Security Specialist Application Security Lead

Are you looking for your next challenge Are you ready to work with a performance-based small company At Zantech we are a dynamic Woman Owned Small Business focused on providing complex mission-focused solutions with a proven track record of outstanding customer performance and high employee satisfaction. We would love to talk with you regarding the next step in your career. Come join our team!

Zantech is looking for a talented Security Specialist / Application Security Lead to contribute to the success of our upcoming Applied and Emerging Technology Support project for a Hybrid role based out of Camp Springs MD.

The Security Specialist / Application Security Lead provides expert application security leadership ensuring secure software delivery through integrated security controls vulnerability management and Zero Trust architecture implementation. This role leads Security Engineers and Security Champions in embedding security throughout the software development lifecycle and collaborates with the DevSecOps Lead to implement automated security testing in CI/CD pipelines.

Responsibilities include but will not be limited to:

• Application Security Strategy & Architecture

• Establish and maintain application security standards and best practices for USCIS OIT
• Define security controls and gates for integration within CI/CD pipelines
• Design Zero Trust architecture implementations covering identity workload network and data protection

• Security Integration in CI/CD Pipelines

• Lead integration of SAST and DAST tools
• Implement container security scanning and vulnerability management (Aqua Security Snyk)
• Establish Infrastructure as Code (IaC) security scanning and policy enforcement
• Integrate secrets management (HashiCorp Vault) and secure credential handling

• Vulnerability Management & Threat Assessment

• Identify threats and measure potential vulnerabilities in systems applications and services
• Conduct security assessments and coordinate penetration testing
• Track vulnerability remediation SLAs and metrics

• Zero Trust Architecture Implementation

• Implement Zero Trust principles across Applications and Workloads realm
• Design and validate identity-based access controls (Okta AWS IAM)
• Establish micro-segmentation and workload isolation patterns

• Policy-as-Code & Compliance Automation

• Implement policy-as-code using Open Policy Agent (OPA)
• Automate enforcement of security and compliance controls
• Support ATO/Continuous Authorization processes with automated security control validation

Required Experience or Knowledge of the following technologies/functions:

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of IT engineering experience
• Minimum 5 years in DevSecOps DevOps or Platform Engineering roles
• Minimum 3 years of federal government experience preferably DHS or civilian agencies
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing enterprise CI/CD solutions
• Experience with cloud-native application development and deployment
• Track record of successful DevSecOps transformations in complex enterprise environments

Technical Skills (Required):

• Expert-level knowledge of CI/CD tools (Jenkins GitLab CI/CD GitHub Actions or similar)
• Deep expertise with container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes OpenShift EKS ECS)
• Advanced proficiency with Infrastructure-as-Code tools (Terraform CloudFormation Ansible)
• Strong scripting abilities (Python Bash PowerShell Go)
• Extensive experience with AWS cloud services (EC2 S3 Lambda RDS VPC IAM etc.)
• Expert knowledge of Git workflows and version control strategies
• Proficiency with security scanning tools (SonarQube Veracode Checkmarx Twistlock Aqua)
• Experience with monitoring and observability tools (Prometheus Grafana ELK Stack Datadog Splunk)

Technical Skills (Highly Desired):

• Experience with service mesh technologies (Istio Linkerd)
• Knowledge of policy-as-code tools (OPA Kyverno Sentinel)
• Familiarity with (especially relevant for USCIS Backstage)
• Experience with API gateway and management solutions
• Knowledge of secrets management tools (Vault AWS Secrets Manager)
• Understanding of software bill of materials (SBOM) and supply chain security

Federal & DHS-Specific Knowledge:

• Understanding of Zero Trust Architecture principles and implementation
• Knowledge of FedRAMP FISMA and NIST frameworks ()
• Familiarity with DHS security requirements and authorization processes
• Understanding of Section 508 compliance requirements
• Experience with AWS GovCloud and FedRAMP-authorized services
• Knowledge of continuous ATO (cATO) processes

Technical Skills:

• Expert: SAST/DAST tools (Checkmarx Fortify SonarQube Burp Suite OWASP ZAP)
• Expert: Container scanning (Aqua Security Snyk Twistlock)
• Expert: AWS Security services (Security Hub GuardDuty Config IAM)
• Proficient: Open Policy Agent HashiCorp Vault Okta
• Proficient: Kubernetes security Zero Trust architecture
• Knowledge: NIST 800-53 OWASP Top 10 FedRAMP

Preferred Experience or Knowledge of the following technologies/functions:

USCIS-Specific Experience (Highly Desired):

• Experience with DHS or USCIS security requirements and controls
• Hands-on experience with DHS security authorization processes (ATO/Continuous Authorization)
• Understanding of immigration data sensitivity and PII protection requirements

Required Education/Certifications:

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science Cybersecurity Information Assurance or related field
• Masters degree preferred
• Certifications (Recommended - Minimum 1)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• AWS Certified Security - Specialty
• Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
• CEH OSCP GWAPT CSSLP (desired)

Required Security Clearance:

• US Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain an active Public Trust or higher clearance per contract requirements.

Outstanding PerformanceAlways!

Our corporate motto represents our commitment to build long-term relationships with both our clients and our employees by providing the highest quality service in everything we do. We strive for excellence for our clients and for each other. We embrace the opportunity to hire individuals with new talents and fresh perspectives. Zantech offers competitive compensation strong benefits and a vacation package as well as a fast-paced and exciting work environment. Come join our team!