ISSO Specialist

Aquila Technology; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO and holidays

401K with company match

Cell phone & internet reimbursed

BYOD reimbursement

Job summary

Aquila Technology seeks an ISSO Specialist to support a premier defense research organization. The role requires active TS/SCI clearance and US citizenship, and will be based on-site in Massachusetts.

Responsibilities include compliance activities, risk management, vulnerability remediation, and coordination with the ISSM to develop SSPs and POA&Ms. Strong RMF/NIST experience is essential, with 8570 IAT Level II certification.

Qualifications

• Current DoD 8570 IAT Level II Certification required.
• Experience auditing and regulatory compliance in government/defense programs.
• Knowledge of RMF, NIST 800-53, and continuous monitoring processes.

Responsibilities

• Assist and support necessary compliance activities (e.g., system security configurations, compliance monitoring).
• Continuously validate the organization against policies, guidelines, procedures, regulations, laws.
• Ensure plans of actions and milestones or remediation plans are in place for vulnerabilities identified during risk assessments, audits, inspections, etc.
• Promote awareness of security issues among management and ensure security principles are reflected in organizational goals.
• Track audit findings and recommendations to ensure appropriate mitigation actions.

Skills

DoD 8570 IAT Level II Certification (G

Education

BS degree preferred

Security+ CE or equivalent 8570 certification

Job description

ISSO Specialist

Clearance Level: Must have an active Top Secret/SCI clearance to be considered for this role due to the nature of the work. Must be US Citizen

Location: This position is 100% onsite due to the nature of the work. The role will be onsite working primarily in a closed space. There is some flexibility on the work schedule (9/80 or 4/10 type schedules). Must be within 100 miles from Lexington,MA

At Aquila Technology, you will see our team’s passion every day, whether we are building a robust, policy-compliant IT system or stress-testing a system to identify gaps and security vulnerabilities. To own the advantage, we ensure our team owns results and gets the work done right the first time by deploying smart, purposeful solutions that work. Aquila is the right people with the right skills driving the right outcomes. We call this the Aquila Advantage.

About the Role:

Aquila Technology is seeking ISSO Specialist to support one of the nation’s premier defense research organizations. The team is in need of an additional ISSO candidate to continue work within the Cyber Security Team.

Job Responsibilities:

• Assist and Support necessary compliance activities (e.g., ensure that system security configuration guidelines are followed, compliance monitoring occurs).
• Continuously validate the organization against policies/guidelines/procedures/regulations/laws to ensure compliance.
• Ensure that plans of actions and milestones or remediation plans are in place for vulnerabilities identified during risk assessments, audits, inspections, etc.
• Promote awareness of security issues among management and ensure sound security principles are reflected in the organization's vision and goals.
• Track audit findings and recommendations to ensure that appropriate mitigation actions are taken.
• Recommend resource allocations required to securely operate and maintain an organization's cybersecurity requirements.
• Provide technical documents, incident reports, findings from computer examinations, summaries, and other situational awareness information to key stake holders. Recognize a possible security violation and take appropriate action to report the incident, as required.
• Assist the Program Managers and the Information System Security Manager (ISSM) in the development and maintenance of System Security Plans (SSP) and associated artifacts such as the Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M), Risk Assessment Report, and Continuous Monitoring Strategy.
• Ensure systems are operated, maintained, and disposed of in accordance with organization security policies and procedures.
• Conduct network, system, and application vulnerability scanning, configuration assessment, and remediation.
• Lead and align information technology (IT) security priorities with the security strategy.
• Prepare for and participate in periodic organization compliance assessments. Interpret patterns of noncompliance to determine their impact on levels of risk and/or overall effectiveness of the enterprise's cybersecurity program.

Education and Certifications:

• BS degree is preferred but not required
• Security Plus is the minimum 8570 certification requirement.

What You Will Bring:

• Certifications: Current DoD 8570 IAT Level II Certification (GSEC, Security+ CE, SSCP, CCNA-Security)
• 4 years - System Auditing
• 4 years - Regulatory & Compliance
• 4 years - Government Policy/Regulations
• 4 years - STIGs/SCAP
• 4 years - Assessing Security Controls (CS105.16)
• 4 years - Assessment and Authorization
• 4 years - Authorizing Systems (CS106.16)
• 4 years - Categorization of the System (CS102.16)
• 4 years - Continuous Monitoring (CS200.16)
• 4 years - Implementation of Controls (CS104.16)
• 4 years - Monitoring Security Controls (CS107.16)
• 4 years - NIST 800-53
• 4 years - NIST SP 800-37
• 4 years - Risk Management Framework (RMF)
• 4 years - Selecting Security Controls (CS103.16)

Preferred Skills:

• Degree Level: Bachelor's Degree
• HBSS
• NIST 800-171

Benefits and Perks:

Aquila team members experience the opportunity to be part of a fast-paced, customer-focused, and technically innovative work environment. Aquila strives to deliver the best of the best in technical services to our customers. Candidates that possess a love for technical challenges, a desire to constantly learn, and the desire to establish themselves as critical players within a team will enjoy calling Aquila Technology home.

Our Perks Include:

PTO - 15 days (vacation/sick) 10 paid holidays - 6 standard (New Year’s, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) - 4 floating holidays prorated based on your day of hire:

• 1.5 paid days, or 12 hours, for approved volunteer work
• 1 week of paid maternity/paternity LOA after 1 year of Full-time employment

401K with Principal - Eligible to participate day 1 of employment. Company match on employee contributions:

• Eligibility on date of hire
• Employer Match- 100% of first 3% and 50% of next 2%
• Vesting- 100%
• Contribution limit- $24,500
• Catch-up contribution limit- $8,000
• Catch-up contribution limit for ages 60-63 in calendar year- $11,250
• Catchup contributions must be directed to Roth bucket if earned over $150k in 2025

Cell Phone & Internet Reimbursed up to $150 monthly to cover cell phone, data, and home internet expenses. Aquila Technology will reimburse team members who work from home ONLY for cell phone/mobile device fees for work-related communications and/or operations each month. Employees eligible for this benefit must work remote 2 days a week or more to qualify.

Buy Your Own Device (BYOD) -Team members are eligible for reimbursement of up to $1,500 every three (3) years for the purchase of electronic equipment used to access corporate services. To qualify for this benefit, employees must have completed a minimum of six (6) months of employment and must agree to and sign the Device Minimum Configuration Form prior to reimbursement. Electronic devices eligible under the Buy Your Own Device (BYOD) program are limited to cell phones, laptops, and tablets.

Clearance Level: A TS clearance with SCI eligibility is required. Candidate may be required to pass a CI polygraph. You MUST discuss this with eligible candidates and please do not submit anyone that is not willing to participate in this. Supplier must validate SCI eligibility prior to submittal.

Interview process: The interview will consist of a phone screen followed by an extensive zoom interview with the team members.

Location of Work: This position is 100% onsite due to the nature of the work. The role will be onsite working primarily in a closed space. There is some flexibility on the work schedule (9/80 or 4/10 type schedules).

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer