Senior Staff Software Systems Engineer, Cybersecurity and Compliance

Vantor•Westminster, CO

2d•$128,000 - $187,000

About The Position

Vantor is seeking a Senior Staff Software Systems Engineer specializing in Cybersecurity and Compliance to serve as a senior technical authority within Core Mission Systems. This role is crucial for ensuring complex software-intensive mission systems meet applicable cybersecurity and compliance requirements. The engineer will collaborate with various teams, including engineering, cybersecurity, program, and operations, to interpret security requirements, assess impacts on system architecture and engineering processes, and translate compliance obligations into actionable technical solutions. The position supports both classified and unclassified environments, aiming to achieve and sustain compliance with frameworks like NIST and CMMC without negatively impacting mission effectiveness, system resiliency, or engineering velocity. Success requires strong systems thinking, software architecture expertise, cybersecurity knowledge, technical leadership, and the ability to integrate security requirements with engineering execution. The role involves regular interaction with internal security organizations, engineering teams, and U.S. Government customers, and may require limited travel.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Demonstrated experience applying systems engineering principles to complex software-intensive systems in regulated or classified environments.
Experience implementing or supporting cybersecurity compliance frameworks such as NIST, CMMC, or comparable government security standards.
Strong understanding of modern software architecture, cloud technologies, cybersecurity principles, and secure software development practices.
Experience translating security and compliance requirements into engineering solutions, system designs, and technical implementation plans.
Active U.S. Government security clearance appropriate for the supported mission environment.
Excellent communication and technical leadership skills with the ability to influence engineering teams, security organizations, and government customers.
Must be a U.S. Citizen.
Must hold an active U.S. Government security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, National Security Space, or other regulated government environments.
Experience with Risk Management Framework (RMF), NIST 800 standards (53 and 171), CMMC, or other related security control implementation.
Experience with DevSecOps, secure cloud architectures, or continuous compliance practices.
Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) or formal systems architecture methods.
Relevant cybersecurity or cloud certifications (for example, CISSP, Security+, or AWS Security Specialty).

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior technical authority for cybersecurity and compliance across software-intensive mission systems, ensuring engineering solutions align with applicable security and regulatory requirements.
Partner with engineering teams, security organizations, U.S. Government customers, and program leadership to translate compliance requirements into technical direction and engineering priorities.
Lead the integration of cybersecurity and compliance requirements into system architecture, software development, cloud infrastructure, and operational processes.
Assess technical risk, identify compliance gaps, and guide engineering teams in developing practical, sustainable remediation strategies.
Support security assessments, accreditation activities, and continuous compliance efforts while balancing mission performance, schedule, and operational objectives.
Mentor engineers and promote secure systems engineering practices that improve consistency, quality, and collaboration across multiple teams.
Champion the responsible use of AI-assisted engineering to improve compliance analysis, technical documentation, and engineering efficiency while maintaining security and data protection requirements.
Apply AI-assisted techniques to improve compliance analysis, architecture reviews, requirements evaluation, technical documentation, and engineering workflows.
Evaluate AI-generated technical work products using sound engineering judgment and cybersecurity best practices.
Identify opportunities to improve engineering efficiency while maintaining the rigor required for mission-critical and classified environments.
Ensure AI-assisted engineering practices align with organizational policies, customer requirements, and data protection standards.