Senior Zero Trust / Enterprise Security Architect

eTelligent Group; Bethesda (MD); Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

eTelligent Group leads NIH Future State ZTA architecture efforts, delivering reference architectures across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. You will shape identity, device, network, and data security with automation and continuous monitoring, coordinating with multiple NIH ICs.

The role requires 10+ years in security architecture, strong knowledge of NIST SP 800-207/63, ZTMM v2.0, and experience in federated enterprises. NIH suitability and PIV credentials are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree plus 10+ years of security architecture experience.
• Knowledge of NIST SP 800-207/207A, CISA ZTMM v2.0, OMB M-22-09, NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, and NIST SP 800-63-4.
• Experience designing cloud and hybrid Zero Trust reference architectures for large federated enterprises.
• Ability to obtain NIH suitability determination and PIV credential; fluent in English.

Responsibilities

• Lead Task 2: define the NIH Future State ZTA across identity, device, network, application/workload, and data, with automation, orchestration, and continuous monitoring.
• Inventory centrally provided capabilities and build the ZTA Pillar Centrally Provided Services Matrix.
• Author reference architectures for cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments and tailor them to NIH workload families.
• Set per-pillar Advanced and Optimal targets against ZTMM v2.0 and build remediation roadmap.
• Co-lead AI use-case discovery with AI/ML Solutions Architect and contribute to architecture-review checkpoints.
• Publish artifacts to the OCIO ZTA Wiki and maintain architecture-as-code.

Skills

Security architecture

Zero Trust

NIST SP 800-207

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Git/version control

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure)

Job description

Company Overview

Over the past 15 years, eTel has delivered essential solutions for the federal government by securing and managing data, providing scalable identity access, modernizing legacy systems, and building high-performance platforms. By integrating new technologies and ensuring reliable operations we help agencies stay prepared for future challenges As a premier technology solutions and services company to the US federal government, eTel possesses longstanding relationships across the federal civilian marketplace. Other customers include the broader Treasury Department, Commerce Department, and State Department.

Work Location and On-Site/Telework Requirements

Hybrid – NIH, Bethesda, MD. On site for stakeholder workshops and pilots (typically 1–2 days/week during the first 120 days, then as scheduled).

Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship required

Clearance: All staff must obtain NIH suitability and a PIV credential and be fluent in English. Anyone doing risk or vulnerability testing needs a current T2 (BI) or higher investigation.

Salary Range: $165,000-$175,000 yearly salary

Overview

You will be the lead architect for NIH's Future State Zero Trust Architecture under the NIH Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) Support Services task order for the NIH Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). Working in the Architecture Pod, you will lead Task 2 and support Tasks 3, 4, and 7. You will produce the reference architectures and design patterns that application, platform, HPC, clinical, and laboratory teams across NIH's 27 ICs will build to.

Responsibilities

• Lead Task 2: define the NIH Future State ZTA across identity, device, network, application/workload, and data, with automation, orchestration, and continuous monitoring.
• With OITA, ISAO, and CIT service owners, inventory every centrally provided capability: enterprise ICAM and PIV/derived credentials, endpoint management, segmentation and secure access, API gateways, data classification and encryption, and logging/SIEM. Build the ZTA Pillar Centrally Provided Services Matrix (Subtask 2.1, due at 120 days).
• Author gold-standard reference architectures for cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments (Subtask 2.2), broken down into NIST SP 800-207 Policy Engine, Policy Administrator, and Policy Enforcement Point components.
• Tailor those architectures to NIH workload families: clinical systems (FHIR gateways, PostgreSQL, React), HPC and bioinformatics (Linux/Slurm, Nextflow, object storage), extramural grants (Appian/COTS, eRA integrations), IC business applications (Salesforce, ServiceNow, M365, Java/Angular), and laboratory/IoT instruments (Cryo-EM, mass spectrometry, LIMS).
• Set per-pillar Advanced and Optimal targets against the CISA ZTMM v2.0 and build the risk-informed remediation roadmap.
• Co-lead Task 3 AI use-case discovery with the AI/ML Solutions Architect. Contribute architecture criteria to the Task 4 ZTA Overlay and to the Task 7 architecture-review checkpoints.
• Validate each pattern with at least one IC team before publication, and brief decisions to the Architecture Review Board and domain teams.
• Maintain artifacts as Git-versioned architecture-as-code and publish them to the OCIO ZTA Wiki.

Tools & Technology Environment

Identity (Microsoft Entra ID/Active Directory, Ping Identity, Okta, PIV/derived credentials); SSE/ZTNA (e.g., Zscaler, Palo Alto Prisma Access); microsegmentation; EDR/MDM (Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Intune, CrowdStrike, Forescout); SIEM/SOAR (Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel); AWS and Azure; Git; Visio/draw.io.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree plus 10+ years of security architecture experience.
• Deep, practical knowledge of NIST SP 800-207/207A, the CISA ZTMM v2.0, OMB M-22-09, NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, and NIST SP 800-63-4.
• A track record of designing cloud and hybrid Zero Trust reference architectures for large, federated enterprises.
• Strong written artifacts: architecture diagrams, decision records, and design patterns with control mappings.
• Ability to obtain an NIH suitability determination and PIV credential; fluent in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• CISSP, CISSP-ISSAP, SABSA, or TOGAF.
• Experience with research, academic, health, or other decentralized IT environments (HPC, clinical, laboratory).
• Familiarity with the CISA Zero Trust guidance for cloud, NSA Zero Trust guidance, TIC 3.0, and the HHS Federated EA Framework.
• Vendor certifications (Microsoft, Zscaler, Palo Alto, Okta, AWS, Azure).
• Current National Institutes of Health (NIH) or U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) experience is highly preferred.

Commitment to Diversity

eTelligent Group provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, nations origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, status as a covered veteran, and any other characteristic provided in accordance with applicable, federal, state and local laws.