Federal Chief Information Security Officer; CISO

Federal Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Location:

McLean, VA or Richmond, VA

Work Environment:
Hybrid

Role summary

Exiger is seeking a mission‑driven Federal Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to lead the security, accreditation, and regulatory strategy supporting our U.S. Public Sector business. This role will serve as the executive authority for federal security compliance, government authorizations, and secure cloud architecture enablement across civilian and defense customers.

This is a strategic leadership role responsible for strengthening Exiger’s credibility and scalability within the federal marketplace while ensuring operational excellence across all government compliance programs.

• Serve as the executive owner of Exiger’s federal information security and authorization strategy across civilian and defense environments.
• Lead all aspects of federal accreditation programs, including FedRAMP High, DoD CC SRG IL5 and IL6, and agency‑specific Authority to Operate initiatives.
• Establish and mature a scalable compliance operating model that supports continuous monitoring, audit readiness, and regulatory reporting.
• Build customer‑ready assurance packages that support federal procurement and oversight that helps agencies assess capability, limitations, vendor lock‑in risk, and ongoing monitoring needs for AI systems.
• Act as the primary interface with federal security stakeholders, including Authorizing Officials, agency security teams, third‑party assessment organizations, and oversight bodies.
• Translate evolving federal cybersecurity mandates such as NIST frameworks, FISMA, and CMMC into actionable technical and operational requirements.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Engineering, Cloud Infrastructure, Product, Legal, and Public Sector Sales to ensure security controls are embedded into architecture and delivery models.
• Design automation strategies that streamline compliance evidence collection, reporting, and risk management processes.
• Provide executive‑level guidance to support federal sales pursuits, including security briefings and customer assurance discussions.
• Build and lead a high‑performing federal security and compliance function aligned to business growth objectives.

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in federal cybersecurity, information assurance, or cloud compliance.
• Experience leading security for federal programs, regulated cloud or SaaS platforms, or technology delivery environments that must satisfy FAR, NIST, RMF, and customer audit requirements.
• Demonstrated ownership of FedRAMP and DoD IL5 or IL6 authorization processes within a SaaS or cloud‑based technology company.
• Deep expertise in federal security standards and controls, including NIST 800‑53, NIST 800‑171, FISMA, CMMC, and Authority to Operate lifecycle management.
• Experience operating within AWS Gov Cloud and/or Azure Government environments.
• Demonstrated ability to work with engineering, data science, product, privacy, legal, contracts, capture, and delivery teams to insert security gates into the AI development lifecycle rather than treating AI risk as a post‑build review.
• Proven success leading audit engagements and managing continuous monitoring programs.
• Strong understanding of cloud‑native security architecture, identity and access management, encryption standards, vulnerability management, and security monitoring platforms.
• Executive presence with the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Experience building or scaling compliance teams in growth‑oriented organizations.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

• High‑performance culture rooted in accountability, collaboration, and a shared commitment to excellence.
• Competitive base salary and performance‑based incentives.
• Equity participation opportunities.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Generous paid time off and company holidays.
• Parental leave and family support programs.
• Hybrid work environment fostering collaboration and flexibility.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or protected veteran status, or any other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable law.