Cybersecurity Director

Cybersecurity Jobs; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Guidehouse in Arlington, VA seeks a senior cybersecurity leader to steer engagements across federal environments. You will drive governance, risk management, and compliance initiatives while shaping strategy and thought leadership.

Success requires a SECRET (or higher) clearance, 10+ years in cyber leadership, and deep federal IT/privacy expertise. This onsite role emphasizes advisory leadership, business growth, and cross‑agency collaboration.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant work experience.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.
• Active and maintained SECRET (or higher) federal clearance.
• Experience in cybersecurity risk management and governance, including senior leadership.
• Federal experience at the department level working on cybersecurity programs.
• Comprehensive understanding of federal IT/security and privacy procedures and techniques.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise-level cyber advisory engagements aligned with EO 14028, OMB guidance, CISA directives, and NIST frameworks.
• Drive business development, capture activities, and revenue growth for cybersecurity offerings.
• Oversee delivery of major engagements ensuring quality, scalability, and compliance with federal standards.
• Provide thought leadership through publications, conferences, and industry forums.
• Define and monitor KPIs, maturity models, and compliance metrics to improve risk posture.

Skills

Leadership

Business development

Cyber risk management

Federal governance

Zero Trust

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Guidehouse offers an environment built for senior leaders who want to shape enterprise cybersecurity work across federal environments. In this onsite role in Arlington, VA, you will lead engagements and strategic initiatives spanning cyber governance, risk management, compliance, practice growth, and thought leadership aligned to federal cybersecurity frameworks.

What you’ll do

• Lead enterprise-level cyber advisory engagements, ensuring alignment with EO 14028, OMB guidance, CISA directives, and NIST frameworks.
• Drive business development and capture activities to expand cybersecurity offerings, including proposal leadership, client relationship management, and revenue growth.
• Oversee delivery of major cybersecurity engagements, focusing on quality, scalability, and adherence to federal cybersecurity standards.
• Provide thought leadership through publications, conferences, and industry forums to strengthen the organization’s presence in cybersecurity services.
• Develop and execute cybersecurity policies, services, and solutions aligned to EO 14028, OMB guidance, CISA directives, and NIST frameworks.
• Advise executive leadership (CISO, CIO, CDO) and interagency partners on cybersecurity strategy and risk posture.
• Combine cybersecurity technical expertise with IT, data, and AI competencies to advance risk management approaches for clients and prospective clients.
• Integrate Zero Trust principles into enterprise services and support system adoption in line with NIST SP 800-207, CISA, DOW and IC frameworks, including approaches for the Zero Trust Maturity Model.
• Define and monitor KPIs, maturity models, and compliance metrics to improve operational effectiveness and risk reduction, such as decreasing time for vulnerability patching, increasing speed of Mean Time to Recover, and supporting continuous monitoring and continuous Authority to Operate initiatives.
• Drive practice growth through business development, proposal leadership, and client engagement, translating mission risk into AI-enabled controls, analytics, and automation, while stewarding solutions to optimize outcomes and margin.
• Mentor multi-disciplinary teams, build communities of practice, and embed learning loops to foster a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.

What you’ll need

• 10+ years of overall relevant work experience.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university.
• Active and maintained “SECRET” (or higher) federal security clearance.
• Experience in cybersecurity risk management and governance, including multiple years in senior leadership roles.
• Federal experience at the department level working on cybersecurity programs.
• Comprehensive understanding of federal IT/security and privacy procedures and techniques.