Cyber Policy Advisor - Associate Director

Guidehouse•Arlington, TX

About The Position

The Cyber Policy Advisor at the Associate Director level, you will serve as a strategic leader in shaping and implementing cybersecurity policy across federal environments. This role combines deep expertise in cyber governance, risk management, and compliance with strong leadership and stakeholder engagement skills. The Advisor will translate federal mandates and industry best practices into actionable strategies, ensuring alignment with organizational mission objectives and technical implementation teams. The Cyber Policy Advisor provides oversight of the personnel and ensures quality and relevant project management, change management and development of high-quality deliverables and approaches. The key focus will be to deliver on three main functions: 1. Support the acceleration of cyber awareness capabilities for clients, serving as the point person responsible for developing and managing cyber strategy and policy teams. Provide a deep understanding of cyber practices that relate to development/maintenance, quality, governance, literacy and culture to support the enterprise cyber functions at a department/ agency or subagency level. 2. Drive clients focus on how policy can drive effective delivery of the critical cyber functions to the enterprise mission. Understand the larger organizational cybersecurity strategy and manage the delivery of current and future projects to align with, complement, and build on each other.

Requirements

An ACTIVE and MAINTAINED SECRET Federal or DOD security clearance
Bachelor’s Degree
Minimum of TEN (10) years of experience leading cyber projects INCLUDING SEVEN (7) years of supervisory or managerial experience.
Comprehensive understanding of Federal Information Technology (IT)/security and privacy procedures and techniques
Ability to influence a data-driven mindset and drive a culture of collaboration, innovation, and best practices.
Demonstrated ability to source and lead the formation and execution of successful partnerships between and across major stakeholders including technology partners and business end-users.
Experience leading a team of cyber, data and IT specialists across a variety of functions to establish and deliver capabilities at the scale and pace necessary to enable the cyber and zero trust strategy initiatives.
Experience with creation, coordination, and execution of evidence-based policy initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Change Management Practitioner (CMP)

Responsibilities

Lead development and execution of cybersecurity policies aligned with EO 14028, OMB guidance, CISA directives, and NIST frameworks.
Advise executive leadership (CISO, CIO, CDO) and interagency partners on cyber policy strategies and risk posture.
Serve as liaison between policy teams and technical implementation groups to ensure seamless translation of policy into operational controls.
Integrate ZTA principles in accordance with NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-207, DoD Zero Trust Reference Architecture and Zero Trust Capability Execution Roadmap, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) Zero Trust Maturity Model into policy initiatives.
Ensure policy and strategy adheres to federal cybersecurity standards and requirements, including FISMA, and NIST Special Publications (especially SP 800-53, SP 800-137, SP 800-60, SP 800-53, SP 800-171 and SP 1800-39A).
Define and monitor KPIs, maturity models, and compliance metrics to measure policy effectiveness and risk reduction.
Provide thought leadership through participation in industry forums, conferences, and publications.
Mentor and develop cyber policy specialists, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement

Benefits

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