Lead System Security Engineer

Job Family:

Cyber Consulting

Travel Required:

Up to 25%

Clearance Required:

Ability to Obtain Public Trust

What You Will Do:

Key Areas & Requirements

1. Process Improvement

• Develop a framework to streamline the SA&A process.
• Strategies should include reducing meetings, automating tasks, leveraging existing information, and conceptualizing dashboards for further automation.

2. SA&A Schedule

• Create a timetable for all SA&A activities, specifying deadlines for annual assessments, contingency plan tests, incident response tests, and other compliance tasks.

3. Privacy

• Ensure all CIT systems comply with policies.
• Focus on minimizing risks to PII/PHI/Sensitive data, maintaining robust Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs), and staying current with privacy laws and regulations.
• Advise senior management on privacy and data protection best practices.

4. Process Maturity

• Document and maintain the SA&A lifecycle workflow, integrating security into the system development lifecycle per NIST SP
• Guide system owners on completing SA&A artifacts, including SOPs and plans to comply with NIST SP

5. Roles & Responsibilities

• Identify key roles (AO, CISO, System Owner, etc.) and develop a matrix of cybersecurity responsibilities for each FISMA system.

6. Review

• Conduct security control assessments through an independent (firewalled) team.
• Perform interviews, test controls, develop Security Assessment Reports (SARs), and create Plans of Action and Milestones (POAMs).

7. Quality: ATO Review

• Assess Authority to Operate (ATO) packages for accuracy and completeness.
• Implement rigorous quality standards and provide technical support for ATO package completion.
• Manage schedules and dependencies to ensure all controls are complete, accurate, and valid.

8. Documentation

• Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for SA&A, ensuring compliance with NIST SP and periodic reviews for updates.
• Create and maintain enterprise templates for ATO documentation.

What You Will Need:

• Required 1-2 Days onsite at Client (Bethesda, MD)
• 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 Guidehouse. Candidates with an ACTIVE PUBLIC TRUST or SUITABILITY are preferred
• Minimum of FIVE (5) years of experience in Risk Management Framework / Security Assessment and Authorization.
• RMF Experience in developing complete ATO packages for systems; including SSP, FIPS 199, E-Authentication, PTA/PIA, Incident Response Plan, Contingency Plan, and Configuration Management Plan.
• Experience in developing and conducting IR table-top tests and CP functional tests.
• 3+ years of experience as IT system administrator or engineer. Experience can include:
  • System maintenance in configuration and patching for On-premise servers and databases.
  • Deployed and managed cloud hosted environments, configured and refined network connections and security monitoring integrations.
  • Integrated third-party SaaS products with cloud environment, or collaboration Tenants like Microsoft 365.
  • Maintained network components from firewalls, IDS/IPS to VPN solution.
  • Developed and deployed web application software.
• Experience with conducting vulnerability scans and remediation findings.
• Experience with NIST and NIST
• Experience with cloud systems and SaaS products, and understanding of the FedRAMP requirements.
• Experience with security monitoring tools (e.g., Splunk, Tenable, BigFix, Microsoft Purview, Symantec DLP, Sentinel, CloudWatch, Security Center).
• Experience reporting to executives' system risk analysis and findings. Capable of translating technical findings to meaningful and impactful risks.
• At least one of the following Certifications:
  • CISA
  • CISSP
  • CompTIA Security+ CE Certified Professional
  • CompTIA Network+ CE Certified Professional
  • Certified Cloud Certificates (AWS, Azure, and/or Google)
• Experience with assessing 5 of the 8 types of platforms/systems:
  • ICAM Solution (Active Directory, SailPoint and CyberArk experience is preferred).
  • Network – firewalls, IDS/IPS, switches, Routers, VPN
  • Cloud Hosting (experience with at least 2 of 3 – AWS, Azure, Google)
  • On-premise Hosting (Windows and Linux platforms)
  • Microsoft 365 Tenant
  • Third Party SaaS Platforms
  • High Performance Computing Systems
  • AI Applications and Systems

What Would Be Nice To Have:

• Experience with the DOJ's CSAM GRC platform.
• Experience as software developer – capable of building dashboards within suites like Microsoft Power BI and Power App. Capable of configuring APIs with security tools into dashboards (such as Tenable, Splunk, and GRC Platforms including CSAM).

The annual salary range for this position is $130,000.00-$216, Compensation decisions depend on a wide range of factors, including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, security clearances, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs.

What We Offer:

Guidehouse offers a comprehensive, total rewards package that includes competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package that reflects our commitment to creating a diverse and supportive workplace.

Benefits include:

• Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance

• Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays

• Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus

• Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance

• 401(k) Retirement Plan

• Basic Life & Supplemental Life

• Health Savings Account, Dental/Vision & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability

• Student Loan PayDown

• Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities

• Skills Development & Certifications

• Employee Referral Program

• Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach

• Emergency Back-Up Childcare Program

• Mobility Stipend

About Guidehouse

Guidehouse is an Equal Opportunity Employer–Protected Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.

Guidehouse will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law or ordinance including the Fair Chance Ordinance of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

If you have visited our website for information about employment opportunities, or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Guidehouse Recruiting at or via email at All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodation.

All communication regarding recruitment for a Guidehouse position will be sent from Guidehouse email domains including or   Correspondence received by an applicant from any other domain should be considered unauthorized and will not be honored by Guidehouse.  Note that Guidehouse will never charge a fee or require a money transfer at any stage of the recruitment process and does not collect fees from educational institutions for participation in a recruitment event. Never provide your banking information to a third party purporting to need that information to proceed in the hiring process.

If any person or organization demands money related to a job opportunity with Guidehouse, please report the matter to Guidehouse's Ethics Hotline. If you want to check the validity of correspondence you have received, please contact Guidehouse is not responsible for losses incurred (monetary or otherwise) from an applicant's dealings with unauthorized third parties.

Guidehouse does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Guidehouse and Guidehouse will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.

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