Cybersecurity Engineer Lead

Department Marketing Statement:

The Cybersecurity Engineering (CE) Program Lead reports to the Information System Security Manager (ISSM) for Engineering and serves as the lead Information System Security Engineer (ISSE), responsible for designing and implementing secure architectures across hybrid cloud and legacy system environments.

This role blends cybersecurity engineering with modern systems architecturebuilding, securing, and optimizing resilient enterprise platforms that integrate on-premises infrastructure, legacy systems, and multi-cloud environments using security-by-design principles.

The CE Program Lead will:

• Lead NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) implementation across cloud and legacy systems.
• Collaborate with engineering teams, IT service owners, and cloud architects to ensure compliance and interoperability.
• Mentor junior engineers in secure architecture design.

Support the ISSM in addressing cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance challenges throughout Metros enterprise systems

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• A Bachelors degree in Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management or a similar technical computer or cybersecurity engineering degree.
  • In lieu of a Bachelors degree, a High School Diploma or GED and four (4) years of experience as a cybersecurity engineer or Information System Security Engineer/Officer (ISSO/ISSE), having supported cybersecurity engineering and/or penetration testing.

Experience

• Six (6) years of experience in a technical role having supported cybersecurity engineering and/or penetration testing.

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR PROGRESSION

• Note: Progression is not automatic nor guaranteed and is dependent on successfully completing the specified workload requirements
• Candidates for promotion meet the minimum qualifications and work experience of the next career ladder series job before consideration for advancement

Medical Group

Satisfactorily complete the medical examination for this position, if required. The incumbent must be able to perform the essential functions of this position either with or without reasonable accommodations.

Job Summary

The Cybersecurity Engineer - Lead is responsible for determining system security requirements. The engineer also designs the security layout or architecture of a system or network and determines required security tools and existing tool functionality. The employee implements system security by ensuring that the entire system works as planned. This includes testing and documenting the entire system. Through penetration testing, or ethical hacking, the engineer is required to conduct formal tests on web-based applications, networks, and other types of computer systems on a regular basis and is expected to conduct regular security audits from both a logical and theoretical standpoint and a technical, hands-on standpoint, resulting on written reports and action plans.

Additional Criteria for Progression:

• Note: Progression is not automatic nor guaranteed and is dependent on successfully completing the specified workload requirements
• Candidates for promotion meet the minimum qualifications and work experience of the next career ladder series job before consideration for advancement

Essential Functions

• Provides program oversight, supporting the manager, with systems security engineering activities in accordance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-16. Serves as the primary liaison between the security architect and authorizing official and coordinates with system owners, common control providers, and system security officers regarding the design and allocation of security controls as system-specific, hybrid, or common controls. Ensures that systems and networks are developed and deployed securely, leveraging best industry standards and a thorough understanding of both security and enterprise architecture.
• Provides program oversight for the employment of best practices when implementing security controls within systems including software engineering methodologies; system and security engineering principles; secure design, secure architecture, and secure coding techniques. Manages the determination of the protection needs (i.e., security controls) for the information system(s) and network(s) and documents appropriately.
• Provides program oversight for the conduction of software and systems engineering and software systems research to develop new capabilities, ensuring cybersecurity is fully integrated. Leads and conducts comprehensive technology research to evaluate potential vulnerabilities in cyberspace systems.
• Provides program oversight of processes which ensures that the stakeholder security requirements necessary to protect the organizations mission and business processes are adequately addressed in all aspects of enterprise architecture including reference models, segment and solution architectures, and the resulting systems supporting those missions and business processes.
• Provides program oversight, supporting the manager, with the documentation process and addressing of WMATA's information security, cybersecurity architecture, and systems security engineering requirements throughout the acquisition life cycle. Collaborates with development organizations to create and deploy the tools needed to achieve objectives.
• Provides program oversight for the analysis of internal operational architecture, tools, and procedures for ways to improve performance. Ensures that the most effective suite of tools and procedures to drive organizational success.
• Provides program oversight of the identification and/or development of reverse engineering tools to enhance capabilities and detect vulnerabilities. Ensures that vulnerabilities are identified as early as possible and mitigated.
• Provides program oversight of authorized penetration testing on enterprise network assets. Performs penetration testing as required for new or updated applications. Exploits network devices, security devices, and/or terminals or environments using various methods or tools.
• Provides program oversight of defensive and simulated offensive measures, techniques and information collected from a variety of sources to identify, analyze, and report events that occur or might occur within the network to protect information, information systems, and networks from threats.
• Provides program oversight of incident response support functions through technical activities that gather evidence on criminal or foreign intelligence entities to mitigate possible or real-time threats, protect against insider threats, foreign sabotage, international terrorist activities, or to support other intelligence activities. Ensures that the Authority can respond to attacks quickly and eliminate threats.
• Provides program oversight of the research, deployment, configuration and maintenance processes for network monitoring, defensive and administrative cybersecurity tools. Develops content for cyber defense tools. Identifies potential conflicts with implementation of any cyber defense tools (e.g., tool and signature testing and optimization). Ensures the Authority has the most effective suite of tools and procedures to drive organizational success.
• Provides oversight of the support program involved in the construction of signatures which can be implemented on cyber defense network tools in response to new or observed threats within the network environment or enclave.
• Provides program oversight for the identification and/or development of reverse engineering tools to enhance capabilities and detect vulnerabilities.

The essential duties listed are not intended to limit specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Nor is it intended to limit in any way the right of managers and supervisors to assign, direct and control the work of employees under their supervision.

Evaluation Criteria

Consideration will be given to applicants whose resumes demonstrate the required education and experience. Applicants should include all relevant education and work experience.

Evaluation criteria may include one or more of the following:

• Skills and/or behavioral assessment
• Personal interview
• Verification of education and experience (including certifications and licenses)
• Criminal Background Check (a criminal conviction is not an automatic bar to employment)
• Medical examination including a drug and alcohol screening (for safety sensitive positions)
• Review of a current motor vehicle report

Closing

WMATA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by applicable federal law.

This posting is an announcement of a vacant position under recruitment. It is not intended to replace the official job description. Job descriptions are available upon confirmation of an interview.