Senior Cybersecurity Specialist

For more than a decade, Karthik Consulting has been a reliable and trusted advisor to our Government customers, providing independent and unbiased recommendations and solutions to mitigate risk and help solve IT issues. We bring the innovation, passion, and agility of the commercial sector to meet the unique challenges of this competitive space.

Karthik Consulting is seeking a Senior Cybersecurity Specialist with the below skillset.

Senior Cybersecurity Specialist
Fulltime with Karthik Consulting
Location: NCR - onsite
Clearance: Top Secret clearance with SCI


Position Description

The Cybersecurity Specialist provides professional management, systems analysis, technical assistance, and cybersecurity and zero trust expertise in support of Headquarters Air Force and AF IC Information Environment operations. The role supports governance, strategic planning, enterprise architecture, capability portfolio management, risk management, IT service management, systems engineering, data and analytics, policy analysis, training, and technical administration to help align cybersecurity execution with strategic and operational outcomes.

Program Scope
The program scope includes cybersecurity and zero trust operations, governance, strategic planning, enterprise architecture, capability portfolio management, solutions analysis, implementation planning, performance and risk management, IT service management, systems engineering, innovative project management, data and analytics, training, policy analysis, IT analysis, and administrative technical support.

Key Responsibilities

Cybersecurity Risk Management and RMF Support
• Conduct in-depth risk assessments at the program, organizational, mission and business process, and information system levels to identify threats, vulnerabilities, and risk exposure.
• Apply NIST SP 800-37, NIST SP 800-53, CNSSI, ICD, DIA guidance, DoD cybersecurity inspection requirements, and DoD STIGs to support security and privacy risk management.
• Identify, analyze, and recommend mitigation strategies for systemic vulnerabilities affecting information systems, organizational operations, assets, individuals, other organizations, and national security interests.
• Develop and document organizationally tailored control baselines and common controls to support inheritance, accountability, and risk-based decision-making.

Zero Trust Architecture and Enterprise Security Advisory
• Advise on the design and implementation of Zero Trust architectures across the enterprise using NIST SP 800-207, CNSSI Zero Trust reference architectures, and applicable IC guidance.
• Provide recommendations for identity verification, continuous monitoring, micro-segmentation, user, asset, and resource protection, and transition from static perimeter-based defenses.
• Support existing, ongoing, and expanding cybersecurity and zero trust programs, projects, technologies, processes, and workforce innovation efforts across the AF IC Information Environment.
• Conduct assessments of enterprise tool solutions intended to protect and defend AF IC mission systems, considering functionality, scalability, and compatibility with existing infrastructure.

Continuous Monitoring, SOC, and Threat Awareness
• Recommend continuous monitoring programs and practices using NIST SP 800-137, CNSSI, and ICD guidance to maintain awareness of information security, vulnerabilities, and threats.
• Advise on Security Operations Center capabilities for protecting legacy systems and cloud environments, including monitoring, detection, response, and protection of critical data and applications.
• Support the use and assessment of SIEM capabilities to monitor, detect, and respond to security threats in real time.
• Gather and analyze cyber threat intelligence to anticipate emerging risks and support proactive defense activities.

Policy, Governance, and Compliance Support
• Develop and propose DAF cybersecurity risk management policies for the AF IC that align with Federal, IC, DoD, and DAF standards and regulations.
• Conduct security audits to assess compliance with organizational policies and federal requirements, identify improvement areas, and support corrective actions.
• Support governance, capability portfolio management, solutions analysis, solution implementation planning, performance management, and risk management activities.
• Provide cybersecurity and zero trust input to strategic planning, enterprise architecture, systems engineering, program analysis, policy analysis, and IT analysis efforts.

Cross-Functional Collaboration, Communications, and Resource Alignment
• Collaborate with IT, operations, development, and other cross-functional teams to assess and strengthen the organization’s cybersecurity posture.
• Prepare and deliver briefings, presentations, analyses, and recommendations to support leadership awareness and decision-making.
• Use strategic communications and knowledge management tools such as SharePoint, Jira, Confluence, and Mattermost to organize, communicate, and track cybersecurity work products.
• Lead and manage PPBE-related activities to support resource alignment, budget development, execution tracking, and program performance assessments.

Qualifications

Education
• Minimum Requirement: Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, IT, or a STEM-related field; OR an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
• Experience Substitution: A Bachelor's degree in a non-STEM field or a lack of a formal degree may be offset by providing an additional four (4) years of direct cybersecurity, systems analysis, or risk management experience beyond the minimum requirement.
• Minimum Experience: 6–12 years of relevant professional experience in cybersecurity, systems analysis, or technical assistance.

Professional Certifications
• Required: Active CompTIA Security+ CE (or equivalent DoD 8140/8570 IAT Level II foundational certification).
• Advanced Preferred: Preference given to candidates holding DoD 8140/8570 IAM or IAT Level III certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM, CASP+, or Security).

Minimum Qualifications
• 6-12 years of relevant cybersecurity, systems analysis, risk management, or technical assistance experience.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.
• Ability to work on-site in the National Capital Region five days per week and travel on TDY as requested by the Government.
• Experience applying NIST SP 800-37, NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-137, NIST SP 800-207, CNSSI, ICD, DIA guidance, DoD STIGs, and related cybersecurity standards.
• Experience conducting risk assessments, vulnerability analysis, control baseline development, security audits, continuous monitoring, and cybersecurity compliance support.
• Ability to support zero trust architecture implementation, SOC advisory activities, SIEM-informed monitoring, cyber threat intelligence analysis, and enterprise tool assessments.
• Strong speaking, presenting, planning, project management, analytical thinking, problem-solving, task management, leadership, adaptability, cooperation, and risk management skills.

Preferred Qualifications
• Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a STEM-related field.
• Familiarity with Headquarters Air Force, the Air Force Intelligence Community, DoD, IC, or comparable national security mission environments.
• Experience supporting enterprise architecture, capability portfolio management, IT service management, systems engineering, data and analytics, training, program analysis, policy analysis, and administrative technical support.
• Knowledge of legacy and cloud security environments, Zero Trust reference architectures, enterprise monitoring practices, and cybersecurity modernization efforts.
• Experience with PPBE, strategic communications, knowledge management, SharePoint, Jira, Confluence, Mattermost, and leadership-level reporting.