Principal EDR Engineer

Quevera; Odenton (MD); On-site; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top Workplace recognition

Education stipend

401(k) match

Profit-sharing

Job summary

Quevera seeks a Principal EDR Engineer with TS/SCI clearance to support the NSA’s EDR program at Fort Meade, MD. You will lead architecture, deployment, and optimization of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Trellix HX across restricted environments.

You will mentor engineers, advise stakeholders on risk and engineering decisions, and collaborate with threat-hunting and intelligence teams to strengthen endpoint visibility and containment capabilities.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph required.
• Twenty (20) years of experience as a Systems Engineer on similar programs.
• Experience with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint architecture and enterprise deployment.
• Experience deploying MDE through MECM/SCCM or Microsoft Intune.
• DoD 8570/8140 IAM Level II or Level III certification.
• Bachelor’s degree or five years additional Systems Engineering experience as substitution.

Responsibilities

• Lead lifecycle engineering, architecture, and deployment of enterprise EDR capabilities.
• Design and implement scalable MDE/Trellix HX architectures across hybrid environments.
• Develop plans for complex systems engineering, architecture, deployment, and implementation.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers and contribute to technical leadership.
• Advise Government stakeholders on risks, architecture decisions, and engineering considerations.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Threat intelligence collaboration

Strong communication

Cross-platform engineering

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering Science, Engineering Management, or related discipline

Tools

MDE

MECM/SCCM

Microsoft Intune

Trellix HX

KQL

OpenIOC

YARA

Job description

Job Description

Quevera is seeking a Principal EDR Engineer with an active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph to support the National Security Agency’s Enterprise Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Program in Fort Meade, Maryland. Operating within a highly classified, multi-domain infrastructure, you will serve as a principal technical leader and subject matter expert responsible for strengthening endpoint visibility, threat containment, and configuration resilience across enterprise and mission-critical assets.

In this role, you will lead the architecture, integration, deployment, optimization, and lifecycle engineering of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE) and Trellix HX across on-premises, cloud, virtual desktop infrastructure, air-gapped, and other highly restricted environments. You will bridge enterprise systems architecture with operational cyber defense capabilities to protect national security infrastructure against sophisticated cyber threats.

As a Principal EDR Engineer, you will advise Government stakeholders on system risks and engineering decisions, collaborate with threat-hunting and intelligence teams, provide advanced support during critical incidents, and mentor junior and mid-level engineering personnel across the program.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead the lifecycle engineering, architecture, integration, deployment, and optimization of enterprise EDR capabilities.
• Design and implement scalable Microsoft Defender for Endpoint and Trellix HX architectures across hybrid enterprise environments.
• Develop complex systems-engineering, architecture, deployment, and implementation plans.
• Engineer and manage MDE deployments using Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM/SCCM) or Microsoft Intune.
• Develop and maintain MDE policy rings, agent configurations, exclusion policies, and endpoint-health monitoring capabilities.
• Engineer, deploy, and manage Trellix HX controllers and agents within air-gapped and highly restricted networks.
• Monitor endpoint health, agent performance, policy compliance, and platform coverage at enterprise scale.
• Tune endpoint-security configurations and exclusions to reduce operational friction while maintaining effective security controls.
• Collaborate with threat-hunting and intelligence analysts to translate actionable threat intelligence into technical detection capabilities.
• Develop custom indicators of compromise using Kusto Query Language (KQL), OpenIOC, and YARA rules.
• Provide advanced endpoint forensic and engineering support to Security Operations Center personnel during critical, high-priority incidents.
• Analyze endpoint behavior across Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems.
• Advise Government stakeholders on system risks, architecture decisions, implementation strategies, and engineering considerations.
• Apply defense-in-depth principles to endpoint-security architecture and configuration management.
• Develop and maintain systems-engineering documentation, implementation plans, technical standards, and architecture artifacts.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers and contribute to the development of technical leadership across the program.

Minimum Requirements

• Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph required.
• Twenty (20) years of experience as a Systems Engineer supporting programs and contracts of similar scope, type, and complexity.
• Demonstrated experience planning and leading systems-engineering efforts.
• Proven engineering experience with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint architecture and enterprise deployment.
• Experience deploying MDE through MECM/SCCM or Microsoft Intune.
• Experience managing MDE policies, deployment rings, endpoint configurations, exclusions, and advanced hunting capabilities.
• Experience developing advanced hunting queries using Kusto Query Language.
• Experience engineering, deploying, and managing Trellix HX controllers and agents.
• Experience supporting Trellix HX within air-gapped or highly restricted network environments.
• Experience creating and managing OpenIOC indicators and YARA rules.
• In-depth knowledge of Windows, Linux, and macOS internals, including file systems, registry structures, and process-execution mechanics.
• Experience supporting endpoint investigations, forensic analysis, or high-priority cybersecurity incidents.
• Current DoD 8570/8140 IAM Level II or IAM Level III certification (SecurityX/CASP+ CE, CGRC/CAP, CISM, CISSP or Associate of ISC2, GSLC, or CCISO, as applicable).
• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering Science, Engineering Management, or a related discipline from an accredited college or university.
• Five (5) years of additional Systems Engineering experience may be substituted for the bachelor’s degree.

Desired Skills

• Current DoD 8570.01-M IAT Level II certification (Security+ CE, CySA+, GSEC, GICSP, CND, SSCP, or CCNA Security).
• Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200).
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500).
• Trellix Certified Engineering credential or comparable vendor certification.
• Experience applying Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies.
• Experience using Cameo for systems modeling and architecture development.
• Experience using Jira and Confluence for workflow management and technical documentation.
• Familiarity with NSA technical manual standards, including NSA DS-89.
• Knowledge of defense-in-depth engineering principles.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills within high-consequence technical environments.
• Experience mentoring engineers and developing technical leadership capabilities.

Why Join Quevera?

Award-Winning Culture

Quevera was recognized as a Top Workplace in the Washington, DC/Baltimore region for 2025, marking our fifth consecutive year receiving this distinction based on employee feedback.

Outstanding Benefits

We invest in our employees and their families through a highly competitive benefits package, including:

• 100% employer-paid medical coverage (optional plan)
• Competitive options for Medical, Dental and Vision insurance
• Employer-paid short-term and long-term disability coverage
• Employer-paid life insurance
• $5,000 annually for education, training, certifications, and professional development
• Career advancement through our structured iQTouch Program
• Up to 6% 401(k) match
• Additional 4% profit-sharing contribution, at company discretion

At Quevera, we believe exceptional people deserve exceptional opportunities. We're more than just a workplace—we're a team of innovators, problem-solvers, and industry experts committed to delivering mission-critical solutions while fostering professional growth, collaboration, and technical excellence.

Quevera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age or any other characteristic protected by law.