Director, Information Assurance and Security

Peraton; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 176,000 - 282,000; Full time

Job summary

Peraton seeks a seasoned Director of Information Assurance to lead the ISSM program across classified computing environments. You will manage a distributed team of ISSMs/ISSO staff, ensuring accreditation, continuous monitoring, and audit quality for DoD and IC programs.

The role sits in the CIO office within CISO and reports to the VP/CISO, requiring executive communication and cross-functional collaboration to optimize IA workforce and resourcing across enclaves.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS/IS/Cybersecurity or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 16+ years of total professional experience.
• 10+ years in information security with IA leadership in classified environments.
• Active TS clearance with SCI eligibility.
• DO/D 8140.03 IAM Level III cert - CISSP, CISM, GSLC, or equivalent.
• Executive-level communication across all organizational levels.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a distributed team of ISSMs and ISSOs; oversee hiring and performance.
• Oversee accreditation processes and RMF artifact standards.
• Sustain accreditation velocity and monitor program security controls.
• Engage with government officials and sponsors on security matters.

Skills

Leadership

IA/ISSO

Executive communication

Security operations

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's preferred

Tools

eMASS

XACTA

Job description

Director, Information Assurance and Security

Peraton is seeking a seasoned security executive to serve as Director of Information Assurance, the senior IA leader accountable for Peraton's ISSM program across the company's classified computing environments. This role leads a distributed team of direct-report managers plus their ISSM/ISSO staff supporting programs across the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. The role sits within Peraton's Office of the CIO, inside the CISO organization, and reports to the Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer.

Job Locations

US

Responsibilities

Team leadership

• Lead and develop a distributed team of ISSMs and ISSOs across manager-led sub-teams; own hiring, performance, career development, and workforce planning.
• Appoint qualified ISSMs and ISSOs to individual systems and hold the cadre accountable for accreditation, continuous monitoring, and audit quality.
• Reinforce a culture of empowered front-line management and clear performance standards.
• Manage the function's labor and tooling spend.

Strategic priorities

• Continuously align the IA workforce to program demand by refining role definitions, balancing capacity across enclaves, and developing the team to support both current commitments and pipeline growth.
• Partner with Finance, Contracts, Compliance, and Program Management to convert appropriate IA roles from indirect to direct-charge where the business case supports it.
• Build the metrics and narrative that convey IA scope, demand signal, and resourcing risk to the business.
• Sustain and improve accreditation velocity, including ATO cycle time, POA&M aging, and continuous monitoring rigor.

Accreditation oversight

• Provide enterprise oversight of the authorization lifecycle for classified networks and standalone systems for new ATOs, continuous ATO, reciprocity, and re-authorization.
• Set enterprise standards for RMF artifacts (SSPs, control assessments, SCTMs, POA&M, contingency plans); engage AOs, SCAs, and sponsors on enterprise-level matters.
• Direct the risk assessment methodology (CNSSI 1253 / FIPS 199) applied to hardware and software proposed for program use.

Operations and compliance

• Establish and maintain enterprise standards for media protection, endpoint hardening, configuration management, vulnerability scanning, and security awareness for classified users.
• Direct the continuous monitoring program, including audit log review, control self-assessments, and independent audits.
• Ensure classified media handling and sanitization align with NIST SP 800-88 and program requirements.
• Maintain the IA training curriculum in coordination with the FSO and security education team.

Partnership and external engagement

• Interact with government security officials, Authorizing Officials, and program sponsors on security matters, reporting, and briefings.
• Represent Peraton in professional bodies such as CAISSWG, INSA, ND-ISAC, and NCMS.
• Operate fluently across 32 CFR Part 117 (NISPOM Rule), DFARS 252.204-7012, FISMA, NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, DAAG, JSIG, ICD 503, ICD 502, ICD 705, and DoDM 8140.03.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or a related field; Master's preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience may substitute.
• 16+ years of total professional experience
• 10+ years of information security experience, including leading IA and system security operations in classified environments (DoD collateral and/or SCI) with responsibility overseeing hiring, performance, and career development. Managing geographically dispersed team experience preferred.
• Demonstrated track record overseeing teams that have obtained and maintained ATOs from DCSA, DoD, and/or IC Authorizing Officials.
• Active TS clearance with the ability to obtain an SCI
• DoDM 8140.03 IAM Level III certification - CISSP, CISM, GSLC, or equivalent.
• Executive-level oral and written communication skills, including the ability to hold direct, accountable conversations across all organizational levels.

Desired Qualifications

• Prior ISSO, ISSM, ISSE, or SCA experience in an IC environment; experience overseeing ISSMs of Record with DCSA, DIA, NSA, NRO, or CIA sponsors.
• Experience authoring and defending accreditation packages in eMASS, Xacta, or equivalent tooling.
• Experience partnering with Finance, Contracts, and Program Management to structure security roles as direct-billed program costs.
• Prior experience running a corporate-overhead function with measurable efficiency and demand-justification discipline.
• Familiarity with cross-domain solutions (CDS) and cross-domain accreditation.
• Familiarity with Zero Trust reference architectures (DoD ZT Strategy, CISA ZTMM) in classified environments.

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can't be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Target Salary Range

$176,000 - $282,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.