Senior Cyber Security Engineer

Leidos; Frederick (MD); On-site; USD 131,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Senior Cyber Security Engineer to join a focused team delivering IA architecture analysis and security engineering support for NC3, COG, and senior leader communications. The role uses threat-informed cybersecurity to assess risk, review architectures, and guide engineering with DoD stakeholders.

The candidate will lead real-time capability design, perform risk-based mitigations, and ensure compliance with RMF, DoD 8500, CNSSI 1253, and related standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree with at least 14 years of ISSE/Systems Engineer experience.
• CISSP or CASP certification required.
• Strong writing skills.
• Ability to brief senior DoD officials in briefings or discussions.
• Expertise in RMF and cybersecurity risk assessments.
• Experience with network security engineering and OS/software weaknesses.
• Experience documenting system security requirements and gap analysis.
• Experience with security monitoring and incident response.
• Familiarity with Zero Trust and Cloud computing concepts.
• Knowledge of NIST SP 800 series, CNSSI 1253 and DoD 8500.

Responsibilities

• Deliver and lead threat-informed cybersecurity products and risk assessments.
• Support design, implementation, and operation of real-time threat capabilities.
• Analyze candidate architectures against security requirements to identify gaps.
• Research emerging technologies for cybersecurity effectiveness.
• Aid stakeholders in developing and implementing innovative security solutions.
• Engage stakeholders to define security objectives and validation methods.
• Validate and verify system security requirements and design.
• Design and integrate IA and security systems across networks and enclaves.
• Assist in identifying appropriate information security functionality for enterprise solutions.
• Contribute to security planning, risk analysis, and awareness activities.
• Review C&A documentation for completeness and compliance.

Skills

Threat-informed cybersecurity

RMF expertise

Cybersecurity risk assessments

Architecture reviews

Incident response capabilities

Senior stakeholder briefing

Independent work

Education

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Information Assurance, Information Security System Engineering or related field

CISSP or CASP certification

Job description

Description

As a Senior Cyber Security Engineer you will join a small team of security engineers providing Information Assurance (IA) Architecture Analysis and Security Engineering Support for the implementation and fielding of the National Leadership Command Capability in support of Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3), Continuity of Government (COG), and Senior Leader communications. The ISSE will perform in a consultant like role providing technical knowledge, expertise and advice to our customer.

Primary Responsibilities:

The Senior Cyber Security Engineer shall deliver and lead threat-informed cybersecurity products – cybersecurity risk assessments, architecture reviews, and engineering guidance that bring sound, accurate, timely, and actionable service to mission partners: This includes:

• Conduct cybersecurity risk assessments and provide prioritized risk mitigation recommendations in support of the customer’s mission.
• Support the design, implementation, and operation of real-time capabilities to discover, detect, analyze, and mitigate threats and vulnerabilities.
• Analyze candidate architectures by evaluating against defined security requirements to identify security gaps, and provide recommended mitigation strategy.
• Research and evaluate candidate emerging technologies to determine cybersecurity effectiveness.
• Aid stakeholders through the development, refinement, delivery, and implementation of innovative solutions and capabilities.
• Engage stakeholders to ensure security objectives, protection needs, security requirements and associated validation methods are defined.
• Validates and verifies system security requirements definitions and analysis and establishes system security design
• Designs, develops, implements and/or integrates IA and security systems and system components including those for networking, computing and enclave environment to include those with multiple enclaves and with differing data protection/classification requirements
• Assist architects and systems developers in the identification and implementation of appropriate information security functionality to ensure uniform application of Agency security policy and enterprise solutions
• Contributes to the security planning, assessment, risk analysis, risk management, certification and awareness activities for system and networking operations
• Reviews C&A documentation, providing feedback on completeness and compliance of its content

CLEARANCE REQUIRED: Active TS/SCI with polygraph

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited university ideally in Computer Science, Information Assurance, Information Security System Engineering or related field with a minimum of 14 years of experience as an Information Systems Security Engineer (ISSE) or System Engineer on programs and/or contracts with the customer space
• CISSP OR CASP certification required
• Strong writing skills
• Confidence and ability to present briefing to senior level DoD officials in both prepared briefings and/or in ad hoc discussions.
• Expertise in the Risk Management Framework (RMF) and conducting cybersecurity risk assessments
• Expertise in network technology and systems security engineering. Experience in identifying, researching, characterizing, and documenting security weaknesses related to operating systems, software applications, firmware, network hardware components, as well as network architecture design to identify protection needs and documented policies and procedures.
• Experience developing and documenting system security requirements and conducting requirements gap analysis.
• Experience with security monitoring and incident response capabilities
• Experience with emerging technologies such as Zero Trust, Cloud Computing, etc.
• Knowledge of, and practical experience with the NIST Special Publications 800 Series, CNSSI 1253, and DoD 8500.
• Ability to work independently within a schedule and with little direction.

CONMD

careers.leidos.com/CONMD

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.