Senior Cybersecurity Engineer

Bethesda, MD

Active Top-Secret Clearance with SCI and Polygraph Required

@Orchard is actively supporting a proposal expected to be awarded in Fall 2026 for a Maryland client in the Intelligence Sector. We are seeking individuals with the necessary skills, experience, and clearance to sign a letter of intent to join the team once the program is awarded. This is an exceptional opportunity to join one of our clients, a leader in the IC space with exceptional benefits and opportunities for advancement.

The Cybersecurity Engineer will serve as a subject matter expert supporting the Sponsor's cyber defense mission. This role focuses on the technical and operational effectiveness of cybersecurity capabilities, including incident response, process improvement, and automation of cyber defense operations. The ideal candidate will provide actionable recommendations to strengthen the Sponsor's overall cyber posture and situational awareness.

Your responsibilities will be to:

• Concentrate on overall technical and operational effectiveness of cybersecurity capabilities
• Provide recommendations on continuous improvement of processes and architecture supporting overall Cyber Defense operational activities including analysis, incident handling, reporting products, and the reporting lifecycle
• Provide effective incident response capabilities and usable, effective reports that address overall situational awareness
• Maximize the use of tools to correlate information and synthesize data into usable and actionable events
• Identify and provide an agile approach to the automation of any manual or inefficient processes that exist across the cyber defense program
• Support identifying, reviewing, and analyzing relevant USG policies, practices, and procedures to ensure cybersecurity efforts are compliant
• Draft, edit, and facilitate the coordination and execution of cybersecurity policies, processes, and procedures (subject to Sponsor review and approval)
• Ensure projects are aware of the standards and governance they need to comply with and advise them on how to comply

Your background and qualifications will include.

• Active TS/SCI with Polygraph
• U.S. Citizenship
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, IT Management, or a related field + 4 years of relevant experience, OR Master's degree + 2 years, OR Associate's degree + 6 years, OR High School diploma/GED + 8 years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated experience focusing on technical and operational effectiveness of cybersecurity capabilities
• Experience with cyber defense operational activities including incident handling, analysis, and reporting
• Experience providing incident response capabilities and situational awareness reporting
• Experience using tools to correlate information and synthesize data into actionable events
• Experience identifying and automating manual or inefficient processes within a cyber defense program

Additional capabilities to stand out.

• Experience with IC or DoD cybersecurity environments
• Familiarity with security frameworks such as RMF, NIST CSF/800-53, or Zero Trust Architecture
• Experience with SOC/SIEM tools and security monitoring concepts
• Experience with Agile software development and engineering frameworks as they relate to cybersecurity compliance
• CISSP, CISM, or equivalent cybersecurity certification
• Experience drafting and coordinating cybersecurity policies, processes, and procedures
• Experience advising teams on cybersecurity standards and governance compliance
• Knowledge of DevSecOps principles and security integration into development pipelines

Compensation: As there are several potential levels for this skillset within the program, compensation can range between $150,000 and $170,000. All employees will receive a generous benefits package: Health, Dental, Vision, 401K with immediate vesting, tuition reimbursement, and generous PTO.

Established in 2010, @Orchard LLC has an exceptional reputation, providing staffing solutions to time-sensitive, talent scarcity issues to deliver better talent management ROI.  Our specialty lies in the critical area of program talent acquisition and resource management, not in one narrow skillset, but across many areas of technical and functional delivery. To learn more about our other exciting opportunities, visit our Jobs Page at www.atOrchard.com.