Senior Cybersecurity Engineer – Security Engineering & Security Operations

Tacoma Public Utilities; Tacoma (WA); On-site; USD 122,000 - 172,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Tacoma is seeking up to two Senior Cybersecurity Engineers for a unified recruitment process, with opportunities in either Security Engineering or Security Operations. The roles emphasize collaboration, mentorship, and service to the community while strengthening compliance with CIS RMF and different regulatory controls.

Responsibilities span secure design and threat modeling, SIEM/EDR tooling, vulnerability management, incident response, and ongoing collaboration with IT teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in information technology, cybersecurity or a directly related field.
• 4 years of progressively responsible information technology experience related to assignment.
• Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of education.
• Security+ or related certification (CISSP, SANS, GIAC, COMTIA).
• On-call participation; CJIS/HIPAA/PCI/NERC CIP access may be required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct secure design reviews and threat modeling for new systems and major changes.
• Engineer, deploy, integrate, and maintain cybersecurity tools such as SIEM pipelines and endpoint protection.
• Develop secure configuration baselines across OS, cloud, and network infrastructure.
• Improve vulnerability management and automation; monitor drift and remediation.
• Lead and mentor junior analysts and engineers; promote customer service.
• Design SIEM/SOAR detection logic and lead incident response and triage.

Skills

Threat modeling

Secure design reviews

Security tool engineering

Scripting (Python/PowerShell)

MITRE ATT&CK familiarity

Communication skills

Vulnerability automation

Cyber supply chain assessment

Education

Bachelor's degree in information technology, cybersecurity or directly related field

Tools

SIEM pipelines

EDR

SOAR

Identity security systems

Network security controls

Job description

Position Description

Are you passionate about protecting critical public services and the systems that support them? Do you want to join a mission-driven cybersecurity team that values technical excellence, collaboration, and service to the community? If contributing to the security and resilience of a modern city appeals to you, this may be the opportunity you’re looking for.

The City of Tacoma is hiring up to two Senior Cybersecurity Engineers through a single, unified recruitment and interview process. Candidates will be considered for either the Security Engineering track or the Security Operations track based on their strengths, experience, and interests. You do not need to be an expert in both domains; we value depth in one track and collaboration across both. Candidates will not only need to be technically gifted but will require essential skills of communication, collaboration, mentorship, and teamwork.

Senior Cybersecurity Engineers safeguard the technology, information systems, and critical services that keep the City running. These roles strengthen cybersecurity maturity aligned with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls and the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) while supporting compliance obligations such as CJIS, HIPAA, PCI DSS, NERC CIP, and applicable RCW requirements.

Working collaboratively with Information Technology teams and business units, these positions enhance cybersecurity visibility, engineer reliable controls, reduce vulnerabilities, manage threats, and ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of City assets.

Key Responsibilities

Security Engineering Track

• Conduct secure design reviews and threat modeling for new systems and major changes; identify risks, propose controls, and document decisions.
• Engineer, deploy, integrate, and maintain cybersecurity tools such as SIEM pipelines, endpoint protection, identity security systems, and network security controls.
• Develop and maintain secure configuration baselines across operating systems, cloud platforms, and network infrastructure; monitor drift and drive remediation.
• Improve vulnerability management through engineering, ensuring scanning accuracy, coverage, asset associations, and workflow automation.
• Define and strengthen identity security requirements, including MFA, privileged access pathways, and conditional access policies.
• Perform cyber supply chain risk assessments for vendors, cloud services, data flows, and procurement processes.
• Produce compliance evidence and publish technical standards to support CJIS/HIPAA/PCI/NERC CIP/RCW requirements.
• Guide and mentor junior analysts and engineers in Security Engineering
• Promote a customer service-oriented approach to Security Engineering

Security Operations Track

• Design, tune, and manage SIEM/SOAR detection logic to improve alert fidelity and reduce false positives.
• Lead incident response and event triage, classifying, investigating, containing, and coordinating remediation of security events.
• Conduct proactive threat hunting across logs, endpoints, identities, and networks.
• Own operational vulnerability management including scanning, validation, prioritization, ticketing, and reporting against SLAs.
• Maintain and tune security tools including EDR, SOAR, email security filters, and log pipelines.
• Onboard log sources and verify telemetry quality, collaborating with IT owners to resolve data gaps.
• Develop SOC procedures and operational standards, producing reports and compliance evidence.
• Guide and mentor junior analysts and engineers in Security Operations
• Promote a customer service-oriented approach to Security Operations

Qualifications

Minimum Education

Bachelor's degree in information technology, cybersecurity or directly related field

Minimum Experience

4 years of progressively responsible information technology experience related to assignment

Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of education

Licensing, Certifications And Other Requirements

• Security+ or related certification (CISSP, SANS, GIAC, COMTIA)
• As Assigned: Washington State Driver's License; some positions may require the ability to pass additional background checks and / or obtain additional certifications, with maintenance thereafter
• On-call participation is required
• Ability to obtain CJIS/HIPAA/PCI/NERC CIP access

Knowledge & Skills

Security Engineering Skills

• Secure design review and threat modeling
• Security tool engineering (SIEM pipelines, identity systems, endpoint agents)
• Configuration baselines and secure hardening
• Vulnerability engineering and automation
• Cyber supply chain assessment and vendor risk analysis
• CIS/NIST RMF implementation
• Scripting & Automation familiarity (Python/PowerShell)

Security Operations Skills

• SIEM/SOAR administration and detection tuning
• Endpoint security administration
• Security investigations and incident response
• Threat hunting and MITRE ATT&CK familiarity
• Scripting familiarity (Python/PowerShell)
• Communication, customer service, and collaboration skills

Selection Process & Supplemental Information

Compensation & Benefits

Hourly: $58.70 - $82.67

Annual Salary: $122,096.00 - $171,953.60

Employee Benefits | City of Tacoma

The Department

The Information Technology Department supports the City’s technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, application development, and innovation efforts across all City departments. The Cybersecurity Operations Team is part of the IT Department’s Information Assurance line of business and is responsible for protecting the City’s digital assets through the use of best practice controls and methodologies.

A Commitment to Equity & Diversity

At the City of Tacoma, we're on a mission to make our workforce as diverse and inclusive as the community we serve. We actively seek out candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. Join our team at the City of Tacoma and help us build a more vibrant, inclusive, and equitable community for all.

If you have a less traditional background, we want to hear about your transferrable skills and experience. We value a variety of perspectives and are excited to see what you bring to the table.

The Community

Tacoma is centrally located just 32 miles south of the city of Seattle and 31 miles north of the state capital, Olympia. The City of Tacoma is also home to the Port of Tacoma, which is among the largest container ports in the United States. Like most cities in the northwest, Tacoma is surrounded by beautiful nature, offering residents many opportunities for outdoor adventures.

Largely suburban in nature with a small, but dense, urban core, Tacoma is home to numerous institutes of higher learning that attract students from across the country. The University of Washington Tacoma, Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, a satellite campus of the Evergreen State College, three community/technical colleges, and several trade and business schools are within Tacoma's geographic area. Downtown's Cultural District is the site of the Washington State History Museum, Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum, and America's Car Museum.

With its affordable housing and distinctive neighborhoods and business districts, the city has been recognized numerous times as a best city to live in the nation. To see a few of the great things Tacoma has to offer, view this YouTube Video!

View this exciting video to learn more about the City of Tacoma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n5MWl8KFvI