Cybersecurity Specialist - Senior

Senior Cybersecurity Specialist

Leidos has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Cybersecurity Specialist in our Intel Security Sector's Analysis Solutions Business Area. Our talented team is at the forefront in Security Engineering, Computer Network Operations (CNO), Mission Software, Analytical Methods and Modeling, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and Cryptographic Key Management. At Leidos, we offer competitive benefits, including Paid Time Off, 11 paid Holidays, 401K with a 6% company match and immediate vesting, Flexible Schedules, Discounted Stock Purchase Plans, Technical Upskilling, Education and Training Support, Parental Paid Leave, and much more. Join us and make a difference in National Security!

Job Summary

This position will be located at one of our customer sites in Bethesda, MD; Reston, VA; or Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, DC.

The Senior Cybersecurity Specialist supports the organization's cybersecurity program by implementing and maintaining security operations at both tactical and operational levels. This role helps ensure that security controls are operating effectively across key areas including security logging, monitoring, alert management, incident response, vulnerability management, and configuration management.

The analyst will work closely with multidisciplinary teams—including Information Systems Security Engineers (ISSEs), Information Systems Security Managers (ISSMs), software developers, and systems engineers —to strengthen the security posture of mission systems. Throughout the DevSecOps lifecycle, the candidate will assist in developing, implementing, and maintaining robust security strategies that protect mission-critical systems, data, and infrastructure while ensuring compliance with organizational and federal cybersecurity requirements.

Responsibilities Include:

• Oversee advanced cybersecurity protocols, risk management, and ensures DoW-aligned compliance standards.
• Monitor system and network security using Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools such as Splunk Enterprise Security to detect, analyze, and respond to potential threats or anomalous activity. Investigate and respond to cybersecurity incidents, including system or network breaches and malware attacks, and support digital forensic investigations as needed.
• Conduct routine vulnerability scans, provide formal and informal reports to technical teams, and track remediation efforts to closure.
• Research and evaluate emerging cybersecurity threats and mitigation strategies; proactively identify security weaknesses and vulnerabilities; and audit systems to ensure secure configurations.
• Audit systems configuration to ensure compliance with established cybersecurity policies, standards, and secure configuration baselines.
• Continuously monitor security advisories, bulletins and industry threat intelligence to stay informed of current vulnerabilities, threats and trends.
• Participate in data analysis and root cause analysis following service-impacting incidents and providing recommendation for corrective actions and security improvements. Collaborate with technical teams, developers, and customer leadership to strengthen the overall security posture of the supported systems.
• Provide risk-based recommendations to customers after reviewing the overall risk posture of sponsored assets as part of the Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Authority to Operate (ATO) processes. Manage and track customer-sponsored assets' Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms) by coordinating with key security stakeholders (ISSO, ISSE, ISSM, SCA) throughout the post-authorization lifecycle.

Clearance Required:

• Active TS/SCI clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI with Polygraph.

Required Experience, Skills, and Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical discipline and 12 years of experience.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI with Polygraph.
• Due to the nature of the government contracts we support, US Citizenship is required.
• Experience utilizing and tuning Splunk Enterprise Security (or similar SIEM platforms) to analyze cybersecurity audit and event logs, identify notable events, and optimize alerting rules while applying strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Experience reviewing published vulnerabilities (e.g., CVEs) and determining potential impact by analyzing system logs and indicators of compromise to detect active exploitation
• Experience supporting incident detection, incident response, forensic investigations, incident response plan execution while documenting findings and results following security data calls, incident investigations, or vulnerability assessments
• Experience identifying vulnerabilities and non-compliance with cybersecurity standards, security policies, and regulatory requirements. Experience coordinating with security personnel and recommending mitigation strategies to reduce risk and strengthen system security. Experience reviewing Risk Management Framework (RMF) documentation and providing feedback to ensure completeness and compliance with security requirements.
• Experience collaborating with DevSecOps teams to analyze vulnerability scan results and support remediation of identified security findings.
• Experience managing and maintaining a library of security audit tools and processes used for system security testing, internal audits, incident response, and troubleshooting security-related issues. Experience performing and maintaining vulnerability scans using customer-approved tools and generating reports detailing risk findings and remediation progress.

Preferred Experience, Skills, and Education:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical discipline.
• 12 years of experience in the field with at least a portion of the experience within the last 2 years.
• Familiar with SEIM platforms
• Experience with RHEL
• Experience with additional security tools such as Rapid7, Tenable/Nessus, HBSS/Trellix, Wireshark, Static analysis (SAST) and dynamic analysis (DAST) tools or endpoint detection and response (EDR) platforms.
• Familiarity with NIST cybersecurity frameworks, including NIST SP 800-53, RMF processes, and federal compliance standards.
• Experience supporting cloud security monitoring and compliance within AWS, Azure, Oracle (OCI) or Google Cloud environments.
• Professional cybersecurity certifications such as Security+, CISSP, CySA+, CEH, or GCIH.
• Experience developing or supporting security dashboards, reporting metrics, or threat-hunting activities.