Cisco IronPort

Lead System Engineer-Cisco IronPort

Key Responsibilities

• Architect and manage complex Cisco IronPort ESA deployments (physical & virtual), including high availability, clustering, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Lead Tier-3/L4 troubleshooting for critical email security incidents, performing protocol-level analysis (SMTP, DNS, TLS) and root cause investigations.
• Design and enforce security policies for spam filtering, malware protection (AMP), DLP, encryption, and outbreak filters to meet compliance and regulatory requirements.
• Plan and execute migrations, upgrades, and capacity expansions for Cisco ESA appliances in large-scale environments.
• Develop and execute test plans for new features, configurations, and integrations with Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365.
• Integrate ESA with Security Management Appliance (SMA) for centralized reporting, quarantine management, and policy orchestration.
• Automate operational tasks using CLI, scripting (Python/Bash), and APIs to improve efficiency and reduce manual overhead.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Messaging, Network, Security) to ensure seamless mail flow and secure integration with firewalls, DNS (SPF/DKIM and DMARC), and Active Directory.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation for architecture, configurations, troubleshooting guides, and operational playbooks.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and support teams.

Required Skills & Expertise

• 8+ years of experience in enterprise email security and messaging platforms, with 5+ years dedicated to Cisco IronPort ESA in large, complex environments.
• Strong knowledge of SMTP, DNS, FTP, SSH, TCP/IP, and secure mail routing principles.
• Expertise in Cisco ESA features: AMP, DLP, encryption, content filtering, reputation-based controls, and outbreak filters.
• Hands-on experience with policy design, disaster recovery planning, and risk analysis for email security.
• Proficiency in UNIX/Linux administration, scripting (PowerShell, Python, Bash), and automation frameworks.
• Solid networking knowledge, including firewalls, NAT, subnetting, and load balancing.
• Experience integrating ESA with Microsoft Exchange (2016/2019) and Microsoft O365 environments.
• Familiarity with Active Directory/LDAP for directory integration and authentication.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for documentation and stakeholder engagement.