Cybersecurity Research Assistant
Early-career cybersecurity professional implementing and monitoring security controls across Linux, Kubernetes, database, and AI infrastructure. Requires 1–3 years of hands-on technical experience, Linux and scripting skills, and interest in federal authorization and security engineering.
About the job
Responsibilities
- Implement security controls across Kubernetes, Linux, database, and model-serving environments.
- Build and operate monitoring and detection coverage, including metrics, dashboards, log aggregation, and alert routing.
- Run vulnerability scans across container images, hosts, and application dependencies; track findings to closure and