How to hire a firewall engineer

How to hire a firewall engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step firewall engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a firewall engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new firewall engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a firewall engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a firewall engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a firewall engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a firewall engineer that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of firewall engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Firewall Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Firewall Engineer	Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.	$36-61
   Network Technician	A network technician is responsible for system malfunction diagnosis and troubleshooting operations. Network technicians duties' include repairing damaged system components, analyzing computer systems and blueprints, installing network connections, and upgrading accessories for efficient operations... Show more	$24-44
   System Technician	A system technician is a professional responsible for supporting users with issues related to the computer system. System technicians conduct appropriate diagnostics on computer issues and must be able to explain technical issues to clients or team members... Show more	$12-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Network Security
   • Cisco Asa
   • Azure
   • ASA
   • Troubleshoot
   • Switches
   • Windows
   • Fortinet
   • Linux
   • Routers
   • BGP
   • Security Policies
   • TCP/IP
   • DNS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Excele at managing major network-wide upgrades; improve speed and predictability of multicast and order-routing data.
   • Involve in the modification and removal of BGP from the MPLS routers.
   • Replace Cisco routers with ASA failover pair as a part of project to upgrade the private line to MPLS connection.
   • Provide technical expertise and support of network devices and security peripherals including Cisco routers and switches.
   • Experience configuring various networking protocols, specifically OSPF, BGP and EIGRP and troubleshooting issues with the network.
   • Demonstrate experience with IPSEC VPN design connection and protocols, IPSEC tunnel configuration, encryption and integrity protocols.

   More firewall engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your firewall engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A firewall engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, firewall engineers' average salary in oklahoma is 40% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level firewall engineers 41% less than senior-level firewall engineers.
   • Certifications. A firewall engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a firewall engineer's salary.

   Average firewall engineer salary

   $99,357yearly

   $47.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level firewall engineer salary

   $76,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average firewall engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$136,538	$66
   2	Washington	$115,367	$55
   3	Nevada	$112,258	$54
   4	West Virginia	$105,722	$51
   5	Arizona	$101,328	$49
   6	Illinois	$101,067	$49
   7	New Jersey	$99,093	$48
   8	Texas	$98,336	$47
   9	New York	$96,626	$46
   10	New Hampshire	$95,377	$46
   11	Delaware	$95,356	$46
   12	Colorado	$94,514	$45
   13	Virginia	$93,913	$45
   14	Maryland	$93,893	$45
   15	Pennsylvania	$92,895	$45
   16	Wyoming	$92,540	$44
   17	South Carolina	$91,226	$44
   18	Massachusetts	$90,870	$44
   19	North Carolina	$89,226	$43
   20	Iowa	$87,657	$42

   Average firewall engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Palo Alto Networks	$121,998	$58.65	15
   2	AIG	$112,118	$53.90	8
   3	Packet	$111,579	$53.64
   4	TEKsystems	$111,103	$53.41	55
   5	Randstad North America, Inc.	$109,740	$52.76	7
   6	Robert Half	$109,109	$52.46	62
   7	Grandbridge Real Estate Capital	$108,742	$52.28	76
   8	By Light Professional IT Services	$105,576	$50.76	3
   9	Exela Technologies	$105,300	$50.63
   10	Norfolk Southern	$104,896	$50.43
   11	Business Impact Group	$104,697	$50.34
   12	Corning Incorporated	$104,448	$50.22	2
   13	Criterion Systems	$104,405	$50.19
   14	BASF	$104,265	$50.13
   15	Vets Plus	$103,983	$49.99
   16	Science	$103,321	$49.67	1
   17	SkillStorm	$102,716	$49.38
   18	Gulfstream Aerospace	$101,616	$48.85
   19	Agile Enterprise Solutions	$101,352	$48.73	2
   20	Pinnacle Technical Resources	$99,639	$47.90	6

4. Writing a firewall engineer job description

   A firewall engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a firewall engineer job description:

   Firewall engineer job description example

   NETWORK ENGINEER FIREWALL ENGINEER
   
   Contract 12+ Months, 40 hours weekly, US Citizen, On Site
   
   Client has Covid 19 protocol in place... Must be vaccinated
   
   The Network Engineer/ Firewall Engineer's primary role is to build, implement, maintain, and support firewalls and other network security devices. The Network Engineer/Firewall Engineer works with team members and system support personnel with issues related to connectivity and policy administration. Secondary responsibilities include configuring, maintaining and supporting local and wide area network hardware and communication links. Individual will also troubleshoot network performance issues, as well as analyze network traffic
   
   ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 1. Ensure the stable operation and efficient performance of company networks. 2. Install, configure and troubleshoot network hardware and equipment. 3. Primary administration of Firewalls (policy configurations, monitoring, software updates and auditing), load balancers and DNS/DHCP. 4. Configure and troubleshoot IPSEC VPNs. 5. Perform in depth analysis utilizing logs, packet captures and monitoring tools for root cause analysis of critical events. 6. Monitor and report on compliance with security policies. 7. Conduct research on products, services, protocols, and standards in support of procurement and development efforts. 8. Maintain policies for asset management; including maintenance of component inventory, hardware lifecycle, software releases and run books. 9. Maintain connectivity and uptime service level agreements. 10. Perform additional duties and projects as assigned by management
   
   EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE 5+ years working as a Network Engineer with 2+ years of firewall administration. Expert knowledge of Firewall technologies; Juniper, ASA and Palo Alto Firewall Platforms. Experience with load balancing technologies such as F5 LTM and Citrix NetScaler. Experienced in using In-depth protocol analysis tools such as Wireshark and Splunk. Ability to analyze device and traffic logs, extensive knowledge of TCP/IP protocol stack and firewall Additional skills in Cisco IOS and Nexus networking technologies, InfoBlox, Cisco ISE a plus Current JNSIP-SEC,CCNA-SEC certification a plus
   
   Experience in DFAR and NIST compliance documentation a plus. WORKING CONDITIONS Standard office environment.
   
   

   Company DescriptionGCR is a nationwide, full-service, one-stop technical staffing agency committed to integrity at every point of contact.
   
   At GCR, you will discover a reliable source of both short-term and long-term quality staffing solutions, covering the full life cycle, across all industries including information technology, design engineering, research and development, and manufacturing. Our experienced, stable and technically knowledgeable recruiters quickly and successfully match the right person to the right job, because we establish and maintain relationships with every client and every candidate.
   
   A GCR match goes far beyond the technical skill set you request. A GCR match is a person who also brings the personal qualities, character, and intangible assets to precisely fit your company culture.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find firewall engineers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your firewall engineer job on Zippia to find and attract quality firewall engineer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit firewall engineers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview firewall engineer candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new firewall engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the firewall engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new firewall engineer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a firewall engineer?