Senior Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity Engineer

MITRE; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 129,000 - 194,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE seeks a senior OT/ICS cybersecurity expert to join the CI Assessments, Analytics, and Resiliency team. You will work with government sponsors to secure critical infrastructure and operational technology environments.

The role emphasizes threat-informed risk assessment, adversary emulation, detection engineering, and the development of OT defensive tactics and sensors. You will collaborate across disciplines to deliver practical, high-impact security solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelors in Chemical, Computer, Electrical, Systems Engineering or similar field.
• Typically 5+ years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 3+ years with a Master’s; or PhD with relevant experience.
• Experience in OT cybersecurity, OT protocol analysis, and/or process control.
• Must be eligible for Top Secret clearance and U.S. citizenship.
• Minimum 3 days on-site per week.

Responsibilities

• Develop requirements for cyber protection technologies and pilots; assist in transition to operations.
• Develop cyber sensors and analytic architectures for OT cybersecurity operations.
• Conduct cyber mission dependency and adversary scenario analyses to inform OT architectures.
• Research and improve OT defensive tactics, techniques, and procedures for threat detection.
• Develop attack emulation and deception operations.

Skills

OT cybersecurity

Threat analysis

Adversary emulation

Scripting

PLC programming

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

OT protocols

Industrial networks

IEC 61131

Ladder logic

TIA Portal

Job description

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We’re a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies – collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation’s health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose — and help shape the future.

Department Summary

The CI Assessments, Analytics, and Resiliency department (L541) is focused on defending and strengthening our nation’s critical infrastructure. L541 supports a full range of defensive operations and activities including threat-informed risk assessment and mitigation, adversary hunting, adversary emulation, and detection engineering with a special focus on operational technology (OT). It is the expertise in OT and knowledge of threats and security controls and techniques that differentiate the department’s work from traditional information technology cybersecurity.

L541 also brings this specialized knowledge to other domains of security and safety engineering including resilience engineering and infrastructure susceptibility assessments. The department is continuously developing, refining, and tailoring capabilities to meet the needs and special requirements and constraints when working with operational technologies in critical infrastructure. The department moves the state of the art in securing CI by sharing our thought leadership both within and outside of MITRE via TEMs, conferences, presentations, and publications. This is how the CI Assessments, Analytics, and Resiliency department helps create a world with safe and resilient cyber infrastructure.

Roles & Responsibilities

We are seeking a senior or lead level OT/ICS cybersecurity technical expert with a minimum of 5 years of industry experience or equivalent. This team works closely with our government and critical infrastructure sponsors and their stakeholders to improve the cybersecurity of mission critical operational technology systems. A collaborative approach and interest in building relationships based on an understanding of our sponsors’ unique missions, constraints, and opportunities is as important as specific technical skills working within OT environments. We are looking for candidates with both a breadth of cyber experience and a depth of knowledge in one or more areas listed below for direct application to our sponsors’ problems:

• Working directly with government and critical infrastructure operators to develop requirements for new cyber protection technologies, perform applied research and development activities, develop operational pilots, and assist in transition to operational use.
• Developing and operationalizing cyber sensors and analytic architectures to enable more efficient and effective OT cybersecurity operations, threat-hunting, and forensic analysis. Execute technical and programmatic duties in the delivery and integration of cyber technologies into stakeholder environments.
• Conducting cyber mission dependency, criticality, mission failure, and adversary cyberattack scenario analyses to inform design of OT resilient architectures.
• Researching, developing, operationalizing, evaluating, and improving OT defensive tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for detecting and responding to cyber threats, and
• Developing and performing attack emulation and deception operations.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelors in one of the following disciplines: Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering or similar technical field.
• Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 3 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with relevant experience who can contribute at this job step; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• Experience in multiple areas listed under Job Responsibilities.
• Applicants selected for this position will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
• Experience in OT cybersecurity, OT protocol analysis, and/or process control.
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret U.S Government issued Security Clearance. Per the U.S. Government’s eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.
• This position requires a minimum of 3 days a week on-site.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with programming PLCs, field instrumentation, in an operational or lab environment.
• Hands-on experience with configuring industrial networks and maintaining a domain in an operational or lab environment.
• Experience designing or modifying OT systems, OT network monitoring, or OT adversary emulation.
• Experience with embedded system firmware or real-time operating systems.
• Proficiency with scripting and software development language(s) (Python, Java, C/C++, JavaScript, etc.)
• Familiarity with cybersecurity policies and standards, including: NIST SP 800-82, NERC-CIP, DoD Zero Trust Strategy, IEC 62443.
• Familiarity with relevant technologies, such as Operational Technology (OT) Protocols (Modbus, DNP3, ProfiNET, etc.) and related protocols (BACnet, CAN, MIL-STD-1553, etc.) as well as development with OT related tools (ladder logic, IEC 61131, PAC Machine Edition, TIA Portal, etc.) and knowledge of security unique to OT and cyber-physical systems
• Preference will be given to qualified candidates with ACTIVE Security Clearances

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s)

None

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s)

Top Secret

Salary compensation range and midpoint

$129,200 - $161,500 - $193,800 Annual

Work Location Type

Onsite

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.

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