Information Systems Security Engineer (ISSE)

Tysons, VA

JOB DESCRIPTION

The ISSE will lead and execute security engineering activities across complex, enterprise-scale environments. This role requires deep technical expertise across infrastructure, platforms, and applications, combined with expert-level, hands-on experience implementing the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) within federal government environments. The ideal candidate is a technical practitioner, not just an advisor – someone who can design, implement, assess, and secure systems end-to-end while directly supporting system authorization, continuous monitoring, and risk-based decision-making. This role also serves as the technical focal point for all security incidents, leading triage, investigation, and resolution efforts in coordination with program and enterprise security teams. 

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, IT, or a related technical discipline, or the equivalent combination of education, technical training, or work/military experience

  • Minimum ten (10) years of related cyber security engineering experience

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

  • Proven hands-on Cyber Security Engineer SME, not policy-only or audit-only

  • Comfortable working across network, system, platform, and application layers

  • Deep understanding of how security controls are actually implemented and validated

  • Experience in federal RMF-driven environments

  • Able to bridge security, engineering, and compliance effectively

  • Experienced in managing security incidents from detection through resolution

  • Skilled at balancing immediate incident response needs with long-term security improvements

  • Effective collaborator across organizational boundaries during high-pressure security events

  • Operate independently as the technical authority for system security engineering

  • Demonstrate the ability to provide technical hands-on configuration, validation, and assessment of security controls

  • Translate RMF and NIST requirements into real-world technical implementations

  • Communicate complex technical security issues clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

  • Maintain a strong balance between security compliance and operational practicality

  • Lead rapid response to security incidents with minimal guidance

  • Demonstrate strong analytical and troubleshooting skills under pressure during active security events

  • Effectively communicate incident status, impact, and remediation progress to technical and leadership audiences

  • Security & Compliance

    • Expert-level experience with NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) in federal government environments

    • Strong knowledge of:

      • NIST SP 800-53

      • NIST SP 800-37

      • NIST SP 800-30

    • Direct involvement I ATO packages, control implementation, and assessments

    • Hands-on experience with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms (e.g., Splunk, ELK Stack, ArcSight, QRadar)

    • Demonstrated experience in security incident detection, analysis, and response

    • Proven ability to triage security alerts and determine criticality and impact

  • Infrastructure & Platforms (Hands-On)

    • Networking (e.g., routing, switching, firewalls, load balancers, network security controls)

    • Operating Systems:

      • Windows Server

      • Linux (RHEL, CentOS)

    • Virtualization and storage platforms

    • Databases (SQL and/or NoSQL)

    • Data platforms (e.g., HPCC, Hadoop/Cloudera) 

    • Web services, APIs, and application architectures

    • Software development environments and CI/CD pipelines

    • Security tooling (e.g., vulnerability scanners, endpoint protection, SIEM)

  • Engineering Experience

    • Security engineering and system hardening

    • Vulnerability discovery and remediation

    • Secure system design and architecture reviews

    • Technical documentation supporting RMF compliance

    • Experience in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, CI) within federal RMF contexts

    • Experience with DevSecOps practices

DESIRED SKILLS

  • Hands-on experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)

  • Hands-on experience with infrastructure-as-code

  • Knowledge of federal overlays (e.g., DoD, FISMA High/Moderate)

  • Relevant certifications (preferred, not required):

    • CISSP

    • CAP

    • CISM

    • Security+

    • Cloud Security

    • Certified Ethical Hacker

  • Experience with guiding and directing junior engineers and information systems security officer (ISSO)

  • Experience with security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) platforms

  • Background in threat hunting and proactive security monitoring

  • Relevant incident response certifications

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

  • Serve as the Cyber Security Engineer SME, providing hands-on security engineering across all system layers (infrastructure, platform, and application)

  • Engineer, implement, and validate security controls in accordance with NIST SP 800-53 and RMF requirements

  • Lead and support RMF lifecycle activities (Categorize, Select, Implement, Assess, Authorize, Monitor)

  • Perform security engineering for:

    • Network architectures and boundary protections

    • Windows and Linux operating systems

    • Storage and virtualization platforms

    • Databases and data platforms

    • Web services, APIs, and application stacks

    • Custom and COTS/GOTS software solutions

  • Provide technical input to RMF artifacts, including:

    • System Security Plans (SSP)

    • Security Control Assessments (SCA) support

    • POA&Ms

    • Risk assessments and security impact analyses

  • Collaborate with system owners, architects, developers, ad operations teams to embed security into system design and implementation

  • Support ATO, re-authorization, and continuous monitoring activities

  • Identify security risks and provide practical, technically sound mitigation strategies

  • Participate in security reviews, technical design reviews, and vulnerability remediation efforts

  • Serve as technical l point of contact for all security incidents affecting the program

  • Lead triage and analysis of new security alerts from SIEM, IDS/IPS, and other security monitoring tools

  • Drive remediation efforts for recurring security alerts, identifying root causes and implementing systemic fixes

  • Coordinate incident response activities between program stakeholders and enterprise security operations

  • Act as primary liaison between program teams and enterprise security for incident escalation, resolution, and reporting

  • Perform forensic analysis and technical investigations of security events

  • Document security incidents, response actions, and lessons learned

  • Develop and maintain runbooks and playbooks for common security incident types

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