Cybersecurity Operations Lead - U.S. Citizenship Required

ZenPoint Solutions LLC; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 170,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision insurance

Life and disability insurance

401(k) with company match

Tuition assistance

Job summary

ZenPoint Solutions LLC in Washington, DC is seeking a Cybersecurity Operations Lead to direct day-to-day security operations, continuous monitoring, and incident response for a federal client. The lead will oversee SIEM (Microsoft Sentinel), EDR (Microsoft Defender), and CDM integration to safeguard an enterprise IT environment with ATO packages at a Moderate level.

The role reports to the CIO PMO, ensures alignment with NIST/FISMA, and sustains 95% sensor coverage while maintaining strong

Qualifications

• 8+ years in cybersecurity operations, incident response, or SOC environments
• Active CISSP or equivalent credential
• Experience with enterprise SIEM (Microsoft Sentinel) and EDR tooling
• Familiarity with RMF/SA&A and federal cybersecurity frameworks

Responsibilities

• Direct real-time monitoring of security events, logs, and alerts across endpoints and servers
• Lead incident response and escalation workflows
• Manage vulnerability scanning and remediation coordination
• Support DHS CDM DEFEND program and enterprise dashboards
• Coordinate security controls across Microsoft 365 E5/G5 stack
• Sustain ATO compliance and audit evidence
• Prepare monthly threat reports and POA&Ms
• Monitor privileged access with PAM and insider risk measures
• Provide cross-functional IT risk assessment support

Skills

Cybersecurity operations

Incident response

SIEM analysis

Vulnerability management

Federal program support

CISSP or equivalent

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Cybersecurity/IT

Tools

Microsoft Sentinel

Microsoft Defender

Qualys

Microsoft 365 E5/G5 security

Microsoft Intune

Job description

Description

ZenPoint Solutions LLC

Job Type

Full-time

Clearance Requirement

Must successfully obtain a favorably adjudicated Tier 2 Public Trust background investigation.

Work Location

Washington, DC

Work Schedule

Fully onsite (Potential for hybrid schedule with COR approval. Exact details will be finalized post-award.)

Position Overview

ZenPoint Solutions is seeking a Cybersecurity Operations Lead to direct and execute day-to-day cybersecurity operations, continuous monitoring, and incident response for an independent federal agency client. Operating under the strategic oversight of the Agency's Chief Information Officer (CIO) Program Management Office (PMO), the Lead will safeguard an enterprise IT environment supporting approximately 150 users and 35 systems with active Authority to Operate (ATO) packages at a FIPS 199 Moderate impact level. This position ensures continuous alignment with federal cybersecurity frameworks, including FISMA, NIST guidelines, Zero Trust architecture, and the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program.

This position is contingent upon the successful award of a government contract and subsequent government approval.

Key Responsibilities

• Continuous Monitoring & SOC Operations: Direct real-time monitoring of security events, logs, and alerts across workstations, mobile endpoints, and servers using enterprise SIEM (Microsoft Sentinel) and EDR (Microsoft Defender) tools to maintain full operational situational awareness.
• Incident Response & Triage: Lead incident response and escalation workflows in accordance with strict federal performance standards.
• Vulnerability Analysis & Mitigation: Manage regular vulnerability scanning and analysis via Qualys, coordinating with infrastructure teams to enforce strict remediation timelines.
• CDM Program Integration: Support agency participation in the DHS Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM DEFEND) program, maintaining continuous feeds to federal dashboards, meeting the 72-hour reporting latency target, and achieving =95% CDM sensor coverage.
• Cloud & Endpoint Security Administration: Coordinate on Microsoft 365 E5/G5 security controls, including Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention (DLP) configuration, Defender policies, and mobile threat visibility via Lookout MTD and Microsoft Intune.
• ATO Sustainment & Compliance: Support the Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Security Assessment and Authorization (SA&A) lifecycles across 35 system packages, sustaining 100% ATO compliance and maintaining =95% audit evidence freshness.
• Reporting & Deliverables: Author and deliver contractual cybersecurity artifacts, including Monthly Threat Reports, Monthly Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms), and Quarterly CDM Integration Status Reports.
• Privileged Access & Insider Risk: Enforce privileged user controls utilizing Microsoft Privileged Identity Management (PAM) and monitor system configurations to mitigate insider risks and unauthorized access.
• Cross-Functional Cyber Overlap: Provide operational cross-functional capability to support IT risk assessments, audit readiness reviews, and configuration baselines (=95% secure baseline adherence).

Requirements

Required Qualifications:

• Candidate must be a United States Citizen and present proof of Citizenship, if selected
• Cybersecurity Operations Experience: Minimum of 8 years of specialized experience in cybersecurity operations, incident response, or Security Operations Center (SOC) environments.
• Federal Program Support: Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience supporting federal cybersecurity programs.
• SIEM & Event Analysis: Proven technical proficiency configuring and analyzing security events within enterprise SIEM platforms (specifically Microsoft Sentinel), log analysis, and security event correlation.
• Vulnerability Management: Hands-on experience conducting vulnerability analysis, configuration auditing and remediation tracking using enterprise scanning tools (such as Qualys).
• Mandatory Certification: Active Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credential or an equivalent recognized industry cybersecurity certification.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Computer Science, or an Information Technology discipline.
• Microsoft Cloud Defense: Prior experience administering Microsoft 365 E5/G5 security workloads, including Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Cloud Apps, Microsoft Purview DLP, and Microsoft Intune.
• CDM Architecture: Operational familiarity with DHS CDM DEFEND F (or CDMaaS for small agencies) feeds and federal dashboard integrations.
• Specialized Certifications: Advanced technical credentials such as GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH), GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA), Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200), or CompTIA Security+.
• ITSM & Automation: Working knowledge of ServiceNow for incident tracking, change control workflows, and automated security ticketing.
• Federal Standards Familiarity: In-depth understanding of NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, NIST SP 800-37 (RMF), NIST SP 800-61 (Computer Security Incident Handling), and OMB Memorandum M-21-31 event logging tiers.

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $170,000 - $190,000 and will be commensurate with experience.

No recruitment agencies, please.

Company Benefits

We take care of your well-being here at ZenPoint Solutions! Our comprehensive benefits package includes health, dental, and vision insurance to keep you and your family healthy. We also offer group and voluntary life insurance for financial security, and short-term and long-term disability insurance to provide peace of mind in case of unexpected illness or injury. You'll have the option to contribute to a 401(k)-retirement plan with company matching contributions to save for the future. We also offer flexible spending accounts to help manage medical and dependent care costs on a pre-tax basis. On top of that, you'll enjoy a generous paid leave policy, including federal holidays, to maintain a healthy work-life balance. To help you grow in your career, we offer professional development opportunities and a tuition assistance program.

Commitment to Equality

At ZenPoint Solutions, we value diverse perspectives and are committed to providing equal employment opportunities. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, veteran status, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws.