Systems Engineer - Zero Trust

Noblis is seeking an experienced Systems Engineer to work in a dynamic mission-oriented environment within Bethesda, Maryland. A successful candidate will have expertise in Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) and be able to design, implement, and support secure, resilient systems that align with modern cybersecurity frameworks. In this role, you will work across cross-functional teams to translate Zero Trust principles into actionable technical solutions, helping modernize infrastructure and enforce least-privilege access, identity assurance, and continuous verification across enterprise environments. The ideal candidate has deep knowledge of Zero Trust principles, hands-on experience with identity, network, and data security technologies, and a strong systems engineering background across the systems development lifecycle., + Lead or support the design and implementation of Zero Trust Architectures across enterprise or mission-critical systems.

• Analyze current system architectures and identify gaps against Zero Trust principles (e.g., NIST SP 800-207).

• Develop system-level security requirements and translate policy and governance frameworks into technical designs.

• Integrate identity, credential, and access management (ICAM), micro-segmentation, and secure data access controls into systems.

• Collaborate with cybersecurity, network, and software engineering teams to embed Zero Trust into infrastructure, applications, and services.

• Define and maintain architecture artifacts, including system diagrams, security control mappings, and risk assessments.

• Support systems integration, testing, and validation of security and access control components.

• Contribute to the development of technical roadmaps for enterprise Zero Trust adoption and maturity.

• Prepare and present engineering documentation, status reports, and risk assessments to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• US Citizenship and active TS/SCI security clearance with CI Polygraph.

• Typically requires a BS degree and 8+ years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 6+ years of prior relevant experience.

• Deep understanding of Zero Trust principles as outlined by NIST SP 800-207 and related cybersecurity frameworks (e.g., DoD Zero Trust Strategy, CISA ZT Maturity Model).

• Experience turning cybersecurity needs and capabilities into requirements and detailed technical solutions; developing and maintaining a list of Cybersecurity Architecture needs, dependencies, risks, and mitigation plans; analyzing cybersecurity best practices to identify gaps and improvement opportunities.

• Experience developing and publishing baseline security requirements for common enterprise services to ensure capabilities are in compliance with cybersecurity directives and policies; conducting critical path analysis, risk analysis, and task dependency analysis; developing security requirements and constraints to provide input to foundational technical documents, including program architectural artifacts, business cases, and concept of operations.

• Experience documenting architectural rules for Zero Trust.

• Experience diagraming an interim and future architecture for Zero Trust implementation.

• Experience defining and communicating Zero Trust integration expectations for enterprise services.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience creating a Zero Trust playbook.

• Experience designing and integrating security controls into systems, such as: Identity & Access Management (IAM/ICAM), Network segmentation and software-defined perimeters, Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR), and Data loss prevention (DLP) and encryption technologies.

• Familiarity with enterprise security tools and platforms (e.g., Okta, Microsoft Entra, Zscaler, Palo Alto Prisma, CrowdStrike, Splunk).

• Experience using architecture modeling or documentation tools (e.g., SysML, ArchiMate, Visio).

• Experience with automation and infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, CI/CD pipelines).

• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and native Zero Trust implementations.

• Industry certifications in one or more of the following: INCOSE CSEP, CISSP, CCSP, Zero Trust Strategist (ZTS), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).

Compensation at Noblis is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the combination of education, certifications, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, internal and external equity, location, clearance level, as well as contract-specific affordability, organizational requirements and applicable employment laws. The projected compensation range for this position is based on full time status. For part time or on-call staff, compensation is proportionately adjusted based on hours worked. While monetary compensation is important, it's just one component of Noblis' total compensation package.

Posted Salary Range

USD $146,200.00 - USD $228,400.00 /Yr.

Noblis and our wholly owned subsidiaries, Noblis ESI and Noblis MSD, take on some of the nation's toughest challenges, delivering advanced solutions to our customers' most critical missions. We bring together leading scientific, engineering, and management expertise in a culture grounded in objectivity and collaboration, ensuring our work creates lasting impact across federal missions. We work with a broad range of government agencies in the defense, intelligence, and federal civilian sectors. Learn more and find opportunities at careers.noblis.org (https://careers.noblis.org/about-noblis/) Why Work at Noblis At Noblis, we share a passion for excellence and innovation, and we create an environment where people can do meaningful work while maintaining the balance that keeps them energized and fulfilled. We seek out individuals with a natural curiosity and desire to collaborate and learn. We believe our people are our greatest strength, and we consistently seek exceptionally skilled, mission-driven professionals who care deeply about doing work that enriches lives and makes our nation safer. Noblis has earned numerous workplace awards (https://noblis.org/who-we-are/awards/) for our culture, our commitment to employee well-being, and our dedication to meaningful, impactful work. We also maintain a drug-free workplace. _Remote/hybrid status is subject to change based on Noblis and/or government requirements._