Senior Cybersecurity Operations Analyst

The Senior Cybersecurity Operations Analyst

The Senior Cybersecurity Operations Analyst provides program management and technical cybersecurity support for the Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Cyber Security Management Support program. Under the oversight of the FHWA Information System Security Manager (ISSM), this position plans, implements, operates, monitors, and reports on cybersecurity activities that strengthen the security posture of FHWA information systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide cybersecurity and Information Assurance expertise in support of the Agency’s Security Program. 

• Support cybersecurity incident-handling activities. 

• Assist with vulnerability detection and development of vulnerability-remediation strategies. 

• Provide expertise regarding secure application-development techniques. 

• Support secure baseline configuration validation, security audit-log monitoring activities and integration and management of static-code vulnerability scanners.

• Support the security portion of DevSecOps implementation. 

• Develop and maintain cybersecurity architecture diagrams. 

• Develop processes, procedures, and Standard Operating Procedures supporting DevSecOps and cybersecurity activities. 

• Maintain a current inventory of network ranges, assets, groups, and custom groups within the DOT CDM BigFix tool. 

• Assist with remediation of cybersecurity issues identified through applicable security reports. 

• Provide cybersecurity subject-matter expertise in incident handling, vulnerability detection, remediation planning, secure application development, cloud environments, and cloud services

• Maintain core system documentation using standardized templates, technical guides, baseline-management documentation, and supporting checklists. 

• Maintain and update the organization’s Cybersecurity Handbook, Verify Secure Configuration Procedures, Incident Handling Procedures, Threat, Vulnerability, and Risk Monitoring Standard Operating Procedures and Continuous Monitoring Risk Management Plan. 

• Coordinate with functional teams to collect supporting documentation and artifacts for audits and evaluations. 

• Draft responses supporting FISMA, CFO, Office of Inspector General (OIG), Government Accountability Office (GAO), and other applicable audits or evaluations. Track and report OIG and GAO Notices of Findings and Recommendations. 

• Support Government suspense dates associated with audits, evaluations, findings, and data calls. 

• Support responses to cybersecurity data calls and other Government inquiries. 

• Provide programmatic cybersecurity assistance and guidance to system owners as requested. 

• Execute information-system contingency-plan testing in accordance with applicable NIST guidance. Provide information-system contingency training to personnel with contingency-plan responsibilities. Capture lessons learned and corrective actions resulting from contingency exercises. 

• Support updates to information-system contingency plans based on testing results. 

• Review logs using suspicious log-activity queries to identify, investigate, and support response to cybersecurity incidents.

• Help personnel understand ISCP roles and the skills necessary to perform system-recovery responsibilities. 

• Support risk analysis and mitigation activities as directed and approved by authorized Government officials. 

• Provide recommendations addressing cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, and risks. 

• Perform other job-related duties as assigned within the scope of the program. 

• Assists with the development and delivery of cybersecurity awareness communications and outreach efforts in coordination with internal stakeholders

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Ability to communicate technical cybersecurity findings and recommendations, cybersecurity guidance and programmatic assistance to system owners, business sponsors, developers, infrastructure teams, and IT operations personnel.

• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and nontechnical stakeholders.

• Possess strong technical writing, research, analytical, organizational, and communication skills. Expert knowledge of Federal cybersecurity and privacy laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and implementation standards.

• Expert experience supporting compliance with NIST SP 800-18, NIST SP 800-30, NIST SP 800-34, NIST SP 800-37, NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 4, NIST SP 800-53A Rev. 4, NIST SP 800-60, NIST SP 800-66 Rev. 1, NIST SP 800-137, FIPS 199, and FIPS 200.

• Knowledge of incident handling, vulnerability detection, vulnerability management, and remediation. 

• Understanding of the FISMA assessment and authorization process, GSA FedRAMP processes, and current cloud-service technologies.

• Experience applying Federal Information Security Continuous Monitoring and Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program technologies. 

• Understanding of static-code vulnerability scanning and vulnerability-management tools. 

• Experience or knowledge related to security audit-log monitoring. 

• Support DevSecOps implementation, including architecture diagrams, process documentation, standard operating procedures, and the integration and management of static code vulnerability scanners.

• Expert experience with enterprise security architecture methodologies, concepts, procedures, principles, and tools.

• Knowledge of secure configuration and baseline-validation practices. 

• Knowledge of secure application-development concepts, dynamic and static application-security testing tools, scan results, and remediation practices.

• Experience conducting vulnerability, application-security, database-security, and network-security assessments and interpreting assessment results.

• Understanding of Identity, Credential, and Access Management implementation.

• Knowledge of domain structures, network protocols, user authentication, digital signatures, firewalls, data-loss-prevention technologies, intrusion-detection and intrusion-prevention systems, and security best practices.

• Knowledge of Windows Server, Linux/Unix, Active Directory, and related operating-system services.

• Knowledge of Federal cybersecurity audits and evaluations, including FISMA, OIG, and GAO activities. 

• Ability to plan, execute, document, and report on internal and external application and network vulnerability analyses and provide technical recommendations that improve mission functionality and security.

• At least three years of experience in contingency planning, backup and recovery best practices, and NIST contingency-planning guidance.

• Experience with risk-management tools, including JCAM (formerly CSAM).

• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Teams, Tableau, and SharePoint.

• Ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities, including developing documentation for new systems while supporting updates to systems in production.

Education, Certifications, and Clearance

• Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity or a related technical field.

• 6+ years in security operations, vulnerability management, or offensive security domains, including experience in a senior or lead capacity.

• Must satisfy all applicable Cherokee Federal, Government and DOT personnel-security and background-screening requirements.

• Must possess or be able to obtain a DOT Public Trust clearance.

• Current, verifiable Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification.

• Current, verifiable Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge, Microsoft Azure certification, or another recognized cloud-security certification.

• Desired certifications include ITIL v3 or later, and relevant certifications from ISC2, SANS, EC-Council, Microsoft, Cisco, or similar organizations.

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