Senior Cybersecurity Engineer / Security Architect (MLS & High-Assurance Systems)

Job Description

Job Description

Senior Cybersecurity Engineer / Security Architect (MLS & High-Assurance Systems)

Location: Hanover, MD (on-site)

Type: Full-time

Clearance Required: No clearance required, must be clearable

The Senior Cybersecurity Engineer / Security Architect is responsible for defining, implementing, and evaluating advanced cybersecurity solutions for high-assurance environments supporting sensitive and classified information. This role requires deep expertise in multilevel security (MLS), security architecture, and risk management, with a strong foundation in NIST and CMMI-aligned cybersecurity programs. The individual will operate independently or as part of a multidisciplinary team, providing technical leadership, mentoring junior staff, and delivering defensible security solutions for complex systems.

Responsibilities

• Define and document security requirements for high-assurance systems and applications.
• Evaluate security technologies and products to ensure suitability for classified or sensitive environments
• Design and implement MLS-compliant security solutions addressing complex data separation and access control challenges.
• Conduct and support cybersecurity risk assessments aligned to NIST CSF and CMMI maturity models.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and subject-matter expertise to junior engineers and analysts.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure security solutions align with mission, compliance, and operational needs.

Required Qualifications

Core Cyber Security & Information Protection Experience

• Minimum of eight (8) years of experience in information protection, including the design, implementation, and governance of security programs or processes for the protection of sensitive or classified information.
• Demonstrated experience performing IT risk assessments, threat analysis, and security control evaluations in complex enterprise or government environments.
• Proven ability to work independently or under general supervision, contributing as a senior technical resource on cybersecurity initiatives.
• Experience coaching and mentoring junior technical staff, providing guidance in highly specialized security disciplines.

Security Architecture & Requirements Definition

• At least eight (8) years of specialized experience in:
  • Defining computer security requirements for high-level or mission-critical applications.
  • Evaluating and validating approved security product capabilities.
  • Designing and implementing solutions to Multilevel Security (MLS) problems.
• Hands-on experience translating mission, system, and regulatory requirements into enforceable security architectures and technical controls.

Frameworks, Standards, and Maturity Models

• Demonstrated experience supporting or delivering cybersecurity projects aligned to:
  • NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF)
  • Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)
• Hands-on experience translating mission, system, and regulatory requirements into enforceable security architectures and technical controls.

Specialized Technical Disciplines

• Penetration testing and adversarial security assessments.
• Intrusion detection, security monitoring, and audit log analysis.
• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and certificate-based trust models.
• Cryptography and cryptographic key management.
• Strong authentication mechanisms and identity assurance.
• Multilevel Security (MLS) architectures and trusted systems design. 

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or a closely related discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills in complex, high-risk environments.
• Ability to communicate technical security concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience operating in regulated, government, or defense-related environments.