Senior Technical Operations Advisor

Cornerstone Defense LLC; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental and Vision Plans

401(k)

HSA and FSA options

Life and Disability Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement and Training

Perks at Work Discount Program

Referral Program

Job summary

Cornerstone Defense LLC seeks a Senior Technical Operations Advisor to provide expert technical, operational, and strategic support to the Office of the Deputy Principal Cyber Advisor. The role links the Pentagon with DoD cyber workforce policy, readiness, and defensive operations.

Based in the Arlington/Alexandria region, the candidate will analyze workforce policies, support force design, and ensure compliance with regulatory guidance while delivering high‑level technical briefings to senior

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Expert‑level certifications (GPEN/GXPN/OSCP/GIAC or equivalent).
• Minimum 15 years of offensive/defensive cyberspace operations experience.
• Expert in adversary emulation, TTP analysis, and vulnerability assessment.
• Deep understanding of CMF, CPT, CSSP missions and DoD Red Team methodologies.
• Ability to guide policy development, strategy decisions, and posture improvements.
• Knowledge of cyber threat intelligence and operational technology environments.
• Experience supporting cyber workforce, readiness, training, and defensive cyber initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert technical and strategic support to the ODPC A between the Pentagon and Mark Center.
• Support DoD cyber workforce policy development and readiness initiatives.
• Lead analysis of cyber workforce and readiness policy guidance.
• Assist leadership in implementing cyber force design and readiness efforts.
• Evaluate programs for compliance with statutory and regulatory guidance.
• Prepare technical briefings and recommendations for senior DoD stakeholders.
• Advise on defense of critical infrastructure and OT networks.

Skills

Cyber operations

Adversary emulation

TTP analysis

Vulnerability assessments

Penetration testing

Post-exploitation

Policy guidance

Briefings

Education

Bachelor’s degree

GPEN/GXPN/OSCP/GIAC

Tools

Red Team methodologies

Job description

Title: Senior Technical Operations Advisor
Location: Arlington & Alexandria, VA
Compensation Range: $220 -$240K
*Clearance:*Active TS/SCI needed to apply *

Company Overview

Cornerstone Defense is the Employer of Choice within the Intelligence, Defense, and Space communities of the U.S. Government. Realizing early on that our most prized assets are our employees, we continually focus our attention on improving the overall work/life experience they have supporting the mission. Our Team is pushed every day to use their industry leading knowledge to provide end-to-end solutions to combat our nation’s toughest and most secure problems. If you are looking for a place to not only be professionally challenged, but encouraged and supported by a company that cares, don’t look any further than Cornerstone Defense.

Benefits Overview

Cornerstone Defense offers a very comprehensive benefits package including, but not limited to:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Plans
• Generous PTO Policy
• 401(k)
• HSA and FSA options
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement and Training
• Perks at Work Discount Program
• Referral Program
• Leads Generation Program
• CollegeAmerica 529
• Fitness Reimbursement Program
• Travel Assistance
• Norton Lifelock Benefit Solutions
• Life Planning Financial & Legal Services

Position Description

The Senior Technical Operations Advisor provides expert-level technical, operational, and strategic support to the Office of the Deputy Principal Cyber Advisor (ODPCA). Operating between the Pentagon and Mark Center, this role supports DoD cyber workforce and readiness policy development, cyber operations forces initiatives, USCYBERCOM training and readiness efforts, cyber force design, and defensive cyber operations.

Core Tasks

• Conduct deliberate analysis supporting DoD cyber workforce, cyber operations forces, and readiness policy development.
• Conduct deliberate analysis supporting development of DoD cyber workforce and readiness policy guidance.
• Assist ODPCA leadership in implementing, leading, and sustaining DoD cyber operations forces strategies and initiatives.
• Support implementation, leadership, and oversight of ODPCA cyber workforce priorities and Department-wide tasks.
• Evaluate execution and performance of cyber workforce and Cyber Operations Forces programs to ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory guidance.
• Apply knowledge of readiness standards, requirements, and metrics to assess organizational capability against assigned mission demands.
• Support USCYBERCOM Joint Cyber Training and Joint Force Coordinator roles, including mission-essential task identification and readiness reporting.
• Assist ODPCA oversight of U.S. Cyber Command’s implementation of cyber force design and command‑and‑control activities.
• Prepare and deliver technical briefings and recommendations to ODPCA leadership and senior DoD stakeholders.
• Provide technical and analytical support for policy development addressing defense of critical infrastructure, control systems, operational technology networks, devices, and information.
• Provide analytical and strategic support for Defensive Cyber Operations, including evaluation, development, and integration of relevant policies, strategies, forces, operational concepts, personnel requirements, and organizational structures.
• Apply expert knowledge of adversary emulation, vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, post‑exploitation, and cyber threat intelligence to improve DODIN defensive posture.
• Analyze adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and translate technical findings into actionable policy, readiness, workforce, and operational recommendations.
• Support assessments of CMF, CPT, CSSP, Red Team, and related cyber mission capabilities.
• Provide expert technical advice on cyber operations, operational technology environments, readiness, force structure, training, and defensive cyber capabilities.
• Coordinate with DoD Components, USCYBERCOM, Service cyber organizations, technical teams, and senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in a relevant field.
• Expert‑level technical certification (e.g., GPEN, GXPN, OSCP, GIAC, or equivalent).
• Minimum 15 years of experience in offensive and/or defensive cyberspace operations.
• Expert‑level experience in adversary emulation, TTP analysis, vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and post‑exploitation.
• Deep understanding of CMF, CPT, CSSP missions and DoD Red Team methodologies, including DoDI 8585.01.
• Ability to provide expert guidance supporting policy development, strategy decisions, and recommendations to improve the DODIN defensive posture.
• Knowledge of cyber threat intelligence and operational technology environments.
• Experience supporting cyber workforce, readiness, training, force design, or defensive cyber operations initiatives.
• Ability to interface effectively with senior‑level management.
• Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, briefing, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to provide expert technical support and advice.

Preferred

• Former military Red Team operator, CPT operator, Hunt operator, CMF Team Lead, or commander.
• Experience supporting USCYBERCOM Joint Cyber Training, Joint Force Coordinator roles, mission-essential task development, or readiness reporting.
• Experience with DoD cyber force design, command‑and‑control, operational technology security, or DODIN defense.
• Advanced experience translating highly technical cyber operations and assessment results into senior‑level policy and strategic recommendations.