Principal Cybersecurity Engineer

Koniag Government Services, LLC•Washington, DC

10d•$275,000 - $325,000•Onsite

About The Position

Koniag Professional Services (KPS) is seeking a high-performing SETA exceptional Principal Cybersecurity Engineer / Cybersecurity Architect to provide senior-level cybersecurity engineering, architecture, and technical leadership supporting mission-critical artificial intelligence, data, cloud, and digital modernization initiatives within the Department of War. This position serves as a senior technical authority supporting government executives for designing secure enterprise architectures, integrating cybersecurity into complex systems and data environments, identifying and mitigating technical risk, and enabling rapid delivery of advanced AI and analytics capabilities within DoW security and compliance requirements. The successful candidate must be capable of operating at both the strategic and deeply technical level, advising senior government leadership on cybersecurity risk and architecture while working directly with engineers, architects, developers, cloud teams, and cybersecurity personnel to design and implement secure operational solutions. This is not primarily a compliance or documentation position. The position requires an experienced cybersecurity engineer capable of solving complex security architecture, cloud, identity, data protection, DevSecOps, and system integration challenges in highly sensitive DoD environments.

Requirements

Active TS/SCI Clearance
Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Information Technology, or another relevant technical discipline.
Approximately 10–15+ years of progressively responsible cybersecurity, security engineering, systems engineering, or information assurance experience.
Significant experience serving in a senior, principal, lead, architect, or technical leadership role.
Demonstrated experience designing and securing complex enterprise systems within DoW, Intelligence Community, federal government, or similarly regulated environments.
Advanced knowledge of cybersecurity architecture and security engineering principles.
Strong understanding of DoW Risk Management Framework (RMF) and NIST cybersecurity standards.
Expertise with NIST SP 800-53, security controls, security assessment, and continuous monitoring.
Strong knowledge of Zero Trust architecture and implementation principles.
Experience securing cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, or comparable hyperscale cloud technologies.
Experience with identity and access management, PKI, authentication, authorization, privileged access management, and enterprise identity architectures.
Working knowledge of network security, segmentation, firewalls, proxies, endpoint security, vulnerability management, encryption, logging, SIEM, and security monitoring.
Strong knowledge of application and API security.
Experience integrating cybersecurity into modern software development and DevSecOps environments.
Ability to assess complex technical architectures and communicate security risks and tradeoffs to both engineers and senior executives.
Demonstrated ability to independently lead technical efforts involving highly complex or ambiguous cybersecurity challenges.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting OSD, CDAO, military departments, Combatant Commands, defense agencies, or other DoD enterprise organizations.
Experience supporting cybersecurity within DoD AI, data, analytics, or digital modernization environments.
Experience with DoW enterprise platforms such as Advana/War Data Platform or comparable data and analytics ecosystems.
Experience with generative AI, large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, vector databases, and AI security.
Experience operating within SIPRNet, JWICS, SAP, or other classified environments.
Experience with cross-domain solutions and movement of data across security domains.
Experience implementing DoD Zero Trust strategies and capabilities.
Familiarity with Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, GitLab/GitHub, container security, and infrastructure as code.
Experience with cloud-native security technologies, CSPM, CNAPP, SIEM/SOAR, and enterprise security monitoring.
Experience with cybersecurity requirements associated with FedRAMP, DoD Impact Levels, CNSSI, FISMA, and applicable DoD cybersecurity policy.
Familiarity with data tagging, attribute-based access control, identity-based security, and data-centric security architectures.
Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline.
One or more advanced professional certifications such as: CISSP, CISSP-ISSAP, CISSP-ISSEP, CCSP, GIAC Security Expert or advanced GIAC certifications, AWS Certified Security – Specialty, Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert, DoD-recognized cybersecurity certifications appropriate to the position.

Responsibilities

Serve as a senior cybersecurity technical authority supporting enterprise-scale DoW systems, data platforms, AI capabilities, and digital modernization initiatives.
Develop and evaluate cybersecurity architectures for cloud, hybrid-cloud, on-premises, and classified computing environments.
Integrate security engineering principles throughout the system development lifecycle, from initial requirements and architecture through deployment and operations.
Design and implement Zero Trust architectures, including identity, credential and access management, network segmentation, device trust, application security, and data-centric security controls.
Develop security architectures for enterprise data platforms supporting artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, and mission applications.
Assess complex system architectures to identify vulnerabilities, attack paths, architectural weaknesses, and mission risks.
Support cybersecurity architecture and engineering across AWS, Azure, government cloud, and classified cloud environments.
Provide technical leadership for identity and access management, privileged access, encryption, key management, secrets management, API security, data protection, and secure system integration.
Partner with data engineers, software engineers, AI/ML engineers, cloud architects, systems engineers, and government cybersecurity organizations.
Support implementation of DevSecOps practices, including automated security testing, vulnerability management, software composition analysis, container security, infrastructure-as-code security, and CI/CD pipeline protection.
Evaluate cybersecurity implications associated with artificial intelligence, generative AI, large language models, machine learning pipelines, APIs, vector databases, and emerging technologies.
Advise program leadership regarding cybersecurity risks, architecture alternatives, technical tradeoffs, and mitigation strategies.
Support Authority to Operate and cybersecurity authorization activities while ensuring compliance activities remain aligned with actual technical risk reduction.
Review system security plans, cybersecurity strategies, architectures, CONOPS, interface documentation, and technical designs.
Participate in technical evaluations, acquisition planning, source selections, engineering reviews, and contractor technical assessments.