Information Systems Security Engineer (ISSE) (TS/SCI with Poly Required)

GCI embodies excellence, integrity and professionalism. The employees supporting our customers deliver unique, high-value mission solutions while effectively leverage the technological expertise of our valued workforce to meet critical mission requirements in the areas of Data Analytics and Software Development, Engineering, Targeting and Analysis, Operations, Training, and Cyber Operations. We maximize opportunities for success by building and maintaining trusted and reliable partnerships with our customers and industry.

At GCI, we solve the hard problems. As an Information Systems Security Engineer (ISSE) , a typical day will include the following duties:

We are seeking a hands-on Cyber Security Engineer at the Subject Matter Expert (SME) level to lead and execute security engineering activities across complex, enterprise-scale environments. This role requires deep technical expertise across infrastructure, platforms, and applications, combined with expert-level, hands-on experience implementing the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) within federal government environments. The ideal candidate is a technical practitioner, not just an advisor-someone who can design, implement, assess, and secure systems end-to-ed while directly supporting system authorization, continuous monitoring, and risk-based decision-making. This role also serves as the technical focal point for all security incidents, leading triage, investigation, and resolution efforts in coordination with program and enterprise security teams.

Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, IT, or other related technical discipline; or the equivalent combination of education, technical training, or work/military experience

Minimum ten (10) years applied experience or relevant degree plus five (5) years of Cybersecurity expertise with demonstrated ability to successfully shepherd IT projects of varying types through the authorization lifecycle

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS

Candidate must demonstrate hands-on experience in all the following areas:

Security & Compliance

Expert-level experience with NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) in federal government environments.

Direct involvement in ATO packages, control implementation, and assessments.

Hands-on experience with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms (e.g., Splunk, ELK Stack, ArcSight, Qradar).

Demonstrated experience in security incident detection, analysis, and response.

Proven ability to triage security alerts and determine criticality and impact.

Infrastructure & Platforms (Hands-On)

Networking (e.g., routing, switching, firewalls, load balancers, network security controls)

Virtualization and storage platforms

Databases (SQL and/or NoSQL)

Data Platforms (e.g., HPCC, Hadoop/Cloudera)

Web services, APIs, and application architectures

Software development environments and CI/CD pipelines

Security tooling (e.g., vulnerability scanners, endpoint protection, SIEM)

Engineering Experience

Security engineering and system hardening

Vulnerability discovery and remediation

Secure system design and architecture reviews

Technical documentation supporting RMF compliance

Experience in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, CI) within federal RMF contexts

Experience with DevSecOps practices

Hands-on experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)

Hands-on experience with infrastructure-as-code

Knowledge of federal overlays (e.g., DoD, FISMA High/Moderate)

Relevant certifications (preferred, not required):

Certified Ethical Hacker

Experience with guiding and directing junior engineers and information systems security officer (ISSO)

Experience with security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) platforms

Background in threat hunting and proactive security monitoring

Relevant incident response certifications

Ideal Candidate Profile

Proven hands-on Cyber Security Engineer SME, not policy-only or audit-only

Comfortable working across network, system, platform, and application layers

Deep understanding of how security controls are actually implemented and validated

Experience in federal RMF-driven environments

Able to bridge security, engineering, and compliance effectively

Experienced in managing security incidents from detection through resolution

Skilled at balancing immediate incident response needs with long-term security improvements

Effective collaborator across organizational boundaries during high-pressure security events

Serve as the Cyber Security Engineer SME, providing hands-on security engineering across all system layers (infrastructure, platform, and application).

Engineer, implement, and validate security controls in accordance with NIST SP 800-53 and RMF requirements.

Lead and support RMF lifecycle activities (Categorize, Select, Implement, Assess, Authorize, Monitor).

Perform security engineering for:

Network architectures and boundary protections

Windows and Linux operation systems

Storage and virtualization platforms

Databases and data platforms

Web services, APIs, and application stacks

Custom and COTS/GOTS software solutions

Provide technical input to RMF artifacts, including:

System Security Plans (SSP)

Security Control Assessments (SCA) support

Risk assessments and security impact analyses

Collaborate with system owners, architects, developers, and operations teams to embed security into system design and implementation.

Support ATO, re-authorization, and continuous monitoring activities.

Identify security risks and provide practical, technically sound mitigation strategies.

Participate in security reviews, technical design reviews, and vulnerability remediation efforts.

Serve as technical point of for all security incidents affecting the program.

Lead triage and analysis of new security alerts from SIEM, IDS/IPS, and other security monitoring tools.

Drive remediation efforts for recurring security alerts, identifying root causes and implementing systemic fixes.

Coordinate incident response activities between program stakeholders and enterprise security operations.

Act as primary liaison between program teams and enterprise security for incident escalation, resolution, and reporting.

Perform forensic analysis and technical investigations of security events.

Document security incidents, response actions, and lessons learned.

Develop and maintain runbooks and playbooks for common security incident types.

Expectation (SME-Leve Role):

Operate independently as the technical authority for system security engineering.

Demonstrate the ability to provide technical hands-on configuration, validation, an assessment of security controls.

Translate RMF and NIST requirements into real-world technical implementations.

Communicate complex technical security issues clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Maintain a strong balance between security compliance and operational practicality.

Lead rapid response to security incidents with minimal guidance.

Demonstrate strong analytical and troubleshooting skills under pressure during active security events.

Effectively communicate incident status, impact, and remediation progress to technical and leadership audiences.

*A candidate must be a US Citizen and requires an active/current TS/SCI with Polygraph clearance.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans

Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent education, training, or work/military experience

At least 10 years of applied experience, or a relevant degree plus 5 years of cybersecurity expertise

Demonstrated ability to shepherd IT projects through the authorization lifecycle

Expert hands-on experience with the NIST Risk Management Framework in federal government environments

Experience with NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-37, and NIST SP 800-30

Experience developing ATO packages, implementing security controls, and supporting assessments

Hands-on experience with SIEM platforms such as Splunk, ELK Stack, ArcSight, or QRadar

Experience with security incident detection, analysis, response, alert triage, and impact assessment

Hands-on experience with networking, operating systems, virtualization, storage, databases, data platforms, web services, APIs, applications, CI/CD, and security tooling

Experience with security engineering, system hardening, vulnerability remediation, secure architecture reviews, and RMF documentation

Experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP in federal RMF contexts

Experience with DevSecOps practices

Active/current TS/SCI with Polygraph clearance

Experience with Docker and Kubernetes

Experience with infrastructure-as-code

Knowledge of federal overlays, including DoD and FISMA High/Moderate

CISSP, CAP, CISM, Security+, cloud security, Certified Ethical Hacker, or relevant incident response certification

Experience guiding junior engineers and ISSOs

Experience with SOAR platforms, threat hunting, and proactive security monitoring

GCI is an Engineering and IT Services company focusing on Data Analytics, Engineering, Cyber Operations, Targeting and Analysis, Operations Solutions and Training. We help our customers solve their greatest challenges by providing exceptional consulting and mission solutions.