Senior Technical Engagement Lead

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Carnegie Mellon University’s SEI seeks a Senior Technical Engagement Lead in Threat Analysis to oversee planning, execution, and delivery of a portfolio supporting IC mission partners. You will coordinate with the CII team, monitor project health, and ensure alignment with security and safety standards while guiding cross-enterprise collaboration.

You will contribute technically to malware analysis, vulnerability research, and AI security strategies, traveling up to 25% for partner engagements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field with significant experience; advanced degrees preferred.
• Experience managing complex technical projects with cross-functional teams.
• Willingness to travel (25%) and ability to obtain DoD clearance.

Responsibilities

• Develop IC mission partner technical strategy aligned with TA and CERT.
• Lead technical execution of TA portfolio for IC partners; ensure plans are sound and delivery meets quality and security requirements.
• Foster a culture of technical rigor, accountability, and cross-team collaboration.
• Coordinate across SEI and CMU support functions to enable project teams.
• Serve as primary technical liaison to IC mission partners with the CII team.

Skills

Technical Leadership

Solutions Engineer

Quality-Driven

Outcome-Focused

Communicator

Culture

Education

BS in computer science or related field

MS in computer science or engineering

Job description

Who We Are

SEI conducts research and development in software engineering,systems engineering, cybersecurity, and many other areas ofcomputing, working to introduce private-sector innovations intogovernment. The SEI works closely with defense and governmentorganizations, industry, and academia to continually improvesoftware-intensive systems. Its core purposes are to helporganizations improve software engineering capabilities, advancecybersecurity methods and technologies, and bring the discipline ofsoftware engineering to AI systems.

What We Do

The CERT Threat Analysis (TA) Directorate conducts research anddevelopment activities to identify, analyze, coordinate disclosure,and mitigate threats and vulnerabilities in systems and software.The TA Directorate is currently comprised of three teams:Artificial Intelligence (AI) Security, Malware and VulnerabilityExploitation, and Platform and Mission Engineering. The AI Securityteam works on advancing the state of the art in AI security at anational and global scale. The Malware and VulnerabilityExploitation (MVE) team works to improve cyber-tradecraft analysiswithin strategic target communities to counter adversarial use ofthe Internet and related technologies. The vulnerability side ofMVE (home of the CERT Coordination Center) works with an expansivenetwork of vendors, partners, and collaborators to reduce thesocietal harm of vulnerable software and systems. The Platform andMission Engineering team develops and maintains tools,environments, and operational support for the malware analysis,reverse engineering, vulnerability analysis, and AI securitydomains.

Position Summary

As a Senior Technical Engagement Lead in Threat Analysis, you willwork closely with the TA leadership team to oversee the planning,execution, and delivery of a portfolio of technical projectssupporting our Intelligence Community (IC) mission partners. Youwill partner with our Cybersecurity Innovations and Initiatives(CII) team to coordinate with our IC mission partners, ensuringproject performance meets expectations, deliverables are onschedule, and technical approaches remain aligned with partnerneeds. You will monitor project health through regular reviews,track milestones and risks, and provide TA leadership with clearassessments of how our work is landing with the sponsors. You willpartner across SEI technical and support staff, to create andsustain a culture of technical excellence, creativity,cross-enterprise collaboration, innovation within the portfolio,and secure capability transitions. Finally, you will alsocontribute technically, helping shape approaches to analyzing,assuring, and countering software systems in support of NationalSecurity.

Who you are:

• Technical Leadership: You have experience managingcomplex technical projects from initiation through delivery,including planning and scheduling, resource coordination, risktracking, milestone management, and assessments. You can organizecross-functional teams and keep execution on track across multipleconcurrent efforts.
• Solutions Engineer: You partner with our CII team tocreate and maintain strong working relationships with missionpartners, conducting regular check-ins to assess satisfaction,gather feedback, and ensure alignment between delivered work andpartner priorities. You translate partner needs into actionabletechnical requirements for project teams.
• Quality-Driven: You ensure deliverables meet bothmission partner expectations and SEI standards. You conduct regularproject reviews, identify quality gaps, develop corrective actions,and verify that SEI standards for safety, security, and complianceare satisfied.
• Outcome-Focused: You are a driven by a sense of duty todeliver outcomes that advance the state-of-the-art and practice foranalyzing, assuring, and countering software systems to enhanceNational Security.
• Communicator and Collaborator: You have outstandingwritten and oral communication skills. You can synthesize complextechnical information into clear status updates, risk assessments,and executive briefings for both internal leadership and externalmission partners.
• Culture: Help develop a team culture that fostersinnovation, technical excellence, and leadership.

What you’ll do:

In conjunction with the TA leadership team, you will:

• Develop an IC mission partner technical strategy in alignmentwith TA’s and CERT’s broader technical strategy.
• Lead the technical execution of TA's portfolio of projects forIC mission partners ensuring our plans are sound and aligned withthe state-of-the-art in malware analysis, vulnerability research,and/or AI security. This includes conducting regular internal TAproject reviews, evaluating technical progress, delivery quality,and team performance. Approve externally delivered products,ensuring all internal quality, safety, and security requirementsare met.
• Foster a team culture of technical rigor, accountability, andcross-team collaboration.
• Coordinate across SEI and CMU support functions (includingsecurity, IT, contracting, and human resources) to ensure projectteams have what they need to execute.
• Serve as a primary technical liaison to IC mission partnersalongside our CII team, conducting regular project reviews toassess how TA work is meeting their operational needs and whereadjustments are required.
• Cultivate a culture on projects that encourage team members tocreate and pursue new initiatives for future transition to ourintelligence community mission partners.
• Contribute to strategic planning by synthesizing customerfeedback and project performance data into recommendations forfuture technical direction.
• Represent the CERT technical portfolio of work and operations;communicate with external mission partners and internalcollaborators in concert with CERT directorates and teams.

Requirements:

• BS in computer science, software engineering, networking,information systems, or a related technical field with ten (10)years of experience; MS in computer science ortechnical/engineering field with eight (8) years of experience; PhDin computer science or technical/engineering field with five (5)years of experience or equivalent combination of training andexperience. Other educational backgrounds of a technical naturewith experience as described may be considered.
• You have a willingness to travel (25%) outside of your officelocation to other SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, andoffsite meetings.
• You will be subject to a background investigation, and you musthave the ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Warsecurity clearance.

Location

Pittsburgh, PA

Job Function

Software/Applications Development/Engineering

Position Type

Staff – Regular

Full time/Part time

Full time

Pay Basis

Salary

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