Cybersecurity Architect (SME)

Cybersecurity Architect (SME)

Location: Suitland, MD – Hybrid (2 days/week onsite)

6 Months contract to hire

Overview:

We are seeking a Cybersecurity Architect (SME) to support a large-scale federal modernization program. This is a hands-on security architecture role focused on designing secure enterprise solutions across cloud, network, identity, endpoints, applications, and data.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and assess security architectures, controls, trust boundaries, data flows, identity, and segmentation.


• Translate federal security requirements into implementable designs, mitigations, and risk decisions.


• Support architecture, security, technical, and phase-gate reviews.


• Identify security gaps, threats, vulnerabilities, technical debt, and compliance issues.


• Apply NIST RMF, Zero Trust, security controls, authorization, and continuous monitoring principles.


• Collaborate with cloud, network, identity, endpoint, data, application, and operations teams.


• Support authorization evidence, implementation readiness, and post-deployment validation.


• Document architecture decisions, risks, findings, and mitigations.


• Communicate security decisions and risk clearly to technical and government stakeholders.

Requirements:

• 12+ years of cybersecurity experience with significant security architecture/technical leadership.


• Strong knowledge of NIST RMF, Zero Trust, cloud security, identity, network, endpoint, application, data, logging/SIEM, and vulnerability management.


• Ability to develop practical security designs and risk-based recommendations.


• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.


• U.S. Citizenship required.

Preferred:

• Federal/government cybersecurity architecture experience.


• CISSP, CCSP, CISM, SABSA, GIAC, or comparable certifications.


• Experience with Sparx/Prolaborate or similar architecture modeling tools.