses across network and cloud systems.
• Maintain compliance with HIPAA, NIST, HITRUST, and internal security frameworks.
• Maintain documentation for controls, architectures, risk mitigation, and configuration baselines.

Project Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as a technical SME for projects requiring security and networking alignment.
• Participate in architecture reviews, change processes, and design discussions.
• Communicate risks, dependencies, and mitigation strategies clearly.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Information Security/ Computer Science/ Networking, or equivalent.
• 3+ years of cybersecurity or network engineering experience.
• Strong understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, routing, switching, Cisco Firepower IPS, Cisco Secure Access, and Microsoft 365 Security.
• Experience in HIPAA-regulated environments.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Clear communication for technical and non-technical teams.
• Commitment to protecting patient information.
• Collaborative and adaptable in dynamic healthcare environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Healthcare cybersecurity experience.
• Certifications such as CISSP, HCISPP, CCNA, CCNA Security, CCNP Security, Security+, GSEC, or similar.
• Experience with Azure cloud security and Zero Trust principles.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Communication Skills: Above Average Verbal (Heavy Public Contact) Exceptional Verbal (e.g., Public Speaking) Languages: Writing /Composing (Correspondence /Reports) Other Skills: Analytical, PC and Word Proc. Work Schedule: Eligible for Telecommute