Cyber Security Engineer

Cybersecurity Engineer

Location: Onsite in O'Fallon, IL

Employment Type: 6-month Contract-to-Hire (W-2).

Compensation: $120k-$125k

Must have Active Security Clearance

As a Cybersecurity Engineer, you will help design, assess, and implement Zero Trust capabilities across enterprise network and cloud environments. Success in this role means translating Zero Trust architecture concepts into practical, deployable controls, improving security posture while maintaining operational continuity. You will partner with stakeholders to identify gaps, build actionable roadmaps, and drive implementation aligned to applicable government security frameworks.

Responsibilities:

• Perform Zero Trust readiness and maturity assessments, documenting current-state network, application, and cloud environments and identifying priority gaps.
• Develop and execute Zero Trust implementation plans and roadmaps with measurable milestones, dependencies, and risk-based sequencing.
• Design and integrate Zero Trust technical controls across key pillars such as identity, devices/endpoints, networks, applications, and data.
• Drive network and security architecture decisions that enable secure access patterns, including segmentation, policy enforcement, and software-defined perimeters.
• Implement and tune enterprise security and monitoring capabilities using SIEM/SOAR/UEBA patterns to improve detection, response, and automation outcomes.
• Evaluate Zero Trust-related technologies and approaches (e.g., SASE/SD-WAN, enterprise identity, containers/microservices, encryption/tokenization) and provide integration and operational recommendations.
• Map applicable security requirements and control frameworks to engineered solutions, producing clear documentation for compliance and auditability.
• Lead threat modeling activities to identify abuse paths and define mitigations aligned to Zero Trust principles.
• Communicate security risks, remediation options, and implementation tradeoffs to technical teams and stakeholders, driving decisions to closure.
• Maintain program documentation, technical artifacts, and implementation status reporting to support delivery through contract-to-hire transition.

Required Skills:

• Understanding of end-to-end Zero Trust architecture concepts and enabling technologies (e.g., SD-WAN, SASE, enterprise identity, containers/microservices, encryption/tokenization, SIEM/SOAR/UEBA, threat modeling, SDP).
• 4+ years of experience in network solutions architecture/engineering, implementation, integration, and operations for enterprise and/or carrier-class networks.
• Experience designing or operating cloud-based network infrastructures in at least one major cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP, or Oracle Cloud).
• Hands-on experience with enterprise-grade network security and SIEM technologies (e.g., Zscaler, Palo Alto, Cisco, Juniper, Microsoft, Splunk, ELK or equivalent).
• Familiarity with NIST 800 series guidance, FedRAMP, Risk Management Framework (RMF), security controls, and FISMA standards/guidelines.

Preferred Skills:

• One or more cloud certifications (e.g., AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform).
• One or more security certifications aligned to network security/SIEM toolsets (e.g., Zscaler, Palo Alto, Cisco, Juniper, Microsoft, Splunk, ELK).
• Experience performing Zero Trust security readiness assessments, including gap analyses and maturity assessments.
• Experience building Zero Trust roadmaps and implementation plans, including measurable milestones tied to security and automation outcomes.
• Ability to assess and document current state for on-premises and cloud-based enclaves and applications, and develop Zero Trust migration plans.
• Experience researching and comparing Zero Trust solutions, including integration considerations and operational impacts.
• Experience recommending Zero Trust policy, governance, workflows, and organizational change required to operationalize controls.
• Experience standardizing Zero Trust design principles across pillars (Users, Devices, Networks, Applications, Data).
• Ability to coordinate stakeholder requirements and drive communications and execution across network and application teams.
• Experience mapping government/customer requirements and frameworks (e.g., NIST, RMF, DISA, OMB) to technical controls and remediation plans.
• Experience with enterprise and security architecture practices and documentation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical decisions and risk to varied audiences.
• Active Secret clearance.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, computer science, IT, cybersecurity, or a related field (or equivalent experience in lieu of degree).
• DoD 8140 advanced certification (e.g., CISSO, CISSP-ISSAP, GCSA, GICSP, GCLD, GCIA, or equivalent).