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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Network Security Manager

💰 $120,000 - $185,000

Information TechnologyCybersecurityNetwork EngineeringManagement

🎯 Role Definition

The Network Security Manager is a senior-level cybersecurity leader responsible for protecting the organization's data, systems, and networks from cyber threats. This role involves developing and executing a comprehensive network security strategy, managing a team of security professionals, and overseeing the architecture, implementation, and maintenance of all network security controls. The manager acts as the primary guardian of the network perimeter and internal segmentation, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all network traffic and connected assets. This is a strategic role that balances hands-on technical oversight with leadership, compliance, and risk management.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Senior Network Security Engineer
  • Cybersecurity Team Lead
  • Senior IT Auditor (with a security focus)

Advancement To:

  • Director of Information Security / Cybersecurity
  • Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
  • Head of IT Security & Risk

Lateral Moves:

  • Security Architect
  • Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, implement, and continuously refine a long-term network security strategy and roadmap that aligns with business objectives and the evolving threat landscape.
  • Provide strong leadership, mentorship, and career development guidance to a team of network security engineers and analysts, managing workloads, setting performance objectives, and fostering a culture of high performance.
  • Oversee the complete lifecycle management—including architecture, deployment, configuration, and maintenance—of all network security infrastructure, such as next-generation firewalls, VPN gateways, and web application firewalls (WAFs).
  • Direct the administration and optimization of the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform, ensuring effective log collection, event correlation, and timely alerting for potential security incidents.
  • Act as the primary incident commander for all network-related security events, leading the response team through containment, eradication, and recovery, and conducting detailed post-mortem analysis to prevent recurrence.
  • Perform regular and thorough risk assessments, vulnerability scans, and penetration tests on the network infrastructure to identify, prioritize, and remediate security gaps proactively.
  • Develop, document, and enforce a robust set of network security policies, standards, and procedures in alignment with industry best practices and frameworks like NIST, ISO 27001, and CIS.
  • Guarantee the network infrastructure's compliance with relevant legal and regulatory frameworks, such as GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, and PCI-DSS, by implementing and auditing necessary technical controls.
  • Spearhead the security strategy for cloud network environments (e.g., AWS VPC, Azure VNet, Google Cloud VPC), including the configuration of security groups, network ACLs, transit gateways, and virtual private gateways.
  • Design and manage the organization's Network Access Control (NAC) solution to enforce security policies on all devices connecting to the corporate network, including corporate, BYOD, and IoT devices.
  • Direct the configuration and maintenance of secure remote access solutions, including traditional VPNs and modern Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) frameworks.
  • Continuously research, evaluate, and pilot emerging security technologies and solutions to enhance the organization's security posture and present strategic investment recommendations to senior leadership.
  • Manage relationships with third-party security vendors and service providers, overseeing contract negotiations, service level agreements (SLAs), and the performance of managed security service providers (MSSPs).
  • Take full ownership of the network security budget, including forecasting financial needs, managing operational expenditures, and justifying capital investments for new projects and technology refreshes.
  • Create and maintain detailed network security architecture diagrams and documentation, providing a clear and up-to-date view of the security landscape for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Architect and maintain robust network segmentation and micro-segmentation strategies to isolate critical systems, limit the lateral movement of potential attackers, and reduce the blast radius of a breach.
  • Define, monitor, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure the effectiveness of the network security program and communicate its value and risk posture to executive leadership.
  • Lead forensic investigations for network security breaches, collecting and preserving evidence in a forensically sound manner to support internal analysis and potential legal action.
  • Manage and tune Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) mitigation services and technologies to ensure business continuity and service availability during a volumetric or application-layer attack.
  • Implement a robust process for managing the entire lifecycle of digital certificates (SSL/TLS), ensuring timely renewal and proper configuration across all network appliances and services to prevent outages.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis related to network traffic and security events.
  • Contribute to the organization's broader data governance and cybersecurity strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units, application owners, and system administrators to translate their needs into secure network engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning, agile ceremonies, and cross-functional project teams to ensure security is embedded in all IT initiatives.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced Firewall Management: Deep expertise in configuring and managing next-generation firewalls (e.g., Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Cisco Firepower).
  • Intrusion Detection/Prevention: Proficiency with IDS/IPS technologies, including signature tuning and anomaly detection.
  • SIEM & Log Management: Hands-on experience with SIEM platforms like Splunk, QRadar, or LogRhythm for threat hunting and analysis.
  • Cloud Network Security: Strong knowledge of securing cloud environments, including AWS (Security Groups, NACLs, VPC) and Azure (NSGs, ASGs, VNet).
  • Network Access Control (NAC): Experience implementing and managing NAC solutions such as Cisco ISE or Aruba ClearPass.
  • Vulnerability Management: Proficiency with tools like Nessus, Qualys, or Rapid7 for scanning, reporting, and remediation tracking.
  • Core Networking Protocols: A fundamental mastery of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, BGP, and OSPF.
  • Scripting & Automation: Familiarity with scripting languages (e.g., Python, PowerShell) to automate security tasks and processes.
  • Zero Trust Principles: Solid understanding and practical experience in designing and implementing Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) architectures.
  • Professional Certifications: Industry-recognized certifications such as CISSP, CISM, or advanced vendor-specific certs (e.g., PCNSE, CCIE Security) are highly valued.

Soft Skills

  • Leadership & Team Management: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and motivate a technical team.
  • Strategic Thinking: Ability to see the big picture and develop long-term plans that mitigate risk and support business goals.
  • Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to effectively troubleshoot and resolve complex security issues.
  • Project Management: Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, from conception to completion, on time and within budget.
  • Stakeholder Management: Skill in building relationships and influencing decision-making across various departments and at all levels of the organization.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s Degree in Cybersecurity or Information Assurance.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Technology / Information Systems
  • Cybersecurity

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 7-10+ years of progressive experience in network security, cybersecurity, and information technology.

Preferred:

  • At least 3-5 years of experience in a supervisory or team leadership capacity, demonstrating direct management of technical staff.
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