Cyber Security Engineering Specialist

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

At Aerospace, we are committed to providing an inclusive and diverse workplace for all employees to share in our common passion and aspiration – to carry out a mission much bigger than ourselves.

Information Systems and Cyber Division (ISCD) staff couple the latest in information system technologies, such as elastic compute clouds, containerization, microservices, real-time operating systems, and visualization frameworks, with expertise in cyber security, software architecture, software engineering, process improvement, and software development to deliver responsive, resilient, high-performance software intensive systems to our IC, DoD, and civilian customers.

Aerospace's Cyber Security and Advanced Platforms Subdivision, Cyber Assessments and Research Department is seeking a Cyber Security Engineer to help design, implement, assess and deploy cyber solutions that defend our nation's most valuable assets in space. We are seeking a highly motivated Cyber Security Engineer (Engineering Specialist - Cyber Security Architecture) with a desire to support customers across a full spectrum of cyber security activities.

This position will mostly require onsite work in Chantilly, VA.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Perform research in the areas of cyber and network security
• Advise DoD and IC customers on secure design and implementation of space systems
• Review network architecture designs to identify security, dataflow, performance deficiencies
• Identify security vulnerabilities and weaknesses in SW, HW and Architecture design for mission environments and be able to make recommended mitigations
• Lead or participate in projects involving one or more of the following areas: vulnerability assessments, cyber security architecture, cyber security prototype/capability development, cyber system trade-off studies for various system designs or protocols, validation of network system requirements.
• Provide recommendations on network architectures and solutions based on technical performance evaluations
• Contribute to the development of security prototypes

What You Need to be Successful (Engineering Specialist)

Minimum Requirements:

• 8 or more years of professional experience in cyber security
• Bachelors or advanced degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or similar technical area of study
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal)
• Demonstrable proficiency in one or more programming languages
• Proficient in Linux and Unix based operating systems
• Knowledge and/or experience of both offensive and defensive cyber security tools, tactics, techniques and procedures (e.g. BURP suite, Cobalt Strike)
• Knowledge and/or experience performing vulnerability assessment and mitigation  
• Network engineering and architecture knowledge (e.g. OSI model, TCP/IP, IPSEC, HTTP/S, routing protocols, virtualization, L2/L3 device configuration, network modeling tools like Red Seal and Forward Networks)
• Experience with systems security engineering and the system development lifecycle
• Experience writing or satisfying engineering requirements and design specifications
• Willing to travel approximately 10% of the time
• This position requires an active and existing TS/SCI security clearance which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a secret security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out (Senior Engineering Specialist)

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• 12 or more years of professional experience in cyber security
• Experience with space systems, including familiarity with space, ground, communications, and user segments, as well as legacy software
• Experience with cloud technologies (AWS environments/AWS security services, containerization and orchestration)
• Knowledge of ICS/SCADA systems (and the security thereof)
• Experience with web app exploitation (to include use of tools such as Burp Suite)
• Experience with penetration testing embedded systems (to include reverse engineering)
• Experience with Agile methodology and team collaboration tools
• DoD IAT Level II Certification (e.g., Security +) or higher (e.g., CISSP)

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change   
• Engage with Impact   
• Foster Innovation   
• Deliver Results  

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type.  A few highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans
• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options
• 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire
• Flexible spending accounts
• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions
• Relocation assistance
• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career
• Education assistance programs
• An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other—the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We believe that a diverse workforce creates an environment in which unique ideas are developed and differing perspectives are valued, producing superior customer solutions. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at ieo.mailbox@aero.org. You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal, as well as the Pay Transparency Policy Statement.