{bc}
Apply
workday

Engineering Lead

Nightwing
Sterling, USA
Full-time
Lead · 10+ years experience
Onsite
Discovered 1 weeks ago
awsazurebashdockergcpkubernetes

Full Job Posting

Key Responsibilities

  • Technical Leadership & Architecture
  • Serve as the senior technical authority for all engineering activities across the program portfolio
  • Define and maintain system architecture and technical strategy for cybersecurity operations, detection engineering, and automation platforms
  • Establish and enforce engineering standards, best practices, and design patterns across all development and integration efforts
  • Ensure technical integrity across all system development, integration, and operational activities
  • Provide technical direction and mentorship to engineering teams of 50+ engineers across multiple disciplines
  • Drive architectural decisions that balance mission requirements, technical feasibility, cost, and schedule
  • Information Assurance & System Accreditation
  • Maintain technical authority over systems requiring Authority to Operate (ATO) within DoD and Intelligence Community environments
  • Ensure all engineering activities comply with customer Information Assurance requirements and Standards
  • Support system accreditation processes including documentation, testing, and continuous monitoring requirements
  • Coordinate with IA/IT personnel to ensure engineering teams maintain required certifications
  • Support development of system security documentation for ATO packages
  • Systems Integration & Development
  • Oversee integration of cybersecurity tools, SIEM platforms, detection frameworks, and automation capabilities
  • Guide software and hardware development efforts supporting SOC operations, threat detection, and incident response
  • Ensure interoperability across complex technical environments including on-premise, cloud, and hybrid architectures
  • Support prototype validation, operational testing, and system acceptance activities
  • Lead DevSecOps transformation and CI/CD pipeline development for security operations
  • Oversee development and deployment of custom detection content, automation playbooks, and orchestration workflows
  • Technical Program Support & Stakeholder Engagement
  • Translate operational requirements from Intelligence Community customers into technical solutions and architectures
  • Provide technical expertise to program management, customers, and senior leadership
  • Interface directly with Customer, mission partners, and other Intelligence Community stakeholders on technical matters
  • Support technical risk assessment and mitigation strategies across the program
  • Review and approve technical deliverables, design documents, and system documentation
  • Present technical strategies, architectures, and solutions to C-suite and senior government leadership
  • Innovation & Continuous Improvement
  • Drive adoption of emerging technologies including AI/ML for threat detection, cloud-native security, and automation
  • Support continuous improvement of technical processes, development methodologies, and engineering practices
  • Evaluate and recommend new tools, techniques, platforms, and approaches
  • Lead technical assessments of vendor solutions and COTS/GOTS products
  • Champion security-by-design principles across all engineering activities
  • Foster culture of technical excellence, innovation, and knowledge sharing
  • Engineering Team Leadership
  • Lead, mentor, and develop cross-functional engineering teams including software engineers, detection engineers, security engineers, and automation specialists
  • Ensure team maintains readiness to support dynamic mission environments and rapid capability development
  • Conduct technical performance management, career development planning, and succession planning
  • Drive technical hiring to build organizational capability and address skill gaps
  • Foster collaborative, mission-focused engineering culture emphasizing quality, innovation, and accountability
  • Technical Risk Management & Quality Assurance
  • Identify, assess, and aggressively mitigate technical risks in mission environments
  • Develop and implement technical contingency plans to ensure system availability and mission continuity
  • Ensure quality assurance through code reviews, testing strategies, and validation processes
  • Navigate technical, schedule, and resource constraints while maintaining mission focus
  • Support crisis management during system outages, security incidents, or performance degradation
  • Balance technical debt management with feature delivery and mission urgency

Required Qualifications

  • Education & Certification
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, IT, or related STEM field
  • At least one: CISSP, CISM, CCISO, GCDA, Security+ CE, CySA+, or equivalent certification
  • 10+ years engineering experience with demonstrated technical leadership of large-scale engineering teams
  • 8+ years leading engineering efforts for programs of similar size and scope (100+ FTEs, $50M+ budgets)
  • 10+ years architecting and engineering complex systems supporting national security missions
  • 5-8 years cybersecurity, SOC, or cyber incident response experience with engineering focus
  • 5-8 years detection engineering and automation experience
  • 5-8 years IT services engineering with Intelligence Community customers
  • Technical Knowledge
  • Deep understanding of system architecture and engineering principles for enterprise-scale systems
  • Demonstrated experience with programs of similar size and scope supporting Intelligence Community missions
  • Extensive knowledge of cybersecurity operations, defensive cyber capabilities, and threat detection methodologies
  • Working knowledge of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and DevSecOps practices
  • Experience with cloud architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and infrastructure-as-code
  • Strong understanding of SIEM platforms (Splunk, Elastic, Sentinel), detection frameworks (Sigma, YARA), and SOAR platforms
  • Knowledge of programming/scripting languages (Python, PowerShell, Bash) and automation frameworks
  • Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and modern engineering practices
  • Leadership & Stakeholder Management
  • Exceptional communication skills with proven ability to translate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
  • Demonstrated success in mission environments requiring rapid technical decision-making
  • Track record of technical innovation driving mission impact and customer satisfaction
  • Strong technical presence with ability to brief senior military and civilian leadership
  • Experience managing in matrixed organizations with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities
  • Proven ability to influence without authority and build technical consensus across organizational boundaries

