Prinicipal Network Engineer - Palo Alto SME at System One
Pittsburgh, PA
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Jul 11, 2026
Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A contract network engineering role focused on a large-scale Palo Alto Networks firewall environment spanning 200+ devices. The work centers on completing firewall deployments using a phased approach, supporting a Panorama-managed Strata Cloud Manager rollout, and conducting knowledge transfer to an internal team with moderate Palo Alto experience. IoT security experience is required, and prior SCM deployment experience is a strong advantage.
Senior level · Remote · Contract
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
What the occupation pays Median $101,310 (middle half $79,725–$129,425).
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (9)
This is a 1-year contract engagement, not a permanent hire.
The posting explicitly calls Palo Alto Networks (PANW) SME status and IoT experience 'non-negotiable' hard gates.
SCM (Strata Cloud Manager) deployment experience is described as 'very helpful' — explicitly framed as a strong preference rather than a hard gate.
Panorama-managed deployment is listed as a core deliverable the contractor will need to assist with; treated as a required skill given the operational context.
The 'Principal' title appears to be a seniority label used by the staffing firm (System One) rather than a reflection of org-wide technical authority; the actual scope — deploying and knowledge-transferring 200+ firewalls — is consistent with a Senior-level network engineer.
The role is referenced as Pittsburgh-based (#404-IT Pittsburgh) but is listed as fully remote.
No compensation figures were provided in the posting.
Posting is for a contract engagement — the market benchmarks below price full-time roles, so read the comp comparison with that in mind.
This posting reads as a fully-remote role, so it was scored against the national candidate pool rather than a single metro.
Read the full posting
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