Senior Cybersecurity and Governance Advisor, Northern, VA; Must have an active TS/SCI with Polygraph, Immediate Hire

Senior Cybersecurity and Governance Advisor

📍 Northern, VA

📌 Full Time | On Site

Join Synertex LLC and bring your expertise to a mission that matters. We are seeking an experienced Senior Cybersecurity and Governance Advisor (CISO Advisor) to provide strategic guidance and technical expertise in support of a mission-critical Intelligence Community customer.

In this high-visibility role, you will advise senior leadership on enterprise cybersecurity strategy, governance, and risk management while helping navigate complex security policies, authorization decisions, and interagency coordination. The ideal candidate will combine deep cybersecurity expertise with executive-level communication skills and the ability to develop policy, influence strategic decisions, and drive security initiatives across multiple organizations.

Responsibilities

• Advise the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and senior leadership on enterprise cybersecurity strategy, governance, and risk management.
• Provide expertise in the Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Authorization to Operate (ATO) processes, including identifying opportunities to improve authorization timelines, streamline processes, and promote reciprocity across organizations.
• Advise on the management and oversight of processes related to Internal Use Software.
• Develop, review, and coordinate cybersecurity policies, directives, standards, and technical implementation guidance.
• Prepare and deliver executive-level briefings on cybersecurity strategy, governance, enterprise risk, and emerging security requirements.
• Coordinate cybersecurity initiatives and policy matters across government organizations, interagency working groups, and other mission stakeholders.
• Support enterprise security architecture, identity and access management (IAM), and Zero Trust planning and implementation.
• Advise on incident response planning, vulnerability management, security monitoring, and Security Operations Center (SOC) and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) capabilities.
• Draft executive briefings, decision papers, budget inputs, responses to taskers, and data calls in support of senior leadership and front-office requirements.
• Integrate cybersecurity requirements into acquisition strategies, system engineering processes, and technology development through security-by-design principles and DevSecOps practices.
• Evaluate cybersecurity policies, processes, and technical controls to identify gaps, assess risk, and recommend improvements aligned with mission objectives.
• Support enterprise cybersecurity risk assessments and help senior leaders make informed decisions regarding security posture, compliance, and risk acceptance.
• Coordinate with technical teams, security stakeholders, and government leadership to align cybersecurity requirements with operational priorities and organizational objectives.
• Support the development and implementation of enterprise cybersecurity strategies, ensuring alignment with applicable government policies, security standards, and Intelligence Community directives.
  
  

Requirements

• Security Clearance: Active TS/SCI with polygraph required. Polygraph type must meet customer requirements.
• Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree in business or a STEM-related field, plus the required years of relevant experience, subject to confirmation of the customer's contractual requirements.
• Demonstrated experience advising executive leadership on cybersecurity strategy, governance, and enterprise risk management within complex organizations.
• Extensive knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks, standards, and best practices, including the Risk Management Framework (RMF), NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), and NIST SP 800-53.
• Experience with Zero Trust architecture, identity and access management, and enterprise security architecture.
• Demonstrated experience improving ATO processes, promoting reciprocity across organizations, and developing cybersecurity policies, standards, directives, and technical implementation guidance.
• Experience coordinating cybersecurity initiatives and requirements across multiple government organizations and stakeholder groups.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare executive-level briefings, decision papers, policy documents, and leadership correspondence.
• Ability to translate complex cybersecurity and technical issues into clear, actionable recommendations for senior decision-makers.
• Experience supporting cybersecurity risk management, security compliance, and enterprise-level policy implementation.
• Ability to work on-site at the customer facility in Northern Virginia.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), or Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE).
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible cybersecurity advisory, technical leadership, or program management experience supporting the Intelligence Community or Department of Defense.
• Experience directly supporting a CISO, Chief Information Officer (CIO), or executive front office.
• Experience developing, authoring, reviewing, or coordinating Intelligence Community cybersecurity policies and directives, including ICD 503.
• Experience overseeing or advising on incident response planning, vulnerability management, security monitoring, SOC operations, and SIEM capabilities.
• Experience integrating cybersecurity into acquisition, system engineering, and technology development, including security-by-design and DevSecOps.
• Demonstrated experience briefing senior government leaders and coordinating cybersecurity initiatives across multiple organizations and interagency teams.
• Experience with cloud security architecture, enterprise cloud security controls, and cloud authorization processes.
• Experience developing executive-level policy recommendations, strategic guidance, and cybersecurity governance frameworks.