Cyber SDC Manager, Network Security Operations (24x7 Zscaler Operations)

Job Summary

The Manager of Network Security Operations is responsible for 24x7 operational ownership, stability, and continuous improvement of the Zscaler platform, along with oversight of enterprise firewall and WAF operations. This role ensures Zscaler services are highly available, resilient, and fully supported around the clock, serving as a critical component of the organization’s Zero Trust and user connectivity strategy. The manager leads global operations, incident response, and service management while partnering closely with security engineering, architecture, and business stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

24x7 Zscaler Operations Ownership

• Maintain end-to-end operational ownership of Zscaler (ZIA, ZPA, ZDX as applicable) on a 24x7 basis, ensuring service availability, performance, and reliability.
• Define and operate a follow-the-sun or on-call support model, including escalation paths, runbooks, and incident response procedures.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for P1/P2 incidents impacting Zscaler services globally.
• Drive root cause analysis (RCA), problem management, and corrective actions to reduce incident recurrence.
• Ensure monitoring, alerting, and operational dashboards provide real-time visibility into service health.

Network Security Operations Leadership

• Lead, develop, and manage a distributed team of network and security operations engineers.
• Establish operational standards, KPIs, SLAs, and on-call readiness to meet 24x7 availability requirements.
• Ensure disciplined change management practices are followed for production environments, including after-hours changes and rollbacks.

Firewall Network Operations (Check Point & Palo Alto)

• Oversee daily operations for Check Point and Palo Alto firewall environments across data centers and cloud platforms.
• Ensure firewall operations integrate seamlessly with Zscaler traffic flows and Zero Trust architecture.
• Manage rule lifecycle, emergency changes, upgrades, and operational hygiene.

Cloudflare WAF Operations

• Provide operational oversight for Cloudflare WAF, ensuring protection of internet-facing applications.
• Coordinate with application and DevOps teams during security events or traffic anomalies.
• Tune WAF rules and mitigations based on threat intelligence, attack patterns, and business risk.

Incident, Problem, and Service Management

• Own the incident response lifecycle for network security platforms, including coordination with SOC, IT Ops, and cloud teams.
• Lead post-incident reviews and service improvement initiatives.
• Ensure operational documentation, runbooks, and knowledge articles are current and validated.

Governance, Risk, and Compliance

• Ensure all network security operations comply with corporate security policies, regulatory requirements, and audit standards.
• Support audits by providing operational evidence, metrics, and control validation.
• Balance uptime, security risk, and operational resiliency for global users.

Vendor and Stakeholder Management

• Manage strategic vendor relationships with Zscaler, Check Point, Palo Alto Networks, and Cloudflare.
• Partner with architecture and engineering teams on roadmap planning, platform enhancements, and Zero Trust initiatives.
• Provide regular operational reporting and service health updates to senior leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 7+ years of experience in network and/or security operations, with demonstrated 24x7 service ownership.
• 3+ years of people management experience in an operations or SRE-style environment.
• Deep operational experience with:
• Zscaler (ZIA/ZPA) in a production, always-on environment
• Check Point and/or Palo Alto firewalls
• Cloudflare WAF
• Strong experience with incident management, problem management, and on-call operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience operating follow-the-sun or globally distributed support models.
• Certifications such as CISSP, CISM, PCNSE, CCSE, or Zscaler certifications.
• Experience supporting large-scale zero trust transformations and cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP).

Leadership Competencies

• Proven ability to run mission-critical, 24x7 platforms
• Calm, decisive leadership during high-severity incidents
• Strong stakeholder communication and executive presence
• Operational rigor combined with continuous improvement mindset