Zero Trust Strategist

Talanto; McLean (VA); Hybrid; USD 149,000 - 248,000; Full time

Job summary

Talanto is seeking a senior Zero Trust strategist to lead large-scale IT deployments for government clients. The role requires hands-on knowledge of Zscaler, Okta, CrowdStrike, and strong project management to ensure delivery and ongoing support, with a focus on governance, risk, and security modernization.

You will design reference architectures, drive program roadmaps, and present executive briefs to CISO leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree from an accredited university.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of work experience.
• US Citizenship is contractually required.
• Must obtain/maintain a Public Trust clearance before onboarding.
• Federal civilian or defense contractor consulting experience preferred.
• Familiarity with FISMA, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53 frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain enterprise Zero Trust architectures across identity, device, network, app, and data pillars.
• Define roadmaps and reference architectures aligned with mission requirements.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to embed Zero Trust in modernization efforts.
• Lead cross-functional teams and manage vendor relationships.
• Develop executive-level briefings tailored for CISO and senior leadership.
• Translate Zscaler and CrowdStrike technologies into business outcomes.
• Drive program roadmaps, maturity plans, and multi-vendor integration.

Skills

Zero Trust

Project management

Federal government consulting

Executive-level briefing

Independent consulting

Stakeholder management

Security architecture

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Zscaler

Okta

CrowdStrike Falcon

ZIA/ZPA

Falcon Insight/XDR

Job description

Important: if an employer asks you to log into their system via iCloud or Google, send a code, an SMS or Telegram password, run some code, or install software — refuse. These are signs of fraud.

Job Family: Technology Consulting

Travel Required: Up to 10%

Clearance Required: Ability to Obtain Public Trust

What You Will Do:

• Our Cybersecurity Consultants are a team of business integrators with extensive consulting and industry experience who help our clients solve their complex business issues from strategy through execution. A career in an integrated team of developers and consultants provides the opportunity to grow and contribute to our clients' business issues every day, applying a collection of security spectrum capabilities, including security strategy and governance, IT risk, security technologies, and cybercrime and breach response.

• We are seeking a senior Zero Trust strategist with a proven track record of leading large-scale IT deployments, specifically for government clients. The ideal candidate will possess strong hands‑on technical knowledge of Zscaler, Okta, and Crowdstrike solutions and demonstrate exceptional project management skills to ensure successful delivery and ongoing support.

Key Responsibility Areas include, but are not limited to:

• Design, document, and maintain enterprise Zero Trust architectures spanning identity, device, network/environment, application/workload, and data pillars.

• Define strategic roadmaps and reference architecture aligned with organizational objectives and mission requirements.

• Partner with cross-functional teams to embed Zero Trust principles into technology modernization efforts, cloud transitions, and cybersecurity initiatives.

• Partner with cybersecurity, network engineering, cloud, DevSecOps, and governance teams to ensure cohesive implementation and maturity.

• Perform organizational assessments using the CISA Zero Trust Maturity Model.

• Produce gap analyses and prioritized remediation plans aligned with maturity expectations.

• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, including timelines, milestones, budget tracking, and resource allocation.

• Identify, track, and mitigate project risks, issues, and dependencies to ensure successful, on‑time, and within‑budget project delivery.

• Provide regular project status updates to leadership, technical teams, and other key stakeholders.

• Manage cross-functional project teams, vendor relationships, and external consultants.

• Lead the development of comprehensive Zero Trust program strategies and executive level briefings tailored for CISO and senior leadership audiences.

• Independently design Zero Trust reference architectures and capability roadmaps without requiring hands on engineering support.

• Serve as the senior Zscaler and CrowdStrike product expert for the engagement, advising on platform capabilities, constraints, and adoption patterns across identity, device, network, workload, and data protection domains.

• Translate complex Zscaler and CrowdStrike technologies (e.g., ZIA/ZPA, Falcon Insight/XDR, Falcon DLP) into clear business outcomes and maturity recommendations.

• Coordinate with separate Zscaler and CrowdStrike engineering teams to ensure alignment while driving architectural decisions autonomously and without operational disruption.

What You Will Need:

• Bachelors degree from an accredited university

• Minimum of EIGHT (8) years of overall work experience

• US Citizenship is contractually required

• Must be able to OBTAIN and MAINTAIN a Federal or DoD "PUBLIC TRUST"; candidates must obtain approved adjudication of their PUBLIC TRUST prior to onboarding with . Candidates with an ACTIVE PUBLIC TRUST or SUITABILITY are preferred.

• Experience in IT or managing large‑scale deployments and cross‑functional technical teams with US Federal government consulting experience

• Experience working in federal civilian, defense contractor, or highly regulated environments

• Familiarity with federal compliance frameworks (e.g., FISMA, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53)

• Experience collaborating with teams for IT security operations, threat response, or security architecture development, including IAM system requirements, design, implementation, integration, testing, or change management

• Demonstrated expertise across all pillars of Zero Trust (identity, device, network/environment, application/workload, data)

• Hands‑on experience with Zero Trust technology platforms (e.g., CrowdStrike Falcon, Zscaler, and Okta)

• Hands‑on experience with automating security workflows and integrating Zero Trust technology platforms

• Deep understanding of identity‑centric security, segmentation, continuous monitoring, and least privileged access

• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills and verbal and written communication abilities

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment

• Strong customer service and stakeholder management skills

• Attention to detail and commitment to security best practices

• Demonstrated ability to operate as an independent consultant—capable of leading strategic discussions, developing executive‑ready deliverables, and facilitating program level decision making without reliance on product engineering teams

• Proven experience developing Zero Trust program roadmaps, maturity plans, and strategic capability adoption aligned to CISA and DoD Zero Trust frameworks

• Exceptional communication and client facing skills, including experience presenting to CISO level stakeholders and translating technical detail into strategic business guidance

• Experience driving multi vendor Zero Trust integration approaches involving identity, endpoint, cloud, and network platforms

• Ability to influence architecture decisions across engineering, operations, governance, and security architecture teams while maintaining strong, collaborative working relationships

What Would Be Nice To Have:

• Active security clearance

• Knowledge of NIST 800-53, 800-207, RMF, FedRAMP, and related frameworks

• Experience with SIEM, SOAR, SASE, and identity threat detection and response technologies

• Strong practical experience applying and assessing organizations against DoD and CISA Zero Trust Maturity Models

• Familiarity with SDLC process, including designing and developing applications

• Previous consulting experience delivering Zero Trust architecture guidance, for instance around Data Loss Prevention modernization, secure access, or cross‑platform telemetry enrichment

The annual salary range for this position is $149,000.00-$248,000.00. Compensation decisions depend on a wide range of factors, including but not limited to skill sets