System Analyst

Security & Compliance Analyst

The Security & Compliance Analyst supports the integrity, security, and compliance of systems and processes used in administering retirement benefits for public sector employees. This role ensures that technology solutions, operational practices, and policy implementations adhere to state regulations, security standards, and organizational governance requirements. The analyst will collaborate with cross-departmental teams to strengthen security controls, improve business processes, and ensure consistent delivery of secure and reliable services to stakeholders and citizens.

Job Duties:

• Analyze, document, and validate security processes, system requirements, and interagency interactions supporting retirement benefits administration.
• Collaborate with program offices, technical teams, and subject matter experts to define and refine security and compliance requirements for system enhancements, policy updates, and new state initiatives.
• Create and maintain clear, audit-ready documentation, including security requirements, user stories, workflows, and use cases aligned with public sector standards and oversight expectations.
• Support solution design and participate in testing phases (e.g., UAT) to verify that security controls and compliance requirements are properly implemented.
• Recommend improvements that strengthen security posture, improve process efficiency, and support program accountability and service quality.
• Monitor project deliverables, timelines, and milestones to ensure alignment with organizational security objectives, state compliance mandates, and governance frameworks.
• Assist in developing training materials and delivering security and compliance education to program staff and stakeholders.
• Conduct gap analyses and assess impacts of legislative, regulatory, or policy changes on business operations and system security.
• Perform data analysis and generate reports to support compliance monitoring, performance evaluation, risk tracking, and data-driven decision-making across the organization.

Leadership & Collaboration Responsibilities:

• Provide guidance and informal leadership to cross-functional teams by promoting best practices in security, compliance, and risk management.
• Lead discussions with program offices, technology partners, and stakeholders to ensure alignment on security objectives, policy interpretations, and compliance expectations.
• Serve as a mentor to analysts by offering support in interpreting security frameworks, documenting requirements, and navigating governance processes.
• Champion a culture of security awareness and continuous improvement by fostering collaboration, communicating risks clearly, and influencing adoption of secure and compliant operational behaviors.
• Take ownership of key security and compliance initiatives, driving progress, managing expectations, and ensuring deliverables meet organizational standards and regulatory requirements.
• Provide leadership during security incidents, compliance issues, and audit activities by coordinating responses, ensuring timely communication, and supporting decision-making with clear, accurate analysis.

Security & Compliance Support:

• Perform tasks in support of internal and external security and standards reviews.
• Conduct security risk assessments and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Assist with development and maintenance of security documentation, including System Security Plans, Assessment Reports, and Authorization packages.
• Support security audits by gathering documentation and demonstrating control effectiveness.

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Planning:

• Collaborate with business units to develop and maintain Business Continuity Plans (BCPs).
• Conduct business impact assessments and ensure DRP/BCP strategies align with operational needs.
• Participate in tabletop exercises and simulations to test and validate plans, documenting and addressing gaps.
• Ensure DRP/BCP efforts comply with State of Michigan policies, NIST, FISMA, and other applicable standards.

Vulnerability Management:

• Coordinate and schedule system, application, and network vulnerability scans in collaboration with infrastructure and security teams.
• Analyze scan results, prioritize risks, and support mitigation planning.

Requirements:

• 7 years: Professional experience in security, compliance, risk management, or a closely related discipline within a government agency, public retirement system, or regulated financial environment.
• 5+ years: Experience working knowledge of security and compliance frameworks relevant to public sector environments, such as NIST CSF, NIST 800-53, and state IT security standards.
• Proficiency in tools used to support security documentation, compliance tracking, and workflow management (e.g., Azure DevOps, GRC platforms).
• Demonstrated experience developing, documenting, and evaluating security controls, compliance requirements, and governance processes.
• Experience supporting security or compliance assessments, audit activities, policy reviews, and control validations.
• Experience participating in system or process changes with a focus on ensuring data protection, access controls, regulatory adherence, and secure implementation.
• Knowledge of Agile SDLC practices with an emphasis on integrating security and compliance into requirements, testing, and release processes.
• Ability to assess common vulnerabilities such as XSS, CSRF, SQL Injection, and authentication weaknesses.
• Contribute to development, documentation, and testing of Disaster Recovery Plans (DRPs) for critical systems.
• Assist in defining recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs).

Desired Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in information security, cybersecurity, information systems, public administration, or a related field; or equivalent experience.
• Experience supporting security and compliance needs within public pension or retirement administration programs.
• Working knowledge of security capabilities and data protection requirements within pension administration platforms or enterprise benefits systems.
• Experience using SQL or analytics tools (Power BI, advanced Excel) to support compliance monitoring, security metrics, reporting, and data validation.
• Professional security or compliance certifications such as CGRC, CAP, Security+, CISA, or similar.
• Knowledge of state and federal regulations governing data security, privacy, and compliance within public sector retirement systems (IRS, SSA, state statutes, audit standards).
• Familiarity with Java or the.NET framework.
• High-level understanding of how web applications function.

Location:

Local candidates strongly preferred (within 75-miles of Lansing, MI). Candidates outside of this range may be considered, however, if selected MUST relocate on their own (no assistance from the State) within 2-weeks of their start. There are no exceptions for this, if a candidate is selected and cannot relocate, their assignment will be ended. Position is a hybrid schedule with NO REMOTE ONLY OPTION. Will need to be onsite from day 1, two days a week. (Tuesday/Wednesday) Working hours Monday-Friday, approximately 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Additional Requirements:

• Must be authorized to work in the United States; We are unable to offer sponsorships at this time.
• Must undergo a background check and drug screening for employment.

Employment Terms:

This is a W2 position 40 hrs per week HYBRID schedule - NO REMOTE ONLY OPTION. Will need to be onsite from day 1, two days a week. (Tuesday/Wednesday)

About Zenfreed:

At Zenfreed, we are more than an IT company. We bridge the gap between people wanting to do the work they were meant to do and organizations needing the right talent. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Benefits:

We understand a comprehensive benefits package is crucial to employment satisfaction. We offer medical, dental and vision coverage options for all employees.