Senior Information System Security Engineer; ISSE

Central Strategies is seeking a Senior Information System Security Engineer (ISSE) to support cloud modernization initiatives for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) at the Command, Control, Communication, Computer, Cyber, and Intelligence Service Center in the Alexandria, Virginia area. The ISSE will provide senior-level security engineering leadership for secure, scalable cloud environments supporting mission-critical Coast Guard capabilities.

This position will lead the design, implementation, and governance of cloud security solutions across AWS and Azure environments. The ISSE will work closely with cloud engineers, cybersecurity personnel, compliance teams, operations staff, and program leadership to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of cloud-hosted systems while enabling secure modernization and operational resilience.

The role combines cloud security architecture, NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) modernization, authorization-to-operate support, Dev Sec Ops  security integration, continuous monitoring, and cross-functional technical leadership.

Work Location:

Hybrid in Alexandria, Virginia. Full-time, day shift; up to 25% travel may be required.

Key Responsibilities

Cloud Security Architecture & Engineering

• Architect, implement, and improve secure cloud infrastructure across AWS and Microsoft Azure environments.
• Establish cloud security architecture patterns, technical standards, guardrails, and automated controls that support secure enterprise adoption.
• Design and support identity and access management, encryption, key management, network security, and workload-protection capabilities for cloud-hosted systems.
• Apply cloud-native security controls and shared-responsibility principles to system design, implementation, and operations.
• Lead threat modeling, security risk assessments, and security engineering analysis for cloud-native applications, services, and infrastructure.
• Support federal Authorization to Operate (ATO) modernization efforts, including transition of applicable controls and documentation from NIST RMF Revision 4 to Revision 5.
• Develop, update, and maintain System Security Plans (SSPs), Security Assessment Reports (SARs), Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms), security architecture documentation, and related compliance artifacts.
• Support continuous ATO (cATO) practices by integrating evidence collection, control monitoring, automation, and repeatable security validation into the delivery lifecycle.
• Ensure cloud security engineering activities remain aligned with applicable federal, DHS, USCG, and program security requirements.

Dev Sec Ops , Automation & Platform Security

• Integrate security controls, testing, and policy enforcement into CI/CD pipelines and Dev Ops workflows.
• Use infrastructure-as-code and configuration-management technologies such as Terraform, Ansible, or Puppet to promote secure, repeatable cloud deployments.
• Support secure containerization and orchestration using technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Develop or apply scripting and automation using technologies such as Python, Bash, or Power Shell to improve security operations, compliance, and engineering efficiency.

Cloud Security Operations & Continuous Monitoring

• Monitor cloud environments using security information and event management (SIEM), cloud security posture management (CSPM), cloud workload protection platforms (CWPP), and related security tooling.
• Support incident response and technical investigation for cloud security events and vulnerabilities.
• Assess emerging cloud threats, vulnerabilities, and attack patterns and recommend practical mitigation strategies.
• Promote continuous improvement through technical feedback loops, process refinement, and security…