Principal Cyber Security Engineer 2026

State of Wyoming; Cheyenne (WY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance

Paid vacation and sick leave

Retirement pension and 457B plans

Flexible work schedules

Meaningful work for Wyoming communities

Job summary

The State of Wyoming is seeking a Principal Cyber Security Engineer who will serve as the primary technical authority for advanced endpoint defense in a unique hybrid environment. You will be responsible for engineering the enterprise security stack, ensuring a unified, compliant defensive posture against threats.

This role offers a comprehensive compensation package including health benefits, retirement plans, and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on Wyoming communities.

Qualifications

• Mastery of cybersecurity architecture and defense strategies.
• Expert knowledge of CrowdStrike Falcon and Active Directory security.
• Proficiency in Python and PowerShell for automation.

Responsibilities

• Lead as the state's primary security architect.
• Handle deep-dive forensics and incident response.
• Design infrastructure security using Infrastructure as Code.

Skills

Cybersecurity architecture

CrowdStrike Falcon

Python

PowerShell

Google Workspace

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Technology

Tools

Terraform

Ansible

Job description

Description and Functions

Open Until Filled

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

The Principal Cyber Security Engineer is the state's primary technical authority for advanced endpoint defense, Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), overarching cybersecurity architecture, and the resolution of high-complexity security incidents across a unique hybrid ecosystem. This position functions as a senior technical specialist responsible for engineering the enterprise security stack to protect both a progressive Google cloud environment (Google Workspace, GCP) and a robust Windows enterprise infrastructure.

The role handles hard incidents requiring advanced forensics and malware analysis, developing bespoke Python scripts and API integrations to bridge the gap between Google Workspace/GCP telemetry, CrowdStrike Falcon, and Active Directory. This position ensures a unified, compliant defensive posture, enabling the state to neutralize sophisticated threats across diverse operating environments, and provides strategic architectural guidance for all state agencies.

Working for the State of Wyoming offers more than a paycheck. Our total compensation package includes:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid vacation, sick leave, FMLA and holidays
• Retirement - Pension and 457B plans that help you build a secure future
• Flexible schedules and work-life balance options
• Meaningful work that makes a difference for Wyoming communities

To see the full value of your compensation beyond salary, explore our Total Compensation Calculator: https://compensationcalculator.wyo.gov

Human Resource Contact: Jennifer Erickson [e-mail] / 307-275-1460

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Architectural Leadership & CISO Advisory: Serves as the state’s lead security architect, defining overarching cybersecurity architecture across all domains, advising the CISO on emerging threats, evaluating enterprise-wide security investments, and setting state-wide technical standards.
• Endpoint & Zero Trust Engineering: Leads engineering for CrowdStrike Falcon and enterprise Zero Trust frameworks, architecting conditional access policies that securely bridge Google Environments with Active Directory.
• Infrastructure Optimization: Optimizes sensor and log ingestion across Windows servers, cloud-native workloads, and multi-cloud (GCP/Azure/AWS) environments to ensure 100% visibility.
• Tier 4 Incident Response: Serves as the final escalation point for the most complex security breaches, performing deep-dive forensics spanning memory analysis on obfuscated Windows malware to anomalous behavioral tracking within Google Workspace audit logs.
• Containment & Remediation: Reconstructs attack timelines, identifies persistence, and leads technical containment for state-level crises.
• Security Automation: Utilizes Python, PowerShell, and Bash to automate complex security workflows and builds custom API bridges utilizing Google Workspace Admin SDK, GCP Security Command Center, and CrowdStrike APIs to orchestrate automated response actions.
• Compliance-as-Code: Designs infrastructure security using IaC (Terraform/Ansible) to ensure all systems meet CJIS, IRS Pub 1075, and NIST 800-53 requirements by default.
• Infrastructure Hardening: Implements hardening baselines tailored for both cloud-native workloads and Windows systems based on emerging threat intelligence.
• Threat Modeling & Mentorship: Performs proactive threat modeling on new enterprise systems before deployment and provides technical mentorship to CSOC Analysts and junior engineers.

Qualifications

PREFERENCES:

• Preference may be given to candidates with a proven track record of handling high-stakes breaches and managing enterprise-scale security platforms across hybrid Windows/Cloud environments.
• Preference may be given to candidates with verifiable project history in custom security tooling and integration.

KNOWLEDGE:

• Mastery of general cybersecurity architecture, enterprise defense strategies, and unified threat management.
• Expert knowledge of the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, Real Time Response (RTR), sensor deployment, Windows kernel hardening, and Active Directory security.
• Deep expertise in securing Google Environments (Google Workspace, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) IAM, Security Command Center) and bridging cloud environments with Active Directory.
• Expert proficiency in Python and PowerShell for security automation and REST API interaction (especially Google Admin SDK and CrowdStrike APIs).
• Advanced knowledge of memory forensics, malware analysis, and cloud telemetry hunting via the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
• Working knowledge of applying CJIS, IRS Pub 1075, and NIST 800-53 controls to both cloud and local assets.
• Ability to translate complex technical risks into business terms for executive leadership.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: Bachelor's Degree (typically in Computer Technology)
• Experience: 1-3 years of progressive work experience (typically in Computer Technology)
• OR
• 4-7 years of progressive work experience (typically in Computer Technology)
• Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: None

Necessary Special Requirements

PHYSICAL WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to perform the work; however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying light items, driving an automobile, etc.
• Special physical demands are not required to perform the work.

NOTES:

• FLSA: Nonexempt
• Successful applicants must pass a comprehensive fingerprint-based background check to comply with CJIS and IRS Pub 1075 access requirements.
• Must be available for 24/7 on-call rotation and immediate emergency response during state-level cyber incidents.

Supplemental Information

The State of Wyoming is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively supports the ADA and reasonably accommodates qualified applicants with disabilities.