USMS ISSO (UAS Focused)

Saliense; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Saliense seeks an Information System Security Officer (ISSO) to support cybersecurity activities for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The role involves assessing and strengthening security across drone platforms, ground control stations, and supporting infrastructure.

You will collaborate with developers, engineers, program managers, and system owners to review security controls, perform risk assessments, and support RMF/NIST-based authorizations and remediation efforts.

Qualifications

• Experience applying RMF, CSF, and federal information security policy.
• Ability to assess UAS architectures, data flows, trust boundaries, and interfaces.
• Familiarity with DoD cybersecurity requirements and POA&M management.
• Knowledge of vulnerability/risk assessment and network security principles.
• Experience in system authorizations and configuration management.

Responsibilities

• Conduct cybersecurity assessments of UAS platforms, control stations, links, and apps.
• Perform vulnerability and risk assessments across hardware, firmware, OS, and networks.
• Evaluate confidentiality, integrity, and availability of C2 communications and data.
• Review architectures, data flows, and dependencies to identify security weaknesses.
• Assess identity management, MFA, credential management, and authorization.
• Test and document controls using RMF, NIST CSF, SP standards, and DoD requirements.
• Assess supply-chain risks for UAS components and vendors.
• Develop assessment reports, POA&M findings, and remediation recommendations.
• Recommend security products and configuration changes to improve posture.

Skills

R isk Management Framework (RMF)

NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

Vulnerability assessment

Risk assessment

Network security

DoD cybersecurity requirements

POA&M management

System authorizations

JCAM usage

Tools

JCAM

Job description

About the role

• Saliense is seeking an Information System Security Officer (ISSO) to support cybersecurity activities for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The successful candidate will work collaboratively with developers, engineers, program managers, system owners, and other stakeholders to assess and strengthen the security of drone platforms, ground control stations, communications, supporting infrastructure, and associated applications. This role combines hands-on technical assessment with federal risk management, security authorization, compliance, and remediation support

What you’ll do

• Conduct cybersecurity assessments of UAS platforms, ground control stations, communication links, supporting infrastructure, and associated applications to identify and evaluate risk.
• Perform vulnerability and risk assessments across UAS hardware, firmware, operating systems, applications, APIs, and network infrastructure using approved scanning and assessment methodologies.
• Evaluate the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of command-and-control communications, flight data, imagery, telemetry, and other sensitive information at rest, in transit, and during processing.
• Review system architectures, diagrams, data flows, trust boundaries, interfaces, and dependencies to identify security weaknesses and confirm that appropriate controls are implemented.
• Assess identity management, privileged access, multifactor authentication, credential management, and authorization mechanisms for operators and administrators.
• Test and document the implementation and effectiveness of cybersecurity controls using RMF, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST SP 800-37, SP 800-53, SP 800-115, SP 800-137, SP 800-171, FISMA, and applicable DoD requirements.
• Assess cybersecurity and supply-chain risks associated with UAS components, firmware, software, communications equipment, cloud services, vendors, and other third parties.
• Support business impact analyses, system categorization, contingency planning, privacy documentation, system authorizations, configuration management, and other system security activities.
• Develop assessment reports, risk statements, evidence packages, POA&M findings, and remediation recommendations; track vulnerabilities through closure and verify corrective actions.
• Recommend security products, technologies, configuration changes, and system upgrades that improve the customer’s security posture.

Qualifications

• Experience protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information and assessing UAS architectures, data flows, trust boundaries, interfaces, and dependencies.
• Demonstrated experience with the Risk Management Framework, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, federal information system security policy, industry best practices, security control assessments, POA&M management, system authorizations, and configuration management.
• Strong technical expertise in vulnerability assessment, risk assessment, network security, product evaluation, security implementation, computer networking concepts, protocols, and network security methodologies
• Working knowledge of cybersecurity and privacy laws, regulations, policies, ethics, audit requirements, current threats, and vulnerabilities in a federal environment.
• Experience using JCAM and applying relevant NIST publications and DoD cybersecurity requirements to evaluate security control implementation and effectiveness.
• Ability to collaborate effectively at a technical level with developers, engineers, managers, system owners, and other members of multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience evaluating RF and wireless communications for vulnerabilities, interference, unauthorized access, and other risks affecting UAS operations.
• Familiarity with GPS/GNSS security and resilience, including methods for identifying and mitigating spoofing, jamming, signal degradation, and loss of positioning data.
• Experience securing mobile devices and ground control stations, including their operating systems, applications, interfaces, configurations, and connections to UAS platforms and supporting networks.
• Knowledge of secure boot, trusted execution, firmware validation, code signing, and other controls used to protect firmware integrity.
• Familiarity with software-defined radio technologies and associated security risks involving radio configuration, signal processing, protocol implementation, and wireless communications.
• Experience applying network segmentation and zero trust architecture principles to limit access, isolate critical UAS components, and reduce incident impact.
• Experience supporting incident response for UAS cybersecurity incidents, including detection, analysis, containment, recovery, evidence preservation, and post-incident documentation.
• Experience integrating security testing throughout the UAS system development lifecycle, from requirements and design through deployment, maintenance, and retirement.