Join Leidos and Shape the Future of Cybersecurity InnovationLeidos, a FORTUNE 500 company, is a global leader in delivering innovative technology solutions to customers in national security, engineering, and health industries. At Leidos, we are driven by a commitment to excellence, empowering our teams, contributing to our communities, and operating sustainably. Guided by our Mission, Vision, and Values, we are dedicated to doing the right thing for our customers, our people, and the world.
The Leidos Digital Modernization Sector is seeking a qualified and trained Active Cyber Defense Engineer, SME I for a role in an engineering support services program for U.S. Army customers at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD. The Active Cyber Defense Engineer, SME I is responsible for monitoring and analyzing the security posture of networks, servers, endpoints, and other systems to bring about the successful completion of the CYBERTRON program goals and objectives.
The CYBERTRON program delivers highly skilled engineering services to the U.S. Army C5ISR Center in their mission of cybersecurity research and development and cryptographic modernization.
Why Join Us?- Impactful Work: Be part of a team that develops secure, modern technology solutions to protect national security and defeat cyber threats.
- Collaborative Environment: Work alongside talented professionals in a dynamic and innovative setting.
- Professional Growth: Leverage your expertise while advancing your career through challenging and rewarding projects
Your Role and Responsibilities As a Cyber Security Engineer SMEHigh-level technical expert responsible for designing, implementing, monitoring, and maintaining an organization's proactive cybersecurity measures to defend against advanced threats. This role requires a blend of advanced engineering skills, in-depth knowledge of cyber defense methodologies, and the ability to operate with considerable autonomy and expertise.
Key Duties & Responsibilities:- Design and Implementation: Plans and implements robust security architectures and measures to protect networks, data, and infrastructure, leveraging technologies such as firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and endpoint security solutions.
- Proactive Defense & Threat Hunting: Engages in proactive threat-hunting activities, analyzes complex network security architectures to identify vulnerabilities, and develops countermeasures to prevent future incidents.
- Incident Response & Forensics: Leads incident response efforts, conducts complex forensic investigations to trace the source of threats, performs malware analysis/reverse engineering, and develops remediation strategies.
- Vulnerability Assessment & Risk Management: Assesses system vulnerabilities, conducts technical and operational risk assessments using frameworks like NIST or ISO 27001, and proposes/implements risk mitigation strategies.
- Automation & Engineering: Develops and integrates automated workflows for continuous monitoring, evidence collection, and compliance validation using scripting and orchestration tools. Policy and Compliance: Consults on cybersecurity policies, procedures, and governance, ensuring compliance with technological standards and regulatory requirements (e.g., DoD RMF, FISMA).
- Technical Guidance & Training: Provides strategic advice, technical guidance, and training to project teams and management, acting as the primary subject matter expert in relevant cyber defense areas.
Basic Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in computer science, systems engineering, cybersecurity or other engineering discipline with up to 8+ years of relevant experience.
- Appropriate DoD 8750 certification (Security+ or higher).
- Requires expert knowledge of and ability to apply advanced technical principles, theories, and concepts.
Preferred Qualifications:- Eligible for TS / SCI
- Master's degree in computer science, systems engineering, cybersecurity or other engineering discipline
- Experience supporting Army programs
Clearance Required:- Must possess an active DoD Secret clearance at time of consideration
If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.
Original Posting:February 4, 2026
For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.
Pay Range:Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00
The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
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