Full-Time

ISE Personnel Security Generalist

Nooks

Nooks

51-200 employees

Platform enabling classified government–private collaboration

Compensation Overview

$85k - $95k/yr

No H1B Sponsorship

Colorado Springs, CO, USA

In Person

US Citizenship, US Top Secret Clearance Required

Category
Legal & Compliance (1)
Requirements
  • 1-3 years of hands-on experience in Personnel Security within the U.S. Defense Industrial Base or Intelligence Community, with exposure to SCI environments
  • Working knowledge of NISPOM (32 CFR Part 117), SEADs, and applicable ICDs related to personnel security
  • Practical experience using personnel security systems such as DISS/NBIS and NISS; familiarity with Scattered Castles preferred
  • Must possess and maintain an Active Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information eligibility clearance; U.S. Citizenship is required; candidates must be capable of maintaining eligibility up to the Top Secret/SCI level within 45 days of hire
  • Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple clearance actions simultaneously in a regulated environment
  • Ability to clearly explain personnel security requirements to employees and stakeholders
Responsibilities
  • Process and maintain personnel security actions including initial clearances, periodic reinvestigations (PRs), upgrades, downgrades, and transfers
  • Support SCI and SAP access nominations and maintenance using approved government systems (e.g., DISS/NBIS, NISS, Scattered Castles, JADE/SMIP as applicable)
  • Review personnel security documentation for accuracy, completeness, and regulatory compliance prior to submission
  • Process Visit Authorization Requests (VARs) and validate access requirements for personnel requiring entry to classified spaces
  • Monitor Continuous Evaluation (CE) alerts and assist with initial reviews, documentation, and coordination with senior security leadership
  • Support the reporting of adverse information, security incidents, and potential derogatory information in accordance with SEAD 3/4 and ICD requirements
  • Assist with Foreign Travel and Foreign Contact reporting and tracking to ensure compliance with applicable policies
  • Execute personnel security processes in compliance with NISPOM (32 CFR Part 117), applicable ICDs (e.g., ICD 704), and SEADs
  • Assist with the development, maintenance, and refinement of SOPs and desk procedures for personnel security activities
  • Support internal self-inspections and external audits (e.g., DCSA or customer-led inspections) by preparing documentation and responding to findings
  • Identify inefficiencies or recurring issues in personnel security workflows and recommend improvements
  • Serve as a point of contact regarding personnel security questions, processes, and timelines
  • Coordinate with government security offices, HR, hiring managers, and program teams to ensure smooth onboarding and access management
  • Provide guidance and clarification on personnel security requirements while escalating complex issues to senior security leadership
Desired Qualifications
  • SPeD Certification or progress toward professional security certification
  • Completion of government or industry personnel security training courses
  • Prior experience supporting a US Space Force or DoD Security Service Office (SSO) environment

Nooks offers a platform-as-a-service that enables government agencies and private defense/space firms to collaborate on classified projects. It accelerates tech adoption in national security by handling facility clearance sponsorship and personnel clearances, simplifying compliance and onboarding. The platform provides secure workflows and vendor-access controls, expanding options for vendors while managing the complexities of clearance processes. Its veteran-led team focuses on moving faster, reducing costs, and letting clients concentrate on their core work within the government–private sector ecosystem.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$32.7M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2021

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • $25M Series A from Zigg Capital, Upper90, SAIC, Lockheed Martin validates model.
  • Defense primes co-invest, signaling equity partnerships over customer sales.
  • Federal demand grows for private CIaaS in secure national security projects.

What critics are saying

  • Name confusion with SF AI sales Nooks.ai erodes brand clarity immediately.
  • Defense budget cuts in 2026 slash CIaaS contracts within 12 months.
  • SAIC and Lockheed Martin acquire Nooks by 2027, ending independence.

What makes Nooks unique

  • Nooks delivers Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service for secure classified workspaces.
  • Platform bridges government agencies and private defense firms for collaboration.
  • Handles facility and personnel clearances to accelerate tech adoption.

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Benefits

Stock Options

Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

4%

1 year growth

2%

2 year growth

-5%
FinSMEs
Jun 9th, 2025
Nooks Closes $25M Series A Funding

Nooks, a Crystal City, VA-based classified-infrastructure-as-a-service (CIaaS) model company for workspaces, raised $25M in Series A funding.

Nooks
Jun 9th, 2025
Nooks Closes $25M Series A Funding Round with Unmatched Team of Industry Leaders

Nooks raises $25M Series A to expand its subscription-access classified workspaces. Backed by Zigg Capital, Upper90, SAIC, and Lockheed Martin, Nooks is redefining access to secure, flexible classified workspaces for government and defense.

MB News
Jun 9th, 2025
Nooks Raises $25M in Series A Funding

Nooks has closed a $25M Series A funding round, partnering with Zigg Capital, Upper90, SAIC, and Lockheed Martin. The funding will enhance Nooks' Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS) model, aiming to improve secure collaboration for government and industry. The investment will support Nooks' growth in key markets and its integration of advanced technologies, with a focus on transforming classified infrastructure access.

Forbes
Aug 3rd, 2023
Small Companies Can’T Access Classified Work Without A Secure Space To Work In

A modular SCIF facility designed by Maryland-based builder, Modular Genius. Modular GeniusIf your small defense business has desirable technology that the government considers classified, you’ll need a secure workspace before you can secure government work. It’s a Catch-22 that Congress wants to alleviate.The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act includes language from both the House and Senate meant to open up existing classified work-spaces to small businesses.Building or gaining access to a government-approved secure workspace is a costly burden that adds to the already thorny problems defense startups face in getting security clearances for their employees and in getting their companies as a whole “covered” or cleared to work on classified projects.Such hurdles curb or prevent innovative, potentially war-winning technologies and ideas from being embraced and applied by the Pentagon says Andrew “Scar” Van Timmeren, vice president of government solutions for Blue Force Technologies, a small North Carolina-based business which recently secured a contract to build prototype unmanned adversary training aircraft for the Air Force.A former USAF F-22 pilot, Van Timmeren has seen the problem surface repeatedly among the cohort of defense startups traveling in the same circles as Blue Force, shutting them out of potentially meaningful contracts and contributions to national security.“It’s remarkably easy for continued contracts to go to incumbents within the cleared [classified] space because of the time and effort it takes to increase the number of new businesses that have access to cleared [workspace].”Van Timmeren cites an example wherein defense program managers are evaluating candidates to perform radar cross section survivability analysis of an aircraft. There’s already a cleared company with its own approved secure workspace. Another new firm may want to enter into that mix. But for DoD, “the easy button is to just go to the incumbent which may not be a small business.”Setting up a secure workspace isn’t easy

intelligence360
Jul 19th, 2022
San Francisco California based Nooks is raising $5,000,000.00 in New Equity Investment.

San Francisco, CA - According to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Nooks is raising $5,000,000.00 in new funding. Sources indicate as part of senior management Chief Executive Officer, Sean Blackman played a