Cybersecurity Engineer

Carnegie Mellon University•Pittsburgh, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Cybersecurity Engineer will join the Cyber Risk and Resilience Directorate and support the operational capabilities and evolution of the Cybersecurity Assurance Team (CA Team), with a focus on cybersecurity, operational resilience, and applied research. The team develops frameworks, models, tools, policies, practices, technical guidance, and training to help industry, government, and military organizations measure and improve management of operational and technical risks to mission-critical services. Its work addresses the effects of technological change, including artificial intelligence and agentic-driven systems. The engineer will consult directly with mission partners and subject matter experts across the CA portfolio, support the standardization of cybersecurity assessments, develop and apply security measurement approaches, and share expertise with the broader community. The role involves collaborative work on multidisciplinary teams to solve customer challenges in diverse environments and serving as a trusted advisor to defense and critical infrastructure customers. The engineer may also conduct research into approaches for managing cybersecurity resilience across areas such as cyber operations, artificial intelligence, continuity planning and management, and the organizational and social effects and mitigations of cyber incidents and failures. The role includes leading customer engagements, contributing to cybersecurity projects, representing the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) to stakeholders and communities of interest, and continuing professional development. Frequent travel is required to SEI and Carnegie Mellon University locations, customer sites, conferences, and offsite meetings. The position is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Candidates must be legally authorized to work for Carnegie Mellon University in the United States; employment visa sponsorship is not available. The position requires a background investigation and the ability to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline with 8 years of applicable experience, or a master’s degree in a relevant discipline with 5 years, or a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline with 2 years.
Track record of successfully leading projects in a technical discipline.
Ability to lead diverse teams and influence people outside the immediate team or span of control.
Experience contributing to multiple simultaneous projects and working in a creative, high-energy environment.
Ability and willingness to experiment with practices and develop effective processes, practices, and infrastructure to support projects.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to communicate collaboratively and diplomatically with customers and colleagues at all levels of knowledge and experience.
Ability to understand the broader direction and goals of an effort while investigating technical details and explaining complex ideas to people without deep subject-area knowledge.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance, subject to a background investigation.
Must be currently legally authorized to work for Carnegie Mellon University in the United States; the university will not sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa.
Experience or knowledge in several of the following areas: managing information security risks and implementing controls at a mid-to-senior level; managing technology controls and risks such as change management, infrastructure, capacity planning, availability, cloud services, and technology implementations; managing continuity-related controls and risks such as business continuity and disaster recovery; deploying information technology, including implementing security technology or designing, building, and maintaining networks; consulting for private industry or government customers, including leading projects and engagements; familiarity with cybersecurity and resilience standards such as NIST CSF, NIST SP 800 series, and ISO 27000 series; audit and assessment methodologies, tactics, techniques, and procedures; critical infrastructure protection concepts and standards; and maturity model concepts such as CMMI and the Financial Sector Cyber Profile.
Ability to deal collaboratively, diplomatically, and successfully with customers, coworkers, professional colleagues, managers, and staff.

Nice To Haves

Strong writing and editing ability.
Ability to function as a member of a process action team or instructional design working group.
Experience with course and information mapping, flowcharting, or similar activities.
Certifications such as A+ CE, CCNA-Security, CND, Network+ CE, SSCP, CISSP, CISM, CISA, or PMP, or equivalent experience.
Some military experience may be beneficial for understanding the institute’s mission and stakeholders; it is not required.

Responsibilities

Lead engagements with customers and mission partners and represent the CA Team’s and SEI’s work to them.
Contribute to customer projects designed to advance the state of the art in cybersecurity.
Represent SEI by regularly presenting its mission and work to stakeholders.
Engage with communities of interest through publications and presentations, and build and maintain relationships with relevant research and technology communities.
Continue developing cybersecurity knowledge and skills and stay current on emerging trends relevant to the team’s portfolio.
Consult with mission partners and subject matter experts across the CA portfolio.
Support standardization of cybersecurity assessments and develop and employ security measurement approaches.
Transition knowledge and expertise to the broader community.
Collaborate on multidisciplinary teams to solve customer challenges and serve as a trusted advisor to defense and critical infrastructure customers.
Conduct research into methods for managing cybersecurity resilience across relevant disciplines.
Lead technical projects and diverse teams in analyzing and solving real-world problems, developing engineering guidance, and applying or tailoring SEI and non-SEI technologies and resources.
Mentor, motivate, and empower less-experienced team members.
Travel frequently to SEI and Carnegie Mellon University locations, customer sites, conferences, and offsite meetings.