Lead Senior Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO)

Job description

Work Type: Hybrid — Washington, DC; on-site at least 2 days per week Industry Category: Cybersecurity / Federal Information Security Employment Type: Full-Time Contract — Key Personnel Clearance Requirement: Must be eligible for and capable of obtaining a Tier 4 (High-Risk Public Trust) background investigation Salary: $150,000–$200,000 per year as a W2, negotiable for the right candidate. Citizenship Requirement: U.S. Citizenship Required

Position Overview

Our client is seeking an experienced Lead Senior Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) to support a federal cybersecurity program. This full-time Key Personnel position will serve as the primary technical lead and point of accountability for ISSO activities across supported information systems.

The Lead Senior ISSO will provide hands-on leadership across NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF), system authorization, continuous monitoring, vulnerability and POA&M management, security documentation, incident response, and audit/compliance activities . This is a technical leadership role and not solely an administrative management position.

Key Responsibilities - Serve as the primary technical interface with the Government ISSM, CISO, AO/AODR, System Owners, and other cybersecurity stakeholders. - Lead and coordinate ISSO activities across supported federal information systems. - Lead NIST RMF , system categorization, security control assessment, ATO/reauthorization , and continuous authorization activities. - Oversee development, review, quality control, and submission of security authorization packages and supporting documentation. - Lead Information Security Continuous Monitoring (ISCM/ConMon) , security-posture reporting, metrics, dashboards, and trend analysis. - Oversee vulnerability management, remediation, and Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) activities. - Support Security Impact Analyses (SIAs) , system/configuration changes, incident response, and corrective-action tracking. - Lead cybersecurity audit, assessment, FISMA , compliance, evidence-collection, and audit-readiness activities. - Conduct quality reviews, manage cybersecurity risks and issues, and escalate significant matters to Government leadership. - Participate in cybersecurity governance and technical reviews while coordinating with program management on staffing, reporting, and performance.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications - U.S. citizenship required. - Must be eligible for and capable of obtaining a Tier 4 (High-Risk Public Trust) background investigation. - Senior-level experience as an ISSO or in a closely related federal cybersecurity role . - Experience with NIST RMF, FISMA, system authorization, ATO/reauthorization, security control assessment, and continuous monitoring (ISCM/ConMon) . - Experience with vulnerability management, POA&M development/tracking, remediation, cybersecurity audits, compliance, and audit readiness . - Experience developing and maintaining federal cybersecurity documentation, including SSPs, POA&Ms, Continuous Monitoring Plans, SAP/SARs, SIAs, incident response and contingency plans, and security control evidence . - Experience leading cybersecurity workstreams and coordinating with ISSMs, CISOs, AO/AODRs, System Owners, assessors, and technical teams . - Working knowledge of applicable NIST SP 800-series cybersecurity standards and guidance. - Working familiarity with CSAM, Splunk, ServiceNow ITSM, and Tenable/Nessus or Qualys . - Familiarity with enterprise security technologies including Microsoft Defender, Intune, BigFix, Azure, Microsoft 365 security/compliance tools, Entra ID, Okta, Palo Alto Panorama, and Zscaler . - Strong technical writing, analytical, leadership, communication, and stakeholder-management skills. - Ability to work on-site in Washington, DC at least two days per week , with additional on-site support as required.

Preferred Qualifications - Relevant education and professional cybersecurity certifications. - Prior experience as a Lead ISSO, Senior ISSO, or federal cybersecurity technical lead . - Advanced hands-on experience with CSAM, Splunk, ServiceNow, and Tenable/Nessus or Qualys . - Experience supporting multiple federal information systems through RMF authorization and continuous-monitoring lifecycles. - Experience leading cybersecurity governance, quality reviews, audit preparation, and Government-facing technical discussions.

Benefits

Compensation

$150,000–$200,000 per year as a W2 , negotiable for the right candidate.

Benefits - Medical insurance - Dental insurance - Vision insurance - 401(k)