Experience

  • Engineering Leadership (One of the following):
  • Domain Experience (One of the following):

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience within Intelligence Community (NRO, NSA, CIA, DIA, NGA) and Military mission partner environments
  • Advanced degrees (MS, PhD) in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical fields
  • Advanced degrees and certifications in IT process improvement and/or capability frameworks (e.g., ITIL, COBIT, ISO 27001, CISSP, Agile/SAFe)
  • Multiple advanced certifications: CISSP, CISM, GIAC certifications (GCIA, GCIH, GREM, GCFA)
  • Experience leading security operations centers (SOCs) or threat detection programs
  • Background in threat intelligence, malware analysis, or offensive security
  • Experience with AI/ML for security, anomaly detection, and advanced analytics
  • Prior military or intelligence community technical leadership experience
  • Experience supporting classified programs at TS/SCI level with special access programs (SAP)
  • Track record of technical publications, speaking engagements, or open-source contributions
  • Success Metrics
  • Technical systems delivered on schedule, within budget, and meeting performance requirements
  • System availability and reliability meeting or exceeding SLAs (99.9999%+ uptime for critical systems)
  • Customer satisfaction with technical solutions, architecture decisions, and engineering support
  • Engineering team performance including velocity, quality metrics, and technical debt management
  • Technical risk mitigation effectiveness with proactive identification and resolution before mission impact
  • Innovation adoption with measurable improvement in capabilities through new technologies
  • Technical debt reduction while maintaining feature delivery velocity
  • Security posture improvement through architectural enhancements and engineering practices
  • Why Nightwing
  • Lead mission-critical engineering efforts directly supporting Intelligence Community operations and national security objectives
  • Exercise full technical authority with meaningful impact on system architecture, capabilities, and mission effectiveness
  • Build and lead high-performing engineering teams of talented professionals in cutting-edge cyber and intelligence domains
  • Partner directly with senior government customers in the Intelligence Community on programs of strategic importance
  • Operate in environments where your technical leadership, decisions, and innovations truly matter to mission success
  • Competitive compensation with performance-based incentives tied to technical delivery and innovation
  • Access to cutting-edge technologies and opportunities to work on challenging technical problems
  • At Nightwing, we value collaboration and teamwork. You'll have the opportunity to work alongside talented individuals who are passionate about what they do. Together, we'll leverage our collective expertise to drive innovation, solve complex problems, and deliver exceptional results for our clients.
  • Thank you for considering joining us as we embark on this new journey and shape the future of cybersecurity and intelligence together as part of the Nightwing team.
  • Salary & Benefits
  • The salary associated with this position ($176,000-$353,000) is commensurate with the selected candidate’s qualifications, years of relevant experience, and demonstrated level of expertise. Compensation will be determined based on these factors to ensure alignment with skills, responsibilities, and market standards.
  • Nightwing offers medical, vision and dental insurance coverage in addition to a 401k plan, PTO, Holidays, and additional insurances.
  • Nightwing is An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age or any other federally protected class.

Apply for this job in 1 click

Skip the repetitive application forms

Install the Base Career Chrome Extension and autofill job applications across major job boards with your profile.

Sarah M.James T.Maya R.

Trusted by over 500,000 job seekers on Base Career

Start Free Today

More from this employer

More jobs at Nightwing

Sr Systems Integrator (OPT)

Sterling, USA

Discovered 2 days agoPart-time

Senior Cyber Security Consultant

, USA

Discovered 2 days agoFull-time

Software Engineer 3

, USA

Discovered 2 days agoFull-time

Linux Systems & Logistics Support Specialist (Junior)

, USA

Discovered 3 days agoFull-time

Senior Program Manager

, USA

Discovered 4 days agoFull-time

Mid-Level GEOINT Geospatial Analyst

, USA

Discovered 4 days agoFull-time

Threat Intel Lead

Sterling, USA

Discovered 5 days agoFull-time

Principal Cyber Software Engineer (iOS)

Sterling, USA

Discovered 5 days agoFull-time