Senior Cybersecurity Engineer / Information System Security Engineer (ISSE) | San Diego, CA

Senior Cybersecurity Engineer / Information System Security Engineer (ISSE)  | San Diego, CA

Team CaVU

Our name is derived from the aviation acronym “Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited”. Team CaVU embodies this positive vibe as we bring creative, powerful and innovative solutions to clients and partners. CaVU is the provider of choice for our clients, crafting best-value support across a wide spectrum of functional areas. We are defined by integrity, technical excellence and commitment to our clients, people and partners. We consistently make a lasting, positive impact on our community—we make things better!

Job Description

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Cybersecurity Engineer / Information System Security Engineer (ISSE) to support cybersecurity engineering, security operations, vulnerability management, and continuous monitoring activities within Department of Defense (DoD) information systems.

The ideal candidate will possess a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience and demonstrate extensive hands-on technical expertise in vulnerability assessment and remediation, security configuration management, system hardening, endpoint protection, and enterprise systems administration.

This position requires a cybersecurity professional capable of independently identifying, assessing, mitigating, and remediating security vulnerabilities while maintaining compliance with applicable DoD cybersecurity requirements, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) security standards, and organizational security policies.

The Senior Cybersecurity Engineer will collaborate with Information System Security Managers (ISSMs), Information System Security Officers (ISSOs), system administrators, network engineers, and other technical stakeholders to maintain the security and operational readiness of mission-critical information systems.

Key Responsibilities

Cybersecurity Engineering and Risk Management Framework (RMF)

Implement and maintain technical security controls in accordance with the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) and NIST Special Publication 800-53.
Support Information Security Continuous Monitoring (ISCM) activities in accordance with NIST SP 800-137.
Provide technical engineering support throughout the RMF authorization lifecycle.
Assess the effectiveness of implemented security controls and identify technical compliance deficiencies.
Develop and implement corrective actions to address security control weaknesses.
Support the development and maintenance of System Security Plans (SSPs), security control implementation statements, assessment evidence, and Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms).
Evaluate proposed system changes to determine cybersecurity impacts and maintain approved security configuration baselines.
Provide technical evidence and remediation support for Authority to Operate (ATO) activities.
Collaborate with ISSOs and ISSMs to ensure continuous compliance with applicable security requirements.

Vulnerability Assessment, Management, and Remediation

Install, configure, administer, maintain, and troubleshoot Tenable Nessus vulnerability scanners.
Administer and manage Tenable Security Center (Tenable.sc), including scanner integration, scan repositories, policies, credentials, and reporting.
Conduct authenticated and unauthenticated vulnerability assessments across enterprise information systems.
Configure and manage automated vulnerability scanning schedules and assessment policies.
Analyze vulnerability findings, assess associated risks, and prioritize remediation efforts based on severity, exploitability, and operational impact.
Develop and implement vulnerability mitigation and remediation strategies.
Coordinate with system administrators, engineers, and system owners to resolve identified security weaknesses.
Perform follow-up vulnerability scans to validate remediation effectiveness.
Maintain vulnerability tracking records and produce technical reports documenting findings, remediation status, and residual risk.
Support vulnerability management activities across Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and AWS environments.

DISA STIG Compliance and System Hardening

Implement and enforce applicable Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) and Security Requirements Guides (SRGs).
Conduct automated and manual security compliance assessments using eSTIG tools, Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) scanning utilities, and approved assessment tools.
Analyze STIG findings and implement appropriate technical remediation measures.
Develop, implement, and maintain secure configuration baselines for supported operating systems and enterprise applications.
Identify and investigate configuration deviations and implement corrective actions.
Document compliance findings, remediation activities, and approved security deviations.
Validate system hardening and remediation effectiveness through automated scanning and manual verification.
Support cybersecurity inspections, audits, and continuous monitoring requirements.
Ensure systems maintain compliance with applicable DoD security configuration standards.

Endpoint Security and HBSS Administration

Administer, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Host-Based Security System (HBSS) infrastructure and applicable successor endpoint security technologies.
Manage endpoint security policies, agent deployments, software updates, and system health monitoring.
Administer endpoint security management platforms, including Trellix/McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO), as applicable.
Investigate endpoint security alerts and coordinate appropriate corrective actions.
Ensure endpoint protection configurations comply with applicable DoD security requirements.
Support endpoint security infrastructure upgrades, configuration changes, and operational troubleshooting.
Monitor endpoint protection effectiveness and resolve agent communication, policy enforcement, and system compliance issues.

Systems Administration and Configuration Management

Administer, configure, secure, and troubleshoot Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and Microsoft Windows Server operating systems.
Perform operating system installation, configuration, patch management, security hardening, and maintenance.
Implement and maintain approved system configuration baselines.
Conduct security impact assessments for proposed system and infrastructure changes.
Support enterprise configuration management and change control processes.
Identify and resolve operating system vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and security weaknesses.
Maintain technical documentation, system configuration records, and standard operating procedures.
Collaborate with infrastructure engineering teams to ensure secure deployment and reliable operation of enterprise systems.
Ensure system configurations remain compliant with organizational security policies and applicable DoD requirements.

