Information System Security Officer

*Must have ACTIVE Secret Clearance*

Onsite: Washington, DC (5 days a week)

About the Role

A leading organization is seeking an experienced Information System Security Officer (ISSO) / Cybersecurity Analyst to support security assessment, compliance, risk management, and incident response activities across enterprise systems. This role will be responsible for conducting security control assessments, supporting the Risk Management Framework (RMF) process, investigating security incidents, and helping maintain a strong cybersecurity posture in regulated environments.

Responsibilities

Information System Security Officer (ISSO) Functions

• Conduct security control assessments in accordance with NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) requirements, including evaluation of control implementation, effectiveness, and compliance.
• Assess security and privacy controls through documentation reviews, stakeholder interviews, and technical validation activities to support system authorization decisions.
• Develop, review, and maintain System Security Plans (SSPs) and related security documentation, ensuring accuracy of implemented controls, system architecture, inherited controls, and security requirements.
• Validate security controls and analyze assessment evidence to identify findings, document risks, and recommend remediation strategies.
• Support the development and maintenance of authorization package artifacts, including Security Assessment Reports (SARs), Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms), and related compliance documentation.
• Partner with system owners, security stakeholders, and engineering teams to ensure adherence to federal cybersecurity standards and organizational security requirements.
• Perform continuous monitoring activities and evaluate ongoing control effectiveness throughout the system lifecycle.

Incident Response & Cyber Defense Functions

• Participate in cybersecurity incident response activities, including detection, analysis, containment, recovery, and post-incident reporting.
• Investigate security alerts and events generated from security monitoring tools, endpoint detection platforms, and enterprise security technologies.
• Conduct proactive threat hunting activities to identify indicators of compromise (IOCs), suspicious activity, and emerging cyber threats.
• Analyze logs, endpoint telemetry, network traffic, and threat intelligence data to support investigations and incident response efforts.
• Correlate security events from multiple sources to determine root cause, scope, impact, and recommended corrective actions.
• Develop and enhance detection content, monitoring use cases, correlation rules, and alerting capabilities to strengthen security operations.
• Utilize threat intelligence and IOC data to identify adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and improve defensive controls.
• Review and triage security incidents across enterprise security platforms, escalating issues as appropriate.
• Prepare technical assessments, executive-level summaries, incident reports, and remediation recommendations for security leadership and key stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience supporting security assessment and authorization activities within an RMF-governed environment.
• Knowledge of NIST cybersecurity frameworks, security controls, and compliance requirements.
• Experience with incident response, threat hunting, vulnerability management, or security operations.
• Strong understanding of security monitoring technologies, endpoint security tools, and log analysis.
• Ability to communicate technical findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting federal or highly regulated environments.
• Familiarity with NIST SP 800-53, RMF, SSPs, SARs, and POA&M development.
• Experience with SIEM, EDR, IDS/IPS, cloud security, and threat intelligence platforms.
• Relevant industry certifications such as CISSP, CISM, Security+, CySA+, GCIH, or equivalent.
• Strong analytical, documentation, and stakeholder management skills.

Rate: ~$75/hr - $135k conversion salary