Entry Level Network Cyber Security Jobs in Reston, VA

Koniag Data Solutions, a Koniag Government Services company, is seeking a motivated and technically developingPalo Alto Integration Technician (Junior)to support enterprise network security operations and IT administrative and operational support services for a federal government client. This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a government background investigation, PIV credentials, and all requisite IT access authorizations prior to performing work. Primary work will be performed at the client site and approved remote/telework locations.

We offer competitive compensation and an extraordinary benefits package including health, dental and vision insurance, 401K with company matching, flexible spending accounts, paid holidays, three weeks paid time off, and more.

This role serves as an entry-level technical support function responsible for assisting in the administration, monitoring, and operational support of enterprise Palo Alto Networks security platform capabilities across a complex federal IT environment spanning on-premises infrastructure, cloud platforms, and hybrid network environments.

The ideal candidate is an enthusiastic and detail-oriented early-career network security professional with foundational knowledge of Palo Alto Networks technologies, enterprise networking concepts, and Federal cybersecurity compliance requirements. This individual must possess a strong desire to learn and grow within a dynamic federal IT security environment, a collaborative and disciplined work ethic, and the technical foundation necessary to support the administration and monitoring of enterprise Palo Alto Networks security infrastructure under the guidance of mid-level and senior engineers.

The Palo Alto Integration Technician (Junior) will serve as a supporting technical contributor within the program's network security team, assisting mid-level and senior Palo Alto Networks engineers in the day-to-day administration, monitoring, and operational support of enterprise Palo Alto Networks security infrastructure. This individual supports the protection of Government networks and systems through the monitoring of Palo Alto Networks platform health and security events, execution of routine administrative tasks, preparation of change documentation, and maintenance of platform operational records under established procedures and senior engineer guidance.

Principal responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Monitor Palo Alto Networks NGFW, Panorama, Prisma Access, and Cortex XDR platform dashboards and management consoles under the guidance of senior engineers, identifying and escalating platform health issues, service disruptions, and anomalous conditions in accordance with defined monitoring procedures and escalation thresholds.
• Monitor NGFW and Panorama system health indicators, including CPU utilization, memory usage, session table capacity, interface status, and high availability synchronization status, escalating threshold violations to senior engineers for investigation and resolution.
• Monitor log forwarding and data ingestion pipelines for Palo Alto Networks platforms, identifying and escalating log gaps, forwarding failures, and data quality issues that may impact security monitoring coverage or platform operational visibility.
• Generate and distribute routine Palo Alto Networks platform health and operational status reports, providing program leadership and Government stakeholders with accurate, current visibility into platform availability, performance, and security event activity.
• Assist in the monitoring of Panorama managed device connectivity and policy synchronization status, identifying and escalating managed device connectivity failures or policy push errors requiring senior engineer attention.
• Support the monitoring of Prisma Access service health and GlobalProtect connectivity status, escalating service disruptions and user connectivity issues to senior engineers for investigation and resolution.

• Execute routine Palo Alto Networks NGFW and Panorama administrative tasks under the direction and oversight of senior engineers, including policy backups, configuration exports, log archival activities, and administrative account management.
• Assist in the execution of approved firewall rule changes, security profile updates, and routine configuration modifications under direct senior engineer supervision, following defined implementation procedures and change management requirements.
• Support the management of Palo Alto Networks administrative user accounts, ensuring account provisioning, modification, and deprovisioning activities are completed accurately and documented in accordance with program access management procedures.
• Assist in the administration and maintenance of Palo Alto Networks platform certificates, including monitoring certificate expiration dates and supporting certificate renewal activities under senior engineer guidance.
• Support the execution of Palo Alto Networks platform software updates, security content updates, and application and threat signature updates under senior engineer direction, following defined maintenance windows and change management procedures.
• Assist in the maintenance of GlobalProtect remote access configurations, supporting routine administrative tasks related to gateway management, user enrollment, and agent deployment activities under senior engineer guidance.

• Monitor Palo Alto Networks NGFW threat prevention logs, traffic logs, URL filtering logs, and WildFire analysis results under the guidance of senior engineers, identifying security events requiring escalation in accordance with defined monitoring procedures and escalation thresholds.
• Assist in the triage and initial analysis of Palo Alto Networks security alerts and threat prevention events, gathering relevant log data and contextual information to support senior analyst and engineer investigation and response activities.
• Support the development and maintenance of routine log analysis and alert monitoring procedures, contributing practical observations from daily monitoring activities to runbook and standard operating procedure improvement efforts.
• Assist in the identification of false positive alert patterns and routine security event noise, supporting senior engineers in refining alert thresholds and monitoring procedures to improve operational efficiency.
• Generate routine threat prevention and security event reports from Palo Alto Networks platforms and Panorama, supporting program security reporting and compliance documentation requirements.

• Assist in the preparation of Palo Alto Networks change request documentation for Change Advisory Board (CAB) submission under senior engineer guidance, contributing to the development of implementation plans, technical impact descriptions, rollback procedures, and test step documentation.
• Support the scheduling and coordination of approved Palo Alto Networks platform changes, assisting in the organization of maintenance window activities and the communication of change schedules to relevant stakeholders.
• Assist in the execution of approved platform changes under direct senior engineer supervision, following defined implementation procedures and documenting execution steps and outcomes in change management records.
• Conduct post-implementation verification activities for assigned platform changes, executing defined test steps and documenting test results in change management records for senior engineer review.
• Maintain accurate and current change management records for all Palo Alto Networks platform changes, ensuring implementation documentation, test results, and outcome records are complete and properly filed in the program's change management system.

• Develop and maintain Palo Alto Networks platform operational documentation under senior engineer guidance, including platform configuration records, log source inventory updates, administrative procedure documentation, and knowledge base article contributions.
• Maintain accurate and current records of Palo Alto Networks platform configurations, software versions, license status, and hardware inventory, supporting program asset management and ATO documentation requirements.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of Palo Alto Networks operational runbooks and standard operating procedures, contributing clear, accurate documentation of routine administrative and monitoring procedures.
• Contribute to the program's knowledge management repository by documenting common troubleshooting procedures, routine administrative task instructions, and monitoring escalation criteria developed through daily operational experience.
• Ensure all platform documentation is version-controlled, accurately reflects current platform configurations, and is maintained in the program's designated documentation management repository.

• Assist in Palo Alto Networks platform compliance activities, supporting the collection of audit evidence, configuration compliance screenshots, and operational documentation artifacts required for ATO and continuous monitoring reporting under senior engineer guidance.
• Support configuration compliance assessment activities, assisting senior engineers in executing DISA STIG compliance checks and documenting findings and remediation status for assigned Palo Alto Networks platform components.
• Ensure all administrative and operational activities are conducted in compliance with applicable Federal cybersecurity frameworks, client security policies, and program security requirements, including NIST SP 800-53, FISMA, applicable DISA STIGs, and client-specific cybersecurity policies.
• Assist in the tracking and documentation of Palo Alto Networks platform vulnerability remediation activities, maintaining accurate records of open vulnerabilities, remediation status, and completion dates in the program's vulnerability tracking system.
• Ensure all activities involving CUI, sensitive system configuration data, or other protected information categories are handled in accordance with applicable security requirements and data handling restrictions.

• Actively pursue professional development and technical skills growth in Palo Alto Networks technologies, network security engineering, and Federal IT compliance, leveraging available training resources, vendor certification programs, and mentorship from senior team members to continuously expand technical capabilities.
• Participate in team knowledge sharing sessions, technical training activities, and platform familiarization opportunities, contributing to a collaborative learning environment within the network security team.
• Stay current with Palo Alto Networks platform updates, new feature releases, security content updates, and relevant Federal cybersecurity policy developments, incorporating new knowledge into daily monitoring and administrative activities.
• Work toward achieving foundational Palo Alto Networks certification as a near-term professional development objective, demonstrating commitment to technical growth and platform expertise development.

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Network Engineering, or a related field from an accredited college or university. Equivalent combination of education, military technical training, or directly relevant hands-on experience may be considered.
• Minimum of 0–2 years of experience in network security, IT operations, firewall administration, or a closely related technical discipline, including internship, academic project, military service, or entry-level professional experience in a relevant field.
• Foundational knowledge of network security concepts, including firewalls, network segmentation, VPN technologies, intrusion detection and prevention, and threat prevention principles.
• Foundational knowledge of enterprise networking concepts, including TCP/IP networking, routing, switching, VLANs, and network addressing, sufficient to understand and support Palo Alto Networks firewall operations and log analysis activities.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a government background investigation, PIV credentials, and all requisite IT access authorizations prior to performing work.

• Prior hands-on exposure to Palo Alto Networks NGFW or Panorama platforms through academic coursework, personal lab environment, employer training, or professional experience.
• Familiarity with Federal cybersecurity frameworks, including NIST SP 800-53, FISMA, and applicable DISA STIGs, through academic study or professional experience.
• Prior experience supporting network security or IT operations activities in a federal government IT environment.

• Foundational knowledge of Palo Alto Networks NGFW platform concepts, including security policy structure, zone-based security architecture, security profiles, log types and basic administrative navigation within the PAN-OS management interface.
• Solid foundational knowledge of enterprise networking concepts, including TCP/IP protocol suite, IP addressing and subnetting, routing fundamentals, switching and VLANs, VPN concepts, and firewall zone architectures sufficient to support log analysis, change documentation, and basic troubleshooting activities.
• Basic understanding of network security principles, including defense-in-depth, least-privilege access control, network segmentation, threat prevention concepts, and common network-based attack vectors relevant to enterprise firewall operations.
• Familiarity with Federal cybersecurity frameworks and requirements, including NIST SP 800-53, FISMA, DISA STIGs, and applicable Federal network security policies, at a foundational level sufficient to support compliance documentation and audit evidence collection activities.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy with demonstrated ability to execute routine administrative tasks, document operational activities, and maintain platform rec