Data Security Analyst

United States

Suitability/Public Trust

Fully remote

Information Technology

GovCIO is seeking a highly experienced Data Security Analyst — Master to lead the design, implementation, operation, and continuous improvement of enterprise security controls that protect data, networks, applications, and cloud-connected environments. This senior individual-contributor role requires deep hands‑on expertise with the Palo Alto Networks security portfolio—particularly next‑generation firewalls, Panorama, Cortex, and Strata—as well as strong Cisco networking and security capabilities.

This position will be located within the United States and will be a fully remote opportunity.

• Architect, deploy, administer, and optimize Palo Alto Networks next‑generation firewalls across data center, campus, branch, cloud, and remote‑access environments.
• Lead centralized firewall management using Palo Alto Panorama , including device groups, templates, template stacks, shared policy, role‑based administration, configuration standards, software lifecycle management, and high‑availability operations.
• Design and maintain security policies using least privilege, application‑aware controls, user identity, URL filtering, DNS security, TLS decryption where approved, threat prevention, Wild Fire analysis, anti‑spyware, vulnerability protection, and file‑blocking capabilities.
• Lead the operational use of the Palo Alto Networks Strata portfolio to improve network security posture, policy consistency, visibility, segmentation, and operational resilience.
• Deploy and operationalize Cortex capabilities for security analytics, endpoint detection and response, extended detection and response, incident investigation, automation, orchestration, and response improvement, as applicable to the enterprise environment.
• Investigate security alerts, anomalous traffic, malware activity, policy violations, data‑exfiltration indicators, and firewall‑related incidents; coordinate containment, eradication, recovery, and post‑incident review activities.
• Develop and tune detections, correlation logic, dashboards, investigations, and response playbooks using Cortex tooling and integrated security platforms.
• Build and maintain secure network segmentation strategies, including zone‑based architecture, east‑west traffic controls, microsegmentation principles, and protections for high‑value data systems.
• Partner with Cisco network engineering teams to integrate secure routing, switching, VPN, wireless, identity, and network‑access controls. Troubleshoot issues across Cisco and Palo Alto environments without weakening security controls.
• Support and strengthen Cisco security technologies and enterprise network services, which may include Cisco ASA/Firepower, Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center, Cisco ISE, Cisco Secure Network Analytics, VPN, routing, switching, and wireless infrastructure.
• Review, approve, implement, and document firewall and network‑security change requests according to established change‑management, risk‑review, and emergency‑change processes.
• Perform regular firewall rulebase reviews, access recertifications, risk assessments, policy cleanup, unused‑rule retirement, object normalization, and security‑control validation.
• Maintain accurate network security diagrams, data‑flow documentation, firewall standards, operational runbooks, architecture decisions, and escalation procedures.
• Conduct vulnerability and configuration assessments; validate remediation of high‑risk findings affecting firewall, network, endpoint, and data‑security controls.
• Collaborate with Security Operations Center, Incident Response, Cloud Engineering, Infrastructure, Application Development, Governance/Risk/Compliance, and Audit teams on security…