Cybersecurity Engineering Residency Program

Bluestaq•Colorado Springs, CO

13d•Onsite

About The Position

Bluestaq’s paid, cohort-based Cybersecurity Engineering Residency Program runs for 11.5 weeks, from January 11 through March 31, 2027. Residents work 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with a 30-minute lunch. This is a temporary, non-exempt, hourly position. Residents perform real security work on systems used by U.S. Space Force customers, receive guidance from a dedicated engineer-mentor, and present capstone work to engineering leadership. Residents who successfully complete the program may be eligible for a full-time Associate Cybersecurity Engineer role; offers depend on performance and business need. The program is intended for early-career cyber talent ready to commit to a full-time engineering role, including final-year associate, undergraduate, or master’s students graduating by December 31, 2026, and recent graduates in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Information Security, Data Science, or related fields. Participants must be available to work full-time on-site for the entire program and must have the ability to obtain a security clearance. The position may require an active TS/SCI clearance. Bluestaq may sponsor eligible candidates who do not currently hold a clearance, based on program needs. The position is not eligible for employment benefits such as 401(k), medical, dental, or vision insurance. It is eligible for sick pay under the Colorado Healthy Families & Workplaces Act. The listed pay is $40 per hour. Relocation assistance is available for full-time positions; the posting does not specify that it applies to this residency. Bluestaq builds secure data platforms for space missions, national defense, healthcare systems, and commercial innovation, with an emphasis on modern architecture, operational excellence, cloud-native solutions, security by design, and simplicity.

Requirements

Be a final-year associate, undergraduate, or master's student graduating by December 31, 2026, or a recent graduate in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Information Security, Data Science, or a related field.
Be available to work full-time on-site for the full program, January 11 through March 31, 2027.
Have the ability to obtain a security clearance.
Understand core security concepts, including the CIA triad, least privilege, authentication and authorization, and common vulnerabilities and attack techniques.
Be comfortable working in Linux environments, including command-line use and basic administration.
Know networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, DNS, firewalls, and common protocols.
Be capable of working in a team-centric environment.
Have excellent verbal and written communication skills and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
Be passionate about big data technologies and excited to work with cloud infrastructures.

Nice To Haves

Exposure to cloud platforms, ideally AWS, through coursework, certifications, or hands-on projects.
Familiarity with NIST SP 800-53, the Risk Management Framework (RMF), or DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs).
Experience with Splunk or Elastic, or log analysis in a lab or class.
Coursework, labs, CTFs, cyber club participation, or personal projects demonstrating security fundamentals.
Current security clearance; current clearance holders are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Secure systems using industry best practices and DISA STIGs.
Identify, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities across environments.
Build and tune SIEM tooling and analyze logs to detect and investigate suspicious activity.
Support detection, triage, containment, and recovery during security events.
Help prepare and review authorization packages and security documentation under the Risk Management Framework.
Configure, secure, and maintain AWS cloud infrastructure.
Test patches before rollout and help deploy them with minimal disruption.
Implement and verify access controls and support compliance audits.
Complete capstone work and present it to Bluestaq engineering leadership.