Senior Zero Trust Architect — NIH Special Projects Lead

Etelligent-Group-LLC; Bethesda (MD); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

eTelligent Group, LLC supports the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in turning its Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) strategy into operating practice across its Institutes and Centers (ICs). This position is the technical lead for Government-directed ZTA special projects, turning NIH's Zero Trust direction into practical architecture, analysis, and implementation support.

Work involves architecture and gap analysis, options analyses, and collaboration with stakeholders to deliver NIH-wide ZTA

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, computer science, information systems, or related field.
• At least 10 years of security architecture or engineering experience with Zero Trust in federal hybrid or cloud environments.
• Hands-on ICAM, micro-segmentation, cloud security, and policy enforcement experience.
• Working knowledge of the NIST RMF, SP 800-53 Rev. 5, and control inheritance.
• A CISSP or equivalent certification.

Responsibilities

• Perform architecture and gap analysis against NIH reference patterns and the NIH ZTA Overlay.
• Support IC-specific adoption of NIH reference architectures and AI-enabled ZTA pilots.
• Develop implementation plans, design documents, and configuration guidance for ZTA initiatives.
• Assess how proposed designs affect control inheritance, authorization, and continuous monitoring.
• Brief technical and leadership stakeholders and contribute to planning briefs and closeout memos.

Skills

ICAM

Micro-segmentation

Cloud security

Policy enforcement

Education

Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity / computer science / information systems

CISSP or equivalent certification

CCSP / CCZT or cloud security certification (AWS/Azure)

Job description

eTelligent Group, LLC supports the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in turning its Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) strategy into operating practice across its Institutes and Centers (ICs). This position is the technical lead for Government-directed ZTA special projects, turning NIH's Zero Trust direction into practical architecture, analysis, and implementation support.

Work involves architecture and gap analysis, options analyses, and collaboration with stakeholders to deliver NIH-wide ZTA