Lead Network Engineer - Firewall

ABOUT US

We’re the world’s leading provider of secure financial messaging services, headquartered in Belgium. We are the way the world moves value – across borders, through cities and overseas. No other organisation can address the scale, precision, pace and trust that this demands, and we’re proud to support the global economy. 

We’re unique too. We were established to find a better way for the global financial community to move value – a reliable, safe and secure approach that the community can trust, completely. We’re always striving to be better and are constantly evolving in an ever-changing landscape, without undermining that trust. Five decades on, our vibrant community reflects the complexity and diversity of the financial ecosystem. We innovate diligently, test exhaustively, then implement fast. In a connected and exciting era, our mission has never been more relevant. Swift now has a presence in 200+ countries and legal territories to serve a community of more than 12,000 banks and financial institutions.   

Are you a leader who strives to constantly improve teams and processes? Do you thrive in production support environment working with mission critical applications? If so, we would like to speak with you!

Building on our ambition to deliver our Platform Services applying agile practices, we are looking for a motivated & talented network engineer who brings a strong customer focus, a desire to understand the customer needs and help address their challenges. Based in Manassas, VA, your team is fully responsible for the design, optimization, deployment and support of the Network Firewalls and security aspects. This Agile team engages in the product evolution, covering network architecture and design, development, configuration, quality assurance, security, operations, and IT infrastructure aspects.

You will work in a truly international environment with main hubs across three continents. We have global reach and impact but operate fast as we are a relatively small company. You will have a unique opportunity to expand your reach in terms of knowledge, network and build your expertise through SWIFT’s global platform.

As a driving force of technological change, we operate in a true agile way. You will have a unique opportunity to expand your reach in terms of knowledge, network and build your expertise through SWIFT’s global platform.

What to expect:

In this role you will:

• Dynamic Challenges: Tackle a mix of proactive design work and reactive troubleshooting, from architecting secure network segments to resolving urgent firewall alerts during peak traffic or attack scenarios
• Leadership Opportunities: Be expected to guide a small team of engineers, balancing hands-on technical work with delegating tasks, reviewing configurations, and ensuring high standards across all firewall deployments
• Continuous Learning: With evolving firewall platforms and ever-changing threat landscape, you’ll regularly explore new features, attend trainings (e.g., NSE certification updates), and adapt to cutting-edge security trends
• Cross-Functional Interaction: Collaborate daily with network admins, developers, and security analysts, often translating technical firewall details into actionable plans for non-experts
• High Impact: Work will directly influence Swift’s security posture, protecting mission critical systems and data while enabling business operations through reliable, secure and optimized network access
• Have an opportunity to develop yourself and others in a true DevOps agile environment
• This position is mission critical and offers flexible work (minimum 2 days onsite and maximum 3 days from home – per week), hence required to be a local candidate
• Be required to perform weekend deployment activities and on-call (estimated: One week including weekend per month), on a rotational basis with peer team members Expected to arrive within 1 hour as Live/Production access is only possible from within office.

What will make you successful?

We are seeking professionals with:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field
• 10 -15 years of solid work experience
• Hands-on expertise with firewall platforms such as Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks or Check Point
• Strong knowledge of network protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, VPN, IPsec, BGP, OSPF etc.,)
• Hand-on experience with Firewall management platforms Forti Manager, Forti Analyzer, Checkpoint Smart-1
• Familiarity with security policy management tools like Algosec Security Management System
• Experience with hybrid or cloud environments (e.g., FortiGate Cloud, integration with AWS/Azure)
• Familiarity with SD-WAN, Zero Trust architecture and next-generation firewall (NGFW) features
• Familiarity with concepts like Zero Touch/Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC)
• Experience with automation/scripting (Python, Ansible, Bash) for firewall management
• Certification in Fortinet FCP (NSE4, NSE5) / FCSS (NSE6, NSE7) Network Security
• Autonomous, driven, with strong ability to quickly adapt and respond to change
• Customer oriented and quality mindset – we continually strive to deliver true customer value.
• Design and Architecture: Lead the design, configuration, and deployment of enterprise-grade high-available firewall solutions to protect network boundaries.
• Policy Management: Develop, Implement, and maintain firewall policies, security profiles, NAT rules, and application controls aligned with Swift security standards and compliance requirements.
• Team Leadership: Mentor and guide a team of network security engineers, providing technical direction and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Incident Response: Oversee troubleshooting and resolution of complex firewall-related incidents, including performance bottlenecks, security breaches, and misconfigurations.
• Monitoring and Optimization: Utilize tools (e.g., SevOne, WireShark, SMARTS, Splunk) to monitor firewall performance, analyze traffic patterns, and optimize configurations for efficiency and security.
• Collaboration: Partner with Enterprise network, Data Center network, Architecture, SOC, Security and Operational teams to integrate firewalls systems with broader network infrastructure and applications.
• Documentation: Maintain detailed documentation of firewall configurations, processes, and procedures for audit and operational purposes.
• Compliance: Ensure firewall deployments meet industry standards and regulations (e.g., PCI-DSS, GDPR, ISAE, DORA).
• Research and Innovation: Stay ahead of emerging threats and technologies, recommending upgrades or new tools to enhance network security.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written skills in English to articulate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Checkpoint CCSA/CCSE, CCNA, CCNP Security
• Knowledge of Cisco ACI
• Familiarity with Jira, Confluence and ServiceNow tools for collaboration
• Knowledge/experience operating in Linux operating system

• Knowledge of CI/CD pipeline and Automation technologies for build and deployment – Ansible, Jenkins

Swift is unable to sponsor an employment authorization for this position now or in the future.

The estimated salary range for a new hire into this position in Virginia is $121,564.00 USD Annual MINIMUM to $225,762.00 USD Annual MAXIMUM. Salary may vary depending on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. Our compensation packages include a competitive base salary and bonus opportunity for all employee’s contingent on personal and company performance. Our generous benefits program includes medical, dental, vision and life insurance with no premium costs for our employees and their families, and retirement plan plus matching 401k.

What we offer

We put you in control of career

We give you a competitive package

We help you perform at your best

We help you make a difference

We give you the freedom to be yourself

We give you the freedom to be yourself. We are creating an environment of unique individuals – like you – with different perspectives on the financial industry and the world. A diverse and inclusive environment in which everyone’s voice counts and where you can reach your full potential.

If you believe you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact us to request accommodation.

Don’t meet every single requirement? At Swift, we are dedicated to building a workplace where people can bring their full selves and ideas to the team, so if you are excited about this role, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every single qualification.