Network Firewall Administrator

Job Description and Duties

This position is eligible to telework up to five (5) days a week, in accordance with the Statewide Telework Policy, and will be required to report to the office as needed/required. This is subject to change based on operational need and/or future return to office orders. The successful candidate must reside in California upon appointment. 

Excellence in the Business of Government!

Come join a team that creates:

• A collaborative team atmosphere founded upon ethics, integrity, and stewardship.
• A positive work environment that is open to change and invites its workforce to challenge processes.
• An opportunity for individuals to utilize their knowledge, skills, and experience to grow within the department.

Under general direction of the Information Technology (IT) Manager I, the IT Specialist II in the Department of General Services, Enterprise Technology Solutions within the System Engineering domain, in the Enterprise Infrastructure Services Section, acts as the team leader and subject matter expert on the enterprise firewalls and network infrastructure for DGS, leading the design, implementation, configuration, maintenance, monitoring, and administration of the enterprise Palo Alto Next Generation Firewalls and network infrastructure.

This position is designated under the Conflict of Interest Code.  The position is responsible for making or participating in the making of governmental decisions that may potentially have a material effect on personal financial interests. The appointee is required to complete Form 700 within 30 days of appointment and once per year. 

This position may require travel.

This is a re-advertisement. If you have previously applied, you may still be considered, and there is no need to reapply. 

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment. The Department of General Services does not participaye in E-Verify for employment authorization purposes.

If you’re interested in exploring additional job opportunities at DGS, please reach out to our recruitment team; we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us at View email address on us.fitly.work . 

Information about applying for a state job can be found here: Three Steps to a State Job . Please let us know how you learned about this career opportunity by taking the brief survey that follows: Click here to take the survey!

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity: A work culture that emphasizes a culture of diversity and inclusivity, offering tangible rewards and recognizing the intrinsic value of varied perspectives and collaboration.
• Career Growth and Training: A focus on career growth and training in an effort to engage and retain a dive rse talent pool that aligns with the organiz ation's mission and vision.
• Competitive Rewards: Employees enjoy world-class benefits packages, attractive salaries, and robust pension plans, reflecting a commitment to employee well-being.
• Work-Life Balance: Work-life balance is fostered through measures like telework and adjustable schedules, allowing personal and professional lives to thrive together.
• Learning and Development: Emphasizing on continuous learning, DGS offers onsite and virtual Statewide Training programs to ensure that employees remain at the cutting edge of their fields.
• Generous State Benefits: Comprehensive health and dental insurance, long-term disability insurance, 11 paid holidays per year, paid time off, defined benefit retirement program, commute program, employee wellness programs, employee assistance programs, and medical/dependent care reimbursement accounts.

Special Requirements

• Employment History on the STD 678 (State Application) must be complete and include employment dates, accurate hours per week, total time worked, duties and responsibilities performed, and contact names and phone numbers of supervisors. License and Certification numbers included on the STD 678 must include issue date and expiration date. Failure to indicate issue and expiration dates will result in disqualification. Resumes or other documents cannot substitute the STD 678 (State Application). Applicants who fail to submit a completed STD 678 (State Application) may be disqualified. Only the most qualified candidates will be invited to an interview.
• Applicants who completed their education outside of the United States (with foreign degrees/transcripts) must obtain and submit verification of US course/degree equivalency. Foreign education credential evaluation services can be found at NACES | National Association of Credential Evaluation Services .

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Strong hands-on experience administering Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW), including security policy management, NAT, App-ID, User-ID, Content-ID, and SSL decryption. 
• Proficiency with Prisma Access architecture, deployment models, onboarding of remote networks/mobile users, policy configuration, and troubleshooting. 
• Deep understanding of network protocols (TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, IPSec, DHCP, DNS, SSL/TLS). 
• Experience with Panorama and Strata Cloud Manager for centralized management, templates, device groups, and configuration lifecycle. 
• Experience implementing and troubleshooting GlobalProtect VPN. 
• Familiarity with cloud integration (Azure, AWS), especially where Prisma Access or VM-Series firewalls are deployed. 
• Skill in using API/automation tools (Ansible, Terraform, Python) to manage Palo Alto infrastructure.
• Proficiency with certificate management, including onboarding CAs and troubleshooting TLS issues.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting abilities using tools like packet captures, CLI commands, and TAC-recommended methods.

Benefits

There are many benefits to joining our team!  The State of California has a generous benefits pack age, some benefits include:

• Medical Benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid Holidays and leave
• Defined benefit retirement program
• Savings Plus Program (401(k), 457)
• Commute Program
• Employee Wellness Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Medical/Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts

Additional Information

Reporting Location:

Enterprise Technology Services
707 Third Street
West Sacramento, CA 95605

Please specify RPA #30761 and JC-523407 on your state application.
Examination Information: Those interested in obtaining employment with any state agency must apply and compete in the state’s merit-based recruitment and hiring process. To apply for the examination for this position, click on the link below to search for the examination and follow the “How to Apply” instructions in the examination announcement:

CalCareers Exam/Assessment Search

Successful examination applicants are placed on a hiring eligibility list. If you already have list eligibility for this classification, you do not need to retake the examination. Applicants should refer to their examination results or check their CalCareers account for specific list eligibility expiration dates and/or to re-take the examination when necessary.

For questions regarding the examination process, please contact the DGS Examinations Unit at View email address on us.fitly.work .

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.
• Statement of Qualifications - REQUIRED – Please see the Statement of Qualifications section on the job advertisement for details and instructions.