Team Lead - IT

Company Profile

Netplace is an IT Infrastructure and Physical Security Services company with over 27 years of industry experience. As a bootstrapped company, weve grown steadily by delivering reliable and innovative solutions across IT networking, cybersecurity, cloud networking, and large-scale WiFi setups.

About the role:

We are looking for an experienced and dynamic IT Team Lead - Network & Security to manage network infrastructure and lead a team of engineers to deliver secure, high-performing IT systems. This role requires deep hands-on expertise in firewall and network security technologies (e.g., Palo Alto, FortiGate, Cisco), along with strong people management, project coordination, and cross-team collaboration skills. The ideal candidate will guide both day-to-day operations and long-term infrastructure planning, while mentoring team members and ensuring consistent adherence to best practices and security standards.

Responsibilities:

• Lead a team of network and security engineers; assign tasks, oversee delivery, and ensure professional growth.
• Provide mentoring, and performance feedback to team members.
• Manage team schedules, priorities, and escalations while maintaining high morale and accountability.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and knowledge sharing within the team.
• Design, implement, and review enterprise-wide network security solutions, including firewall architecture, secure remote access, VPNs, and intrusion prevention systems.
• Oversee the deployment and configuration of firewalls (Cisco, Palo Alto, FortiGate) across multiple sites and environments (on-premises and cloud).
• Ensure proactive threat mitigation through periodic audits, risk assessments, and vulnerability analysis.
• Manage firewall performance monitoring, rule optimization, and ongoing tuning to ensure optimal network performance and security.
• Oversee the incident response process; coordinate root cause analysis and resolution of network security breaches or system outages.
• Own documentation, process standardization, and compliance enforcement across all network and firewall configurations.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for network security issues and initiatives.
• Communicate effectively with internal stakeholders, business units, third-party vendors, and OEMs.
• Collaborate with project managers and other team members on infrastructure projects, capacity planning, and technology roadmap development.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, trends, and threats to continually strengthen the organizations position.
• Recommend and implement improvements to security policies, procedures, and infrastructure.
• Drive internal training initiatives, tool adoption, and automation to enhance efficiency.

Who you are:

• Minimum 8 years of hands-on experience in network and firewall administration.
• At least 2-3 years in a senior/lead/mentoring role within an IT or network security team.
• Deep expertise in configuring and managing firewall appliances (Palo Alto, FortiGate, Cisco ASA/Firepower, etc.).
• Strong knowledge of network protocols, routing/switching, VPNs, NAT, IDS/IPS, VLANs, and segmentation.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot complex network issues and lead resolution teams.
• Experience managing security policies, ACLs, and rule sets across distributed environments.
• Relevant certifications such as: Cisco: CCNP Security, CCIE Palo Alto: PCNSE Fortinet: NSE4-8 Cloud: AWS/Azure Network Security Certifications Experience with secure cloud networking and hybrid environments (e.g., AWS Transit Gateway, Azure Firewall). Knowledge of ITIL processes, change management, and compliance standards (ISO 27001, NIST, etc.).
• Familiarity with SIEM tools, vulnerability scanners, and endpoint detection platforms.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Strong stakeholder management and cross-team coordination.
• Analytical mindset with strong decision-making and prioritization skills.
• Ability to handle pressure and guide a team during critical incidents or outages.
• Self-motivated, accountable, and proactive in driving results.