Cybersecurity Architecture & Engineering Technical SME SUMMARYThe SME will support a federal client's enterprise cybersecurity and Continuous Authorization to Operate (cATO) initiative(s). The SME provides technical expertise, architectural recommendations, and engineering oversight across hybrid environments (on-prem, cloud, and Cloud). The role focuses on designing secure enterprise architectures, engineering automated control assessments and evidence pipelines, and operationalizing zero trust and cATO capabilities.
You will coordinate with a dynamic team of thought leaders and experts to determine the right tools and methods to translate your client's IT needs and future goals into a plan that delivers secure and efficient solutions. You will assist the client through a critical approach to innovative solutions design, suggesting alternatives and tweaking capabilities to maintain a balance between security and mission needs. The candidate must have experience in delivering measurable improvements in security posture, automation, and compliance maturity.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES- Develop, maintain, and evolve the Enterprise Security Reference Architecture (ESRA).
- Provide architectural input to the organization's Cybersecurity Roadmap and Strategy, addressing:
- Continuous ATO (cATO) and automated control testing maturity. o Cloud security standards, compliance, and improvements to ATO timelines.
- Cloud monitoring, detection, response, and security operations. o Privacy, continuous monitoring, and vulnerability assessment modernization. o Integration of security scanning into cloud pipelines.
- Implementation of EO 14028 (ZTA) and SCRM requirements.
- Architect and implement continuous monitoring pipelines for automated evidence collection (SIEM, XDR, scanners, cloud APIs, CI/CD).
- Develop and manage OSCAL profiles, inheritance models, and evidence data contracts.
- Integrate telemetry and evidence into AO-grade dashboards.
- Support ATO intake, assessment workflows, and vulnerability scanning processes.
- Conduct RMF-aligned security reviews for compliance and best practices.
- Develop security architectural patterns that expedite ATO by pre-meeting control requirements.
- Collaborate with the Cybersecurity Authorizations & Compliance Branch to design systems supporting cATO, reduce ATO processing times, provide data-call responses, and participate in working groups.
- Design and deploy native cloud security services across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
- Lead the development of enterprise cloud security blueprints, including security in Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) templates.
- Conduct proofs-of-value for cloud-native, COTS, third-party, or open-source security tools.
- Provide security architecture input for DevSecOps strategy, including vulnerability scanning, automated assessments, and implementation of security controls.
- Conduct requirements-gathering sessions and cATO current-state assessments.
- Recommend security requirements, architectural direction, and support testing for enterprise initiatives such as: cATO, automated assessments, ZTA, SASE, CASB, SWG, TIC 3.0, ICAM, CMDB, etc.
- Collaborate with operational teams to improve cloud security monitoring, including ingestion and analysis of API, application, database, and flow logs into SIEM platforms.
- Support development of cloud event analysis and alert tuning to increase detection fidelity.
- Identify vulnerabilities across the SDLC and help contain, minimize, and remediate associated risks.
- Provide system engineering and architectural design support, including: o Studies and analyses of operational changes; End-to-end architecture trade-off assessments o Development of strategic and tactical plans; Evaluation of new program requirements o Research and assessment of new technologies for operational enhancement
- Conduct architectural risk assessments, threat modeling, and secure design reviews.
- Support backlog refinement, sprint planning, capacity planning, and retrospectives.
- Ensure teams deliver high-value increments meeting the Definition of Done.
- Facilitate stakeholder collaboration as needed.
- REQUIREMENTS
- High level of attention to detail, needs minimal guidance, effective verbal, and written communications.
- Adept at both the strategic and operational/technical level.
- Able to adapt to new and changing requirements / priorities and manage work accordingly.
- At least 5 years (preferred 10 years) of network, systems, applications experience, in areas such as:
- LAN/WAN, WAF/CDN/DDOS, Network Firewalls, IDS/IPS, Virtualization, hypervisor security, container security, Application development, serverless security, microservices, CICD.
- At least 5 years of designing and/or implementing security in Cloud environments (AWS and Azure; GCP is also preferred but not required). Operational experience with the following is preferred.
- Multi-Cloud, Hybrid Cloud, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, shared responsibility model. o AWS Security Hub, Audit Manager, Config., Guard Duty, CloudTrail, CloudWatch, Lambda.
- Azure E3/E5, AD, Blob, Azure Security Center, Key Vault, SSE, Monitor, Log Analytics, Policy.
- Experience with DevSecOps strategy and implementation and designing architecture in accordance to RMF, CSF, FISMA, and Fedramp.
- Knowledge of ZTA and SASE Framework, ICAM (OKTA), CWPP, SOC Operations, Vulnerability Threat Management, and Compliance.
EDUCATION
Candidate must have a Bachelor of Science (or higher) in one of the following:
- Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), Cybersecurity, or a similar technical field. The resume may reference another major, so long as the resume is clear that the degree addressed at a minimum one of the following: cyber security engineering, systems administration, information systems security, software development security, systems engineering, information systems or IT.
CERTIFICATIONS
The candidate must have a: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and At least one of the following, or equivalent:
- Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate, AWS Certified Security Specialist, Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect,Google Professional Cloud Architect.
CLEARANCE
- Minimum Background Investigation
LOCATION
- Hybrid - Primary location is Alexandria, VA. Remote work is authorized. o Occasional travel to the primary location may be required.
