Principal Cybersecurity Specialist

Gannett Fleming, Inc.; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Comprehensive benefits

401(k)

PTO

Tuition reimbursement

Professional development

Incentive pay

Job summary

GFT in Houston seeks a Principal Cybersecurity Specialist to join our Texas team. The role blends technical cybersecurity leadership with client-facing growth activities, requiring experience across IT/OT security, risk assessments, and incident response.

The position is hybrid, based in the Houston office, with responsibilities spanning assessments, metrics, design security, and pursuit activities to expand services.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS/IS/Cybersecurity or related field; 5+ years of experience.
• Security certifications (e.g., Security+, CISSP, CISM, CCSP) preferred.
• Deep understanding of IT/OT security, risk assessments, and SOC operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead security assessments and recommend system changes to meet standards.
• Develop security metrics and communicate results to leadership.
• Collaborate with developers to embed security in design and deployments.
• Respond to incidents and conduct forensic investigations.
• Maintain technical documentation of architecture and controls.

Skills

Security fundamentals

Threat analysis

Risk assessments

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/IS/Cybersecurity/Engineering

Tools

Palo Alto

Darktrace

Cisco security products

AWS

Azure

Job description

GFT is seeking a Principal Cybersecurity Specialist to join our Practice or CBG Team in Texas! This role follows a hybrid work model, requiring regular attendance at our Houston, TX office.

What you’ll be challenged to do

As a Senior Cybersecurity Analyst, you will have a broad range of complex technical and professional work functions to analyze and protect IT and OT systems, network, and data across the enterprise. The role is technical and requires an in‑depth understanding of information and cyber security technologies and functions. The role also requires an understanding of business goals/strategy and operational requirements in a fast‑paced environment. This role will contribute to business development efforts by building and maintaining client relationships, identifying opportunities to expand services, supporting pursuit activities, and helping grow client initiatives. The successful candidate will combine strong technical cybersecurity expertise with the ability to understand client needs, communicate solutions, and support the growth of the cybersecurity practice.

In this capacity, the successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

• Leads security assessments of technology systems and recommends system changes to ensure adherence to standards, policy, guidelines, strategies, and security best business practices.
• Generating, gathering, and tracking security metrics, developing scorecards for the metrics, and communicating the results to technology leadership.
• Participates in planning sessions related to projects or new technologies to implement process improvement within the functional area.
• Builds relationships with developers, stakeholders, and security champions, to incorporate security principles into engineering design and deployments.
• Regularly research and learn new tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) in public and closed forums, and work with colleagues to assess risk and implement/validate controls.
• Basic understanding of IIS/SCADA cybersecurity controls and concerns.
• Provides subject matter expertise to resolve problems, security incidents and conduct forensic investigations.
• Understands the TCP/IP stack with prior hands‑on expertise securing diverse LAN, WAN, VPN, and wireless environments for large organizations.
• Develops and updates technical documentation (network architecture text and diagrams, security plan controls, and risk assessment, etc.)
• Leads the evaluation and recommendation of hardware and software systems that provide security functions. Familiarity with and ability to investigate Intrusion Detection System (IDS) alerts Incident management, forensic investigation, response, and reporting.
• Supports business development and client engagement activities by identifying emerging client needs, developing opportunities to expand cybersecurity services, and helping position the team for follow‑on work.
• Contributes to proposals, scopes of work, presentations, client meetings, and other pursuit activities, providing technical expertise and helping translate client cybersecurity challenges into practical service solutions.

What you will bring to our firm:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or related field plus 5+ years of relevant experience.
• 10+ years of relevant work experience required to satisfy education and experience requirements.
• Professional security‑related certifications (e.g. Security+, CISSP, CISM, CCSP, etc.)
• Must possess excellent customer service, strong communication and interpersonal skills, work well with others in an integrated team environment, and must be self‑motivated.
• Proficient in securing Windows and *nix operating systems, endpoint applications, networking protocols and devices.
• Experience with industry standard information security technologies.
• Experience performing technical risk and vulnerability assessments.
• Strong analytical skills with experience working in or supporting a Security Operations Center.

What we prefer you bring:

• Expertise in performing cybersecurity assessments, risk management, governance, and compliance management.
• Preferably some experience with operations and security across Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.
• Experience working within critical infrastructure systems, specifically rail transport experience would be a big plus.
• Knowledge of Payment Card Industry (PCI), National Institute of Standards (NIST), Center for Internet Security (CIS) or International Standards Organization (ISO) requirements.
• Working with U.S. Government agencies and having experience working with security requirements from DHS, CISA, and TSA.
• Experience with Palo Alto, Darktrace, and Cisco security products a bonus.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is $125,000 - $170,000. Salary is dependent upon experience and geographic location.

Featured Benefits

• Hybrid (in-person and remote) work environment.
• Comprehensive benefits package including wellness programs, parental leave, and pet insurance, in addition to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
• Tax-deferred 401(k) savings plan.
• Competitive paid-time-off (PTO) accrual.
• Tuition reimbursement for continued education.
• Commitment to professional development, access to internal and external training programs, and support of active participation in professional organizations
• Incentive compensation for eligible positions.

At GFT, a privately held AEC firm, we innovate where transportation, water, power, and buildings converge. We call this the Infrastructure of Life. We measure our success by the strength of our relationships – that’s why we’re the employer of choice for 5,000+ of the industry’s brightest engineers, planners, architects, inspectors, designers, and more.

GFT: Ingenuity That Shapes Lives™

is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veterans’ status or other characteristics protected by law.

Unsolicited resumes from third party agencies will be considered the property GFT.

GFT does require the successful completion of a criminal background check for all advertised positions.

Location: Houston, TX

Core Business Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Employment Status: Full-Time