Senior Cybersecurity SME/Security Control Assessor

QinetiQ US•Chantilly, VA

6d•$150,000 - $185,000

About The Position

QinetiQ US is seeking a highly technical Senior Cybersecurity Subject Matter Expert (SME) and Security Control Assessor (SCA). This role is explicitly designed to transcend traditional compliance validation. The ideal candidate possesses deep technical engineering and integration experience, enabling them to dissect, analyze, and secure highly complex, multi-domain systems. Acting as a trusted technical adviser to the Authorizing Official (AO) and directly supports the CIO of SCO. The candidate will provide continuous risk determinations, influence system architecture, and ensure that cutting-edge capabilities are developed with intrinsic security that aligns with aggressive agency timelines, modern threat landscapes, and advanced operational requirements.

Requirements

Active Top Secret clearance with SCI and SAP accesses.
Minimum of twelve (12) years of demonstrated experience in IT, cybersecurity engineering, and Assessment & Authorization (A&A), with increasing responsibility.
Significant and proven multi-domain experience with SAP and SCI Systems, to include PIT, Cloud environments, Cross Domain Solutions.
Active baseline certification equivalent to DoD 8140.01 / 8570.01-M Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program (IA WIP) for IAT Level III or IAM Level III (e.g., CISSP, CISM, GSLC, CASP+ CE).
Direct experience working within the defense innovation ecosphere, specifically with rapid prototyping, test environments, and Platform IT (PIT) systems.

Nice To Haves

Proven hands-on technical experience working as a systems integrator or cybersecurity engineer, specifically with enterprise networks, cloud computing systems, and/or all-domain platform IT architectures.
Master's Degree in Engineering, IT or Cybersecurity

Responsibilities

Actively participate in System Requirements Reviews (SRR), Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR), and Critical Design Reviews (CDR) to ensure security is baked in, rather than bolted on.
Guide SCO project teams in integrating automated security testing (SAST/DAST) and continuous compliance monitoring into Agile development pipelines where appropriate.
Conduct system-level threat modeling during the design phase to identify potential attack vectors and recommend architectural mitigations before code is written or hardware is procured.
Move beyond paperwork by conducting deep technical reviews of vulnerability scans (e.g., ACAS/Nessus), STIG checklists, and penetration testing reports. Correlate technical findings to actual operational risk.
Demonstrate mastery of Federal, DoD, and Intelligence Community (IC) RMF policies (NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, CNSSI 1253, DoD 8510.01, ICD 503). Assist the government AO by translating complex technical compliance shortfalls into actionable, mission-contextualized risk decisions.
Evaluate the security performance, integrity, and residual risk of varied environments, including Platform Information Technology (PIT), hardware/software systems, communication networks, and satellite control systems, etc.
Drive the adoption of DoD Zero Trust architectural pillars (User, Device, Network, Application/Workload, Data, Visibility/Analytics, and Automation/Orchestration) across all SCO portfolios.
Provide specialized expertise in designing, evaluating, and implementing Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) technologies. This includes complex enterprise deployments in classified compartmentalized environments and “point-to-point” solutions for isolated, tactical IT architectures.
Continuously monitor state-of-the-art technologies (e.g., AI/ML, edge computing, quantum-resistant cryptography) and the evolving threat landscape to ensure SCO systems anticipate and mitigate next-generation threats.
Facilitate seamless communication with SCO Portfolio technical SMEs, effectively translating AO directives to engineers and engineering challenges to the AO.
Serve as a key liaison between the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), government cybersecurity entities, security assessment organizations, and Special Access Program (SAP) IT working groups to maintain alignment with the broader defense innovation ecosystem.