Principal Cybersecurity Analyst / Sr. Principal Cybersecurity Analyst

Northrop Grumman • Chantilly, VA

2d • $114,000 - $213,400 • Onsite

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 mission-critical network infrastructure, collects data for analysis, and maintains and renews Assessment and Authorization accreditation for customer products. The work environment is fast-paced and involves quick responses, diverse assignments, high expectations, and collaboration across teams and technical levels. The analyst is expected to help develop creative solutions to complex problems.

The position assesses systems and networks for deviations from acceptable configurations and applicable enclave or local policies. It supports risk mitigation and system certification and accreditation, including security analysis, coordination, testing, documentation, investigations, software research, hardware introduction and release, emerging technology research, inspections, and audits. The analyst also supports government security policy implementation, validates security requirements, contributes to Security Test and Evaluation, prepares security plans and reports, updates Plans of Action and Milestones, and monitors corrective actions through closure.

Candidates should be familiar with the Risk Management Framework and system accreditation, including initial accreditation and continuous monitoring. Relevant security frameworks and concepts include NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 4, CNSS-1253, National Security Memorandum 8, and Zero Trust Architecture/Networking. The role uses or may involve network monitoring and vulnerability detection tools, SIEM platforms, packet-analysis tools, and Microsoft Office applications. 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Assessment and Authorization (A&A) process for system accreditation.
• Hands-on experience capturing, inspecting, and analyzing network packets with tools such as Wireshark or SolarWinds.
• Proficiency querying logs, building dashboards, and investigating alerts in SIEM platforms such as Splunk or ELK Stack.
• Solid understanding of the OSI model, TCP/IP networking, DNS, HTTP/S, VPNs, and firewall rule sets.
• Familiarity with RMF accreditation, initial accreditation activities, and continuous monitoring tasks.
• Familiarity with NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 4, CNSS-1253, National Security Memorandum 8, and high-level Zero Trust Architecture/Networking concepts and possible implementations.
• Ability to adapt to changing toolsets and control requirements.
• 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.

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 at least one 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 for deviations from acceptable configurations, enclave policy, or local policy through compliance audits and vulnerability assessments.
• Establish and maintain program control processes to mitigate risks and support system certification and accreditation.
• Support security certification processes, including analysis, coordination, security testing, documentation, investigations, software research, hardware introduction and release, emerging technology research, inspections, and periodic audits.
• Assist with implementation of government policies, including NISPOM and DCID 6-3; 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 preparation, test participation, analysis of results, and preparation of required reports.
• Document certification and accreditation results and technical or coordination activities; prepare system Security Plans and update Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms).
• Review system audits periodically and monitor corrective actions until they are closed.
• Capture, inspect, and analyze network packets; query logs, build dashboards, and investigate alerts in SIEM platforms.

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, depending on the position

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: High school or GED