Zero Trust Architect / SME (Q/Top Secret Clearance) with Security Clearance

ShorePoint, LLC; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO 144 hours

Health insurance

401(k)

Job summary

ShorePoint, LLC (Washington, DC) seeks a senior Zero Trust Architect/SME to lead strategy, design and modernization of Zero Trust across federal environments. You will translate mission requirements into secure, scalable solutions and drive cross‑functional collaboration with government partners.

The role requires extensive experience with NIST SP 800-207, IAM modernization and multi‑cloud integrations, plus strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills for executive leadership and

Qualifications

• Experience designing and implementing Zero Trust security architectures in federal environments.
• Strong knowledge of NIST SP 800-207 and related DoD/IC directives.
• Ability to translate requirements into actionable Zero Trust designs and roadmaps.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Zero Trust Architecture SME to advise executive leadership on strategy and modernization pathways.
• Develop current- and target-state ZTA assessments aligned with federal requirements.
• Translate mission requirements into Zero Trust technical solutions and system designs.
• Design Zero Trust reference architectures for identity, device, network, data and application security.
• Lead roadmap development, sequencing plans and technical transition approaches.
• Collaborate with engineers, cloud architects and mission partners to implement ZTA controls.

Skills

Zero Trust Architecture

Federal cybersecurity

NIST SP 800-207

IAM modernization

Hybrid/multi-cloud

Security architecture

Stakeholder engagement

Clear communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity / CS / IS / Engineering

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

SIEM

SOAR

EDR

UEBA

Job description

Who we are:

ShorePoint is a fast-growing, industry-recognized and award-winning cybersecurity services firm focused on high-profile, high-threat public and private sector customers who demand experience and proven security models to protect their data. We embrace a “work hard, play hard” mentality and celebrate individual and company successes. We are passionate about our mission and going above and beyond to deliver for our customers, while fostering an environment that supports creativity, accountability, mission success, critical thinking and a desire to give back to our community.

The Perks:

As recognized members of the Cyber Elite, we work together in partnership to defend our nation’s critical infrastructure while building meaningful and exciting career development opportunities in a culture tailored to the individual’s technical and professional growth. We are committed to the belief that our team members do their best work when they are happy and well cared for. In support of this philosophy, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, major carriers for healthcare providers. Highlighted benefits include 144 hours of PTO, 11 holidays, 85% of insurance premiums covered, a 401(k), continuing education, certification maintenance and reimbursement and more.

Who we’re looking for:

We are seeking a Zero Trust Architect / SME (Q/Top Secret Clearance) to provide strategic and technical leadership in designing, implementing and optimizing Zero Trust security architectures across complex federal enterprise environments. This role supports senior technology and cybersecurity leadership by translating mission requirements into secure, scalable and policy‑aligned Zero Trust solutions. The position Zero Trust Architect / Subject Matter Expert (SME) requires expertise in enterprise security architecture, federal Zero Trust requirements and cross‑functional coordination to support modernization across enterprise and mission systems. This is a unique opportunity to shape the growth, development and culture of an exciting and fast‑growing company in the cybersecurity market.

What you’ll be doing:

• Serve as the Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) SME, advising government leadership, including the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and the Director of Cyber Operations (DOCO), on strategy, implementation and modernization pathways.
• Develop current‑state assessments, gap analyses and target‑state ZTAs aligned with federal cybersecurity requirements.
• Translate mission, operational and security requirements into actionable Zero Trust technical solutions and system designs.
• Design and document Zero Trust reference architectures for identity, device, network, workload, data and application security pillars.
• Evaluate enterprise security controls, data flows, authentication/authorization mechanisms and boundary protections to identify Zero Trust integration opportunities.
• Lead development of Zero Trust roadmaps, implementation plans, sequencing strategies and technical transition approaches.
• Support integration of Zero Trust capabilities with enterprise identity services, cloud platforms, endpoint security, microsegmentation tools and network security solutions.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity engineers, cloud architects, system integrators and mission partners to implement Zero Trust controls across diverse environments.
• Conduct risk assessments, threat modeling and impact analyses to support Zero Trust design decisions.
• Recommend technical solutions to strengthen authentication, authorization, continuous monitoring and access control.
• Participate in technical working groups, design reviews and cross‑agency coordination forums focused on Zero Trust execution.
• Provide expert guidance on Zero Trust standards, including NIST 800-207, Committee on National Security Systems Instructions (CNSSI) policies and applicable Department of Defense (DoD) / Intelligence Community (IC) directives.
• Support interoperability and compliance requirements across hybrid, on‑premises and multi‑cloud architectures.
• Develop reusable templates, frameworks and implementation methodologies for enterprise‑wide Zero Trust adoption.
• Produce technical documentation, architectural diagrams, design artifacts and briefing materials for government leadership.
• Ensure all design and implementation activities comply with security, classification and data protection policies.
• Effectively collaborate with peers across the Department’s national plants and laboratories to support ZTA outcomes.

What you need to know:

• ZTA principles and their application across enterprise and mission systems.
• Federal cybersecurity architecture and compliance considerations for Zero Trust implementation.
• Security architecture integration and interoperability across hybrid, on‑premises and multi‑cloud environments.

Must have’s:

• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or a related technical discipline; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 15+ years of relevant experience with a bachelor's degree, 10+ years with a master's degree or 6+ years with a PhD.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing Zero Trust security architectures in federal environments.
• Knowledge of federal Zero Trust requirements, including National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-207, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-22-09 and Executive Order (EO) 14028.
• Experience with Identity and Access Management (IAM) modernization, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), identity federation and multifactor authentication (MFA) solutions.
• Experience with microsegmentation, software‑defined perimeter solutions or network segmentation architectures.
• Experience integrating Zero Trust concepts within hybrid or multi‑cloud environments, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and GovCloud.
• Working knowledge of enterprise security tools, including Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) and data security platforms.
• Ability to develop architectural diagrams, technical documentation and implementation plans.
• Experience conducting cybersecurity gap analyses, risk assessments and system evaluations.
• Strong communication, presentation and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to work independently as an SME while collaborating across multidisciplinary teams.
• Proven ability to analyze complex requirements and translate them into clear, actionable tasks and processes through critical thinking.
• Applicants must hold and maintain an active DOE Q or equivalent DoD Top Secret clearance and eligible to obtain and maintain a Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance, in compliance with federal contract requirements.

Beneficial to have:

• Prior experience supporting the Intelligence Community, Department of Energy (DOE) or other classified U.S. Government mission environments.
• Experience implementing Zero Trust in high‑security environments, including IC directories, enclave architectures or cross‑domain systems.
• Experience with Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC), Policy Decision Point/Policy Enforcement Point (PDP/PEP) architecture and enterprise authorization frameworks.
• Experience with DOE or IC cybersecurity directives, enterprise architecture or compliance frameworks.
• Experience supporting enterprise cybersecurity modernization, Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) or federal compliance initiatives.
• Experience implementing Zero Trust for Operational Technology (OT), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) or industrial control systems.
• Experience with advanced cybersecurity analytics, automated policy enforcement or artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled threat detection.
• Familiarity with Development, Security and Operations (DevSecOps), container security or microservices architectures).

Where it’s done:

• Onsite (Washington, DC).