Subject Matter Expert - Zero Trust

Job Title: Zero Trust Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Location: Reston, VA (Hybrid – 3x/week)

Salary: DOE + full benefits

Clearance: Public Trust

Job Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled and knowledgeable Zero Trust Subject Matter Expert (SME) with a strong background in supporting federal government initiatives. This role will play a pivotal part in guiding and implementing Zero Trust strategies and technologies to enhance cybersecurity within government environments.

Job Responsibilities       

• Drive the development and implementation of Zero Trust principles and methodologies tailored to federal government requirements, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.


• Provide expert-level guidance on Zero Trust architecture, access control, identity management, encryption, and other security measures, addressing complex challenges within government systems.


• Ability to advise across all ZTA pillars (Identity, Devices, Network, Apps, Data).


• Training, mentoring, and knowledge transfer responsibilities (3-day ZTA training program).


• Ability to facilitate interviews and gap analysis workshops.


• Ensure Zero Trust implementations align with federal cybersecurity policies, standards, and regulatory requirements, such as NIST, FISMA, and other applicable frameworks.


• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including security analysts, engineers, and stakeholders across government agencies, to design and implement Zero Trust solutions.


• Conduct comprehensive risk assessments, identify vulnerabilities, and propose proactive strategies to mitigate security risks within government networks and systems.


• Develop and deliver training programs, workshops, and educational materials to enhance awareness and understanding of Zero Trust principles among government personnel.


• Prepare detailed documentation, reports, and presentations to communicate complex technical concepts and project updates to stakeholders and leadership.

Required Skills/Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience working directly with Zero Trust principles and technologies in federal government environments.


• Extensive experience designing and implementing Zero Trust frameworks and architectures (like Google's BeyondCorp, Forrester's Zero Trust eXtended, etc.) within large-scale government networks.


• Familiarity with security information and event management (SIEM) tools, threat intelligence platforms, and the ability to leverage analytics for continuous monitoring and threat detection.


• Experience in endpoint protection, device identity verification, and securing endpoints in a Zero Trust model, including endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions.


• Knowledge of cloud security principles and experience securing cloud environments using Zero Trust methodologies, including cloud-native security tools and configuration best practices.


• Proficiency in conducting security assessments, audits, and ensuring compliance with government security standards, documenting findings, and providing remediation recommendations.


• Profound knowledge in IAM technologies such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), identity governance, privileged access management (PAM), and attribute-based access control (ABAC).


• Deep technical knowledge and hands-on experience in implementing Zero Trust architectures, access controls, and identity management within complex government systems.


• Strong understanding of federal cybersecurity regulations, policies, and frameworks, including NIST, FISMA, and other relevant standards.


• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively convey technical information to diverse audiences.


• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities to assess complex security challenges and propose effective solutions.


• Relevant certifications in cybersecurity (e.g., CISSP, CISM) and Zero Trust technologies are highly desirable.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, mathematics, physics, or related discipline


• Employer will accept years of experience in lieu of a degree.