Assessment and Authorization Specialist

MANTECH seeks a motivated, career and customer-oriented Assessment & Authorization (A&A) Specialist to join our team in Herndon, VA.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Perform comprehensive assessments of systems and networks within the networking environment or enclaves to identify configuration deviations, policy non-compliance, and security vulnerabilities.
• Execute passive compliance audits and active vulnerability assessments using enterprise security scanning solutions such as Rapid7 Nexpose.
• Lead system assessment and authorization (A&A) activities to establish, maintain, and support accreditation and special approval authorizations in accordance with ICD-503, CNSS 1253, and NIST standards.
• Develop, update, and maintain system Security Plans, Body of Evidence (BOE) documentation, and Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) to support formal Security Test and Evaluation (ST&E) milestones.
• Perform Information Systems Security Engineering (ISSE) tasks, including system architecture reviews, security requirement decomposition, and verification testing.
• Validate established security baselines, recommend safeguards, and conduct periodic system audit reviews while tracking corrective actions to closure.

Minimum Qualifications:

• High School Diploma
• 3+ years of experience supporting an Information Systems Security program and guiding system users on technical security compliance.
• 2+ years of specialized experience conducting vulnerability scans and analyzing results using Rapid7 Nexpose or similar enterprise scanning tools.
• Experience with ICD-503 controls, CNSS 1253 guidelines, and NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) accreditation workflows.
• Understanding of system security design, enclave security baselines, and security technology implementation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or DoD 8570/8140 IAM/IAT Level II or III baseline certification.
• Experience integrating host-based (HIDS) and network-based (NIDS/IPS) intrusion detection and prevention technologies.
• Ability to perform systems analysis, process definition, requirements decomposition, and project management.
• Strong interpersonal, briefing, and technical writing skills with experience communicating complex security findings to mission stakeholders.

Clearance Requirement: An active/current TS/SCI with polygraph clearance is required for this position.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.