Principal Cyber Systems Engineer

About the role

• RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available
• CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes
• CLEARANCE TYPE: Top Secret
• TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

About the role

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon.

We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

About the role

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Information System Security Engineer (ISSE) to lead, manage, and optimize our program cybersecurity suite. In this role, you will operate as a Cybersecurity Lead for a new mission onboarding into a pre-existing program’s ecosystem; this role will report to the overall program cybersecurity lead.

You will work closely with the integrated product teams to develop and decompose software security requirements, technical architectures, system designs and provide technical oversight to the organization.

Additionally, you will bridge the gap between systems engineering and compliance by developing rigorous engineering test procedures and other documents to ISSM/ISSO and others designed to meet Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Authority to Operate (ATO) requirements.

Finally, you will collaborate with the Platform Deployment team supporting the implementation of secure infrastructure, Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, and achieving accreditation & sustainment of a private cloud infrastructure.

If you thrive on ownership, strategic thinking, customer engagement, and creative solutioning, this role is for you!

Job Responsibilities

• Working in an Agile engineering environment, where you will lead the design, development, and/or implementation of secure systems. Continuously ensure systems are compliant with program security requirements.
• Working with vehicle vendors to communicate ground security requirements and support the integration of space vehicle hardware into an overall, encompassing operational ground accreditation
• Working in an Agile engineering environment, where you may assist in identifying, prioritizing, and/or guiding strategic oversight of software security requirements; to include triage of Static Code Analysis (SCA) tool findings (e.g. Fortify) and assist in prioritizing the findings as technical debt in the Software Development LifeCycle (SwDLC) backlog
• Advising software development scrum teams on secure coding practices, cybersecurity practices for containerized/orchestrated environments and CI/CD pipelines, security-focused engineering trade studies, and other security best practices.
• Conducting security assessments of mission software applications to include code reviews, vulnerability assessments, application security testing, while contributing to the overall security posture of the system and software architecture
• Assist in the development and implementation of security tools (i.e., Trellix) and automation processes; to include Static and Dynamic Code Analysis, Software Dependency Scanning, Compliance and Vulnerability Scanning (i.e., ACAS), Auditing & Event Monitoring Solutions (i.e., Splunk)
• Developing standard Risk Management Framework (RMF) artifacts, such as System Security Plan (SSP), Risk Assessment Report (RAR), Security Controls Traceability Matrix (SCTM), Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&Ms), and additional security policies and best practices for application security
• Familiarity with the system accreditation process to achieve Authority to Operate (ATO) and experience in conducting system security assessments outlined through the RMF process
• Documenting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and when needed, performing software patch installation, other flaw remediation, antivirus updates, and continuous monitoring (ConMon) activities.
• Ensuring systems are operated, maintained, and disposed of in accordance with security policies and procedures as outlined in the system security authorization package.

Basic Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree (STEM) with 5 Years of relevant experience, or a Master’s Degree (STEM) with 3 years of relevant experience, or a PhD (STEM) with 0 years of relevant experience

Execution

• Required Location: Colorado Springs, CO
• Active Top Secret (TS) Security Clearance, SCI Eligible at the time of application.
• Possess CISSP, CSSLP, CASP, CISM or equivalent certification
• Understanding of NIST 800-37 (Risk Management Framework), NIST 800-53 (Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems) and OWASP Top 10 (Web Application Security) security controls and the Systems Engineering requirements analysis, decomposition, and analysis process
• Experience with Cloud Security and Best Practices
• Demonstrated knowledge of Software Development Lifecycle (SwDLC), Systems Engineering Review Processes, and System/Software Accreditation Milestones
• Technical Leadership and/or Mentorship Experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelors and/or Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity or Information Systems Management
• 2+ years of experience in the Defense Space Industry
• Experience and/or Certified in Earned Value Management (EVM)
• Experience in Application Security, Software Development, DevOps, and/or related field
• Familiarity with Zero-Trust Security Principles and Implementation Approaches

Primary Level Salary Range

$113,900.00 - $170,900.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.