Data Pillar Security LeadJob ID#: 26-1134
Clearance: U.S. citizen; must obtain and keep DHS/USCIS suitability (Public Trust). Active Top Secret clearance a plus.
Location: Hybrid Schedule, 2x in office per week. Minimal local travel, 1x per month to USCIS HQ (Camp Springs, MD)
What You'll Do:
Help USCIS build one of the federal government's most advanced Zero Trust data programs. As our Data Pillar Security Lead, you'll own the data pillar from start to finish. You'll define what "Advanced" and "Optimal" maturity look like under CISA ZTMM v2.0, prove it with evidence on an enterprise Databricks lakehouse, and assist turning DLP policy into enforced controls during a live Zscaler rollout. You'll be the trusted technical voice for the security policy team, the data platform team, the SOC and the Chief Data Officer, and the person who helps tie their work into one clear plan.
Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:- Data pillar strategy (30%): Own the agency's maturity baseline, KPIs and roadmap across all 8 data functions, and lead evidence-based assessments with system owners.
- Databricks governance (25%): Strengthen Unity Catalog access controls, tagging, lineage, encryption and audit, and move access from role-based to attribute-based (RBAC toward ABAC) with the CDO and data stewards.
- Zscaler DLP (30%): Design and tune DLP across web, endpoint, email, SaaS and GenAI. Migrate legacy rules, run monitor-then-enforce pilots, and connect alerts to Splunk and SOC playbooks.
- Compliance and delivery (15%): Map controls to NIST 800-53 and DHS 4300A, support ATO work, and brief government leaders.
What You'll Need:- Bachelor's degree in a related field (or 4 more years of experience in its place)
- 10+ years in IT or cybersecurity, including 5+ in data security, data governance or DLP
- Hands-on experience designing and tuning an enterprise DLP platform (Zscaler strongly preferred; Purview, Netskope, Forcepoint, Symantec or Palo Alto also count)
- Experience with data classification, PII/SPII handling, and federal frameworks (ZTMM, NIST 800-207/800-53, RMF/ATO)
- Strong writing skills and comfort briefing senior government leaders
- U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain DHS Public Trust
Set Yourself Apart:- Databricks, Snowflake or another lakehouse/data catalog platform
- DHS or USCIS experience
- Zscaler, Databricks, CISSP/CCSP or CDMP certifications
- A migration from a legacy DLP tool to SSE/SASE, or work with GenAI data controls or post-quantum cryptography
Salary: $150,000-$200,000
The salary range listed reflects our standard market pay structure. Final compensation will be determined based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate's unique qualifications, skills required for the position, professional experience, education, and business needs, at the time of hire.
