Classified Security Architect

Nominal; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 208,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% medical/dental/vision coverage

Unlimited PTO and sick leave

Free lunch, snacks and coffee

Professional Development Stipend

In-office hardware lab with project $-

Job summary

Nominal seeks a Classified Security Architect to lead security architecture for SAP deployments and restricted environments. You will translate customer requirements into deployable architectures, engineering controls, and the documentation needed for authorization.

You will collaborate with government stakeholders and internal teams to resolve security challenges, drive SSPs, and ensure ongoing authorization readiness in evolving environments.

Qualifications

• Experience designing and securing systems in classified environments.
• Hands-on security for infrastructure and platform security (Linux, IAM, network segmentation).
• Translate security requirements into technical architecture and engineering plans.
• Experience applying NIST 800-53, CNSSI overlays, STIGs, and customer security requirements.
• Contribute to SSPs, control narratives, assessment evidence, and remediation activities.

Responsibilities

• Define security architectures and requirements for classified deployments (SAP and restricted environments).
• Translate security requirements into actionable engineering plans and controls.
• Collaborate with engineering to design and validate controls across infrastructure, IAM, data flows, and monitoring.
• Lead resolution of security challenges affecting deployments with customer security stakeholders.
• Drive technical authorization readiness, including SSP content and artifacts for ATO packages.
• Coordinate with ISSMs, assessors, and authorizing stakeholders to validate architectures.
• Develop and maintain POA&Ms and remediation plans in partnership with engineering.
• Establish reusable security architectures and deployment patterns across programs.
• Maintain security readiness as software and requirements evolve.
• Identify architectural constraints early to inform feasibility and timelines.

Skills

SAP deployment

Security architecture

Linux security

IAM and network security

NIST 800-53 experience

CNSSI/STIGs knowledge

SSP/Control narratives

Government liaison

Technical authorization

TS/SCI clearance

Job description

About Nominal

Engineers today are building some of the most ambitious machines humanity has ever seen. They should have AI that's purpose-built for them.

Nominal is building the Hardware Intelligence Platform that gives engineers increased visibility into complex physical systems, helps them make better decisions, and ultimately gets their products into the real world faster. It brings together the systems, data, intelligence, and applications hardware engineering requires to meet the AI moment. Hardware engineering teams use Nominal to simulate, test, manufacture, and operate the physical systems that keep the world moving, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next‑generation energy systems and robotics.

Our customers span aerospace, defense, manufacturing, transportation, energy, and robotics. They include Anduril, Shield AI, Wisk Aero, Pratt Miller Motorsports, Antares, and Shinkei Systems, amongst others, alongside programs within the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, Tesla, and other leading companies, united by a common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with speed, safety, and confidence. We're a fast‑moving team that owns problems end‑to‑end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of hardware and software.

Some of the world’s leading technology investors, including Sequoia, Lightspeed, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Lux Capital, and Insight Partners, are backing Nominal’s ambition to change how machines are built and operated. We’re looking for teammates who want to take on hard problems and help make a new generation of world‑changing hardware possible.

About the role

The Classified Security Architect leads security architecture and technical authorization readiness for Nominal's classified deployments, with particular emphasis on Special Access Program (SAP) environments. You’ll translate customer security requirements into deployable architectures, engineering controls, and the technical evidence needed to obtain and maintain authorizations.

You’ll work directly with government security stakeholders and partner with Engineering, Platform Security, DevSecOps, and Deployability to resolve technical security challenges, establish repeatable deployment patterns, and speed delivery into highly restricted environments. Engineering owns technical implementation. This role owns classified security architecture requirements, technical design guidance, and coordination of technical authorization deliverables, and it calls for hands‑on classified deployment expertise, not only accreditation process experience.

What You’ll Do

• Define security architectures and technical requirements for classified deployments, including SAP environments and other highly restricted customer environments.
• Translate customer security requirements, NIST 800-53 controls, applicable CNSSI overlays, STIGs, and program‑specific constraints into actionable engineering requirements and implementation plans.
• Partner with engineering teams to design and validate security controls across infrastructure, network boundaries, identity and access management, data flows, software delivery, logging, and system monitoring.
• Lead resolution of technical security challenges that could impede classified deployments, working directly with customer security stakeholders and internal engineering teams.
• Drive technical authorization readiness, including System Security Plan (SSP) content, architecture diagrams, control narratives, supporting evidence, and other artifacts required for ATO packages.
• Coordinate with customer ISSMs, assessors, and authorizing stakeholders to validate proposed architectures, resolve security findings, and support authorization decisions.
• Develop and maintain Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms), partnering with engineering on remediation planning and technical resolution.
• Establish reusable security architectures, controls, documentation, and deployment patterns across classified customer programs.
• Maintain security architecture and authorization readiness as software, infrastructure, and customer requirements evolve.
• Identify security architecture constraints early in customer engagements and inform technical feasibility, deployment planning, and program timelines.

We’re looking for someone with

• Demonstrated experience designing, deploying, or securing systems in classified environments, including SAP or similarly restricted environments.
• Hands‑on technical experience with infrastructure and platform security, including Linux, network segmentation, identity and access management, and secure software delivery.
• Experience translating classified security requirements into technical architecture and engineering implementation plans.
• Experience applying NIST 800-53, applicable CNSSI overlays, STIGs, and customer‑specific security requirements.
• Experience supporting authorization of classified systems, including technical contributions to SSPs, control narratives, assessment evidence, and remediation activities.
• Experience working directly with government ISSMs, security assessors, and other security stakeholders to resolve technical and authorization challenges.
• Ability to independently evaluate security architecture tradeoffs and guide engineering teams toward compliant, technically viable solutions.
• This position requires you to currently possess and be able to maintain a U.S. TS/SCI security clearance, in order to meet U.S. regulatory eligibility requirements for the access to classified information associated with this role.

Skills That Supercharge Us

• Direct experience with SAP deployment architectures, program‑specific security requirements, and authorization processes.
• Experience obtaining and maintaining ATOs across multiple classified programs or customer environments.
• Experience with Kubernetes, containerized infrastructure, and modern DevSecOps practices in restricted or disconnected environments.
• Government‑side accreditation, security engineering, or assessment experience.
• Experience establishing reusable security architectures and control implementations across multiple deployments.
• Relevant security certifications, such as CISSP, GIAC, or equivalent technical credentials.

Benefits/Perks

• 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Unlimited PTO and sick leave
• Free lunch, snacks, and coffee
• Professional Development Stipend
• In-office hardware lab with a $250 project stipend
• Annual company retreat
• 12 weeks parental leave
• Fertility and family planning ($15,000 lifetime)
• Wellness stipend ($100/month)
• $500/year hardware sensor stipend
• 401(k)
• Employee‑friendly equity terms
• In-office 5 days per week

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C.

• 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C.
• 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Compensation

The base pay range for this role is $208,000 - $255,000 per year.