System Engineer-ISSO

RadiantHire Solutions•Arlington, VA

2d•$140,000 - $170,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a seasoned security professional to serve as the Classified Information Security Lead at our Arlington campus. This role is responsible for managing and safeguarding classified information at the Secret and Top Secret levels, ensuring institutional and contractual compliance across a broad range of government-sponsored research programs — including environments with non-standard computing requirements. The selected candidate will partner with senior leadership to align technology, cybersecurity, and operations with research goals and classified processing requirements. Responsibilities include implementing and maintaining IT strategy roadmaps in accordance with institutional, contractual, and sponsor requirements, as well as maintaining security documentation and ensuring compliance with all applicable mandates. This role requires expert-level knowledge of national security frameworks including CMMC, NIST 800-171, NIST 800-53, and DFARS252.204. The engineer will establish and maintain organizational security policies and procedures, ensure compliance across both classified systems and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) environments, and collaborate on the design and implementation of cybersecurity measures protecting digital assets and research data. The position involves coordinating with sponsors to create and manage unclassified DOD enterprise accounts (e.g., A365) and enforcing DOD-level security protocols across applied, transitioned, and classified research activities. Responsibilities include installing, operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting classified IT systems and infrastructure; installing and maintaining classified network connections in approved facilities; and coordinating with sponsors to establish and maintain classified user accounts. As a member of the CIS Operations Team, the engineer will support day-to-day management of Arlington campus infrastructure, including servers, networks, email, and data centers.

Requirements

Demonstrated ISSO experience in classified environments.
Familiarity with personnel and facilities security.
Hands-on experience with CMMC, NIST 800-171, and/or NIST 800-53.
CISSP or equivalent security certification is required.
Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential.
Availability for on-call and after-hours emergency support.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting higher education or research-focused environments is a plus.

Responsibilities

Manage and safeguard classified information at the Secret and Top Secret levels.
Ensure institutional and contractual compliance across government-sponsored research programs.
Implement and maintain IT strategy roadmaps in accordance with institutional, contractual, and sponsor requirements.
Maintain security documentation and ensure compliance with all applicable mandates.
Establish and maintain organizational security policies and procedures.
Ensure compliance across classified systems and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) environments.
Collaborate on the design and implementation of cybersecurity measures protecting digital assets and research data.
Coordinate with sponsors to create and manage unclassified DOD enterprise accounts (e.g., A365).
Enforce DOD-level security protocols across applied, transitioned, and classified research activities.
Install, operate, maintain, and troubleshoot classified IT systems and infrastructure.
Install and maintain classified network connections in approved facilities.
Coordinate with sponsors to establish and maintain classified user accounts.
Support day-to-day management of Arlington campus infrastructure, including servers, networks, email, and data centers.