Work Location and On-Site/Telework Requirements: Hybrid - NIH, Bethesda, MD. On site for stakeholder workshops (typically 1-2 days/week during the first 120 days, then as scheduled).
Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship required
Clearance: All staff must obtain NIH suitability and a PIV credential and be fluent in English. Anyone doing risk or vulnerability testing needs a current T2 (BI) or higher investigation.
Salary Range: $110,000-$120,000 yearly salary
Overview:
You will lead Task 5, Security Policy and Standards Support for ZTA Operationalization, under the NIH Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) Support Services task order for the NIH Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). Working in the Risk & Policy Pod, you will turn federal and HHS Zero Trust mandates into a single, enforceable NIH policy framework. You will also support Task 6 communications and Task 7 governance.
Responsibilities:
- Build the Single Policy Framework (Subtask 5.1): NIH ZTA policy, then standards by pillar, then implementation guides by workload family, then procedures, with an enterprise risk management (ERM) risk-appetite statement at the top.
- Trace every policy statement up to its federal or HHS source (EO 14028, OMB M-22-09, HHS IS2P, HHS ZTA Strategy) and down to the Overlay control, architecture pattern, and governance checkpoint that enforce it.
- Inventory NIH security policies, IS2P-derived standards, and procedures. Benchmark them against NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, 800-207, 800-63-4, the CISA ZTMM, and current threats (MITRE ATT&CK). Produce a gap register with draft language and an adoption path (Subtask 5.2).
- Develop policy anchors (Subtask 5.3), each made up of the policy statement, the technical setting that enforces it, the evidence that proves it, and the owner. Start with identity (conditional access), devices, networks, and data (classification labels driving DLP).
- Write ZTA Policy Briefs and role-based monthly enterprise communications with the NIH ISAO Communications Team. All content must conform to Section 508.
- Align policy with AI governance (NIST AI RMF, OMB AI memoranda, HHS AI strategy) and with data-management requirements (NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy, Privacy Act, HIPAA where applicable).
Tools & Technology Environment: Microsoft 365/SharePoint, Confluence and the OCIO ZTA Wiki, Jira; Microsoft Accessibility Checker and Adobe Acrobat for Section 508 checks.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree plus 8+ years in federal cybersecurity policy, governance, or compliance.
- Working knowledge of HHS IS2P, FISMA, NIST frameworks, and OMB M-22-09.
- Experience applying ERM principles to security policy.
- Excellent technical writing and policy-drafting skills.
- Ability to obtain an NIH suitability determination and PIV credential; fluent in English.
Preferred Qualifications:
- HHS or NIH policy development and approval experience.
- CISSP, CISM, or CGRC.
- Zero Trust policy experience; privacy knowledge (Privacy Act, HIPAA, research data).
- Current National Institutes of Health (NIH) or U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) experience is highly preferred.