AWS Cloud Security

Support cybersecurity engineering and security compliance activities within Amazon Web Services (AWS) environments.
Implement and maintain secure AWS configurations in accordance with organizational and applicable federal cybersecurity requirements.
Support cloud vulnerability management, identity and access management, security monitoring, and configuration assessments.
Identify cloud security misconfigurations and implement appropriate remediation measures.
Support security integration between on-premises infrastructure and cloud-hosted systems.
Apply AWS security best practices to protect cloud resources, workloads, and associated data.

Required Qualifications

Professional Experience

Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in cybersecurity engineering, information assurance, vulnerability management, or enterprise security operations.
Demonstrated experience supporting DoD, federal government, or similarly regulated enterprise environments.
Extensive hands-on experience conducting vulnerability assessments, implementing security controls, and remediating technical security findings.
Demonstrated experience administering, configuring, and securing enterprise Windows and Linux systems.
Experience supporting RMF compliance, continuous monitoring, and security authorization activities.
Strong understanding of enterprise infrastructure, operating system security, endpoint protection, and vulnerability management principles.

Required Technical Expertise

Candidates must demonstrate practical experience with the following technologies, standards, and processes:

NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF)
NIST SP 800-53 security and privacy controls
NIST SP 800-137 continuous monitoring
Configuration management and security baseline enforcement
DISA STIG and SRG implementation
eSTIG assessment tools
SCAP compliance scanning
STIG remediation and validation
Tenable Security Center (Tenable.sc)
Tenable Nessus scanner installation, configuration, and administration
Vulnerability identification, prioritization, mitigation, and remediation
Host-Based Security System (HBSS) administration and management
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) administration
Microsoft Windows Server administration
Operating system patching and security hardening
Enterprise endpoint security management
AWS cloud security fundamentals
Security control implementation and technical compliance documentation

Required Certifications

CompTIA Security+ — Current certification required.
AWS Cloud Certification — Current AWS certification required, such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Certified SysOps Administrator, AWS Certified Security – Specialty, or another relevant AWS certification.
Must meet applicable DoD 8140 qualification requirements for the position’s designated cybersecurity work role and proficiency level, as established by contractual and governing DoD requirements.

Security Clearance Requirements

Top Secret (TS) security clearance required for full performance of position duties.
Candidates possessing an active Secret clearance will be considered, provided they are eligible for and willing to undergo the Top Secret clearance investigation and adjudication process.
The employer will sponsor eligible candidates holding a Secret clearance for a Top Secret clearance upgrade, subject to government and contractual approval.
Candidates must maintain the required security clearance and comply with all applicable personnel security requirements.
Access to classified information and performance of clearance-restricted duties will be contingent upon obtaining the appropriate clearance and authorization.

Preferred: Active Top Secret clearance at the time of application.

Preferred Qualifications

Previous experience serving as an Information System Security Engineer (ISSE) in a DoD environment.
Experience supporting RMF authorization packages and ATO activities.
Familiarity with DoD cybersecurity policies, security control assessment procedures, and continuous monitoring requirements.
Experience with Trellix/McAfee ePO and enterprise endpoint security management.
Experience automating system configuration, compliance assessments, and remediation using Ansible, PowerShell, Bash, or similar technologies.
Experience with AWS security services, cloud infrastructure security, and federal cloud compliance requirements.
Experience developing vulnerability metrics, compliance dashboards, and technical security reports.
Experience supporting complex, mission-critical enterprise information systems.
Familiarity with enterprise networking, firewall configurations, and network security principles.
Additional professional certifications such as CISSP, CompTIA SecurityX, CySA+, Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), or AWS Certified Security – Specialty.

Core Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

Advanced technical troubleshooting and analytical problem-solving capabilities.
Ability to independently implement security controls and remediate complex vulnerabilities.
Strong understanding of operating system security, enterprise infrastructure, and cybersecurity engineering principles.
Ability to translate cybersecurity compliance requirements into practical technical solutions.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to develop clear technical documentation and communicate cybersecurity risks to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
Experience collaborating with cybersecurity teams, system administrators, network engineers, and organizational leadership.
Ability to manage competing cybersecurity priorities in mission-critical operational environments.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to maintaining secure and compliant information systems.

Comprehensive Compensation & Benefits Package:

Salary at CaVU is determined by various factors, including but not limited to location, education, training, certificates, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The expected salary range for this position is $135,000.00 - $175,000.00 . To drive fair pay practices for employees, CaVU conducts regular comparisons across our employee groups and the industry. The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, CaVU considers a number of factors when determining salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

At CaVU, our offerings include:

- 100% company-paid health, dental, and vision (to include individual, employee + significant other, or family)

- 401K match with immediate vesting  the date of hire with CaVU

- Employer paid $100,000 life insurance policy

- 11 paid holidays

- 10 days of vacation  with graduating accruals every two years and  5 days of sick leave

- Access to corporate discounts  on retail/travel/entertainment

- Highly competitive compensation and opportunities for bonuses

EEO Commitment

CaVU is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, genetics, age, or veteran status or any other applicable legally protected status or characteristic.