Principal Cybersecurity Analyst / Sr. Principal Cybersecurity Analyst
About The Position
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems is seeking a Principal or Sr. Principal Cybersecurity Analyst to join a team of engineers, system administrators, and operators in Chantilly, Virginia. The role supports a mission-critical network infrastructure, collects data for analysis, and maintains and renews Assessment and Authorization (A&A) accreditation for customer products. The successful candidate will work in a fast-paced environment, collaborate with teams across technical levels, and develop solutions to complex problems. The analyst assesses systems and networks for deviations from acceptable configurations and policies through compliance audits and vulnerability assessments. The role supports risk mitigation and system certification and accreditation, including security analysis, coordination, testing, documentation, investigations, technology research, inspections, and audits. The position also supports implementation of government policies and the Risk Management Framework (RMF), validates security requirements, prepares for and participates in formal Security Test and Evaluation activities, documents findings, prepares system security plans, updates Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms), and monitors corrective actions through closure. Candidates should understand RMF accreditation, NIST SP 800-53 Revision 4, CNSS-1253, National Security Memorandum 8, and high-level Zero Trust Architecture/Networking concepts and implementations. The role involves both initial accreditation and continuous monitoring and requires adaptability to changing tools and control requirements. Familiarity with Nessus, Rapid7, Splunk, and Xacta, as well as Microsoft Office, is expected. An active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph is required for consideration and to start. Travel is 10% of the time; relocation assistance is not available.
Requirements
- Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph, required for consideration and to start.
- Experience reviewing technical security assessments of computing environments to identify vulnerabilities or non-compliance.
- Experience implementing the Risk Management Framework (RMF) and supporting and documenting certification and accreditation artifacts.
- Experience supporting the A&A process for system accreditation.
- For Principal level: 5 years of experience with a bachelor's degree, 3 years with a master's degree, 1 year with a Ph.D., or 9 years with a high school diploma.
- For Sr. Principal level: 8 years of experience with a bachelor's degree, 6 years with a master's degree, 4 years with a Ph.D., or 12 years with a high school diploma.
- Familiarity with RMF accreditation, NIST SP 800-53 Revision 4, CNSS-1253, National Security Memorandum 8, and high-level Zero Trust Architecture/Networking concepts and possible implementations.
- Familiarity with network monitoring and vulnerability detection tools such as Nessus, Rapid7, Splunk, and Xacta.
- Strong competency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, quick-response environment, communicate and collaborate with teams across technical levels, and develop solutions to complex problems.
- U.S. citizenship is required for positions requiring a government clearance.
Nice To Haves
- CISSP, CASP, or another information technology security-related certification.
- Experience using Rapid7 or Tenable Nessus applications.
- Background in technical writing or instructional systems design.
- Privileged or power-user-level knowledge of Microsoft Windows, enterprise Linux variants, or cloud infrastructure such as AWS or Microsoft Azure.
Responsibilities
- Assess systems and networks within networking environments or enclaves to identify deviations from acceptable configurations, enclave policy, or local policy through compliance audits and vulnerability assessments.
- Establish and support program control processes to mitigate risks and obtain system certification and accreditation.
- Support security processes, analysis, coordination, security certification testing, documentation, investigations, software research, hardware introduction and release, emerging technology research, inspections, and periodic audits.
- Assist with implementation of government policies, recommend process tailoring, and participate in and document process activities.
- Analyze and validate established security requirements and recommend additional requirements and safeguards.
- Support formal Security Test and Evaluation activities through pre-test preparation, participation, analysis of results, and preparation of required reports.
- Document certification and accreditation activities and technical or coordination work; prepare system security plans and update Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms).
- Review system audits periodically and monitor corrective actions until closure.
- Support initial accreditation activities and continuous monitoring tasks.
Benefits
- Health insurance coverage
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- Savings plan
- Company-paid holidays
- Paid time off for vacation and/or personal business
- Potential eligibility for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
Education Level
No Education Listed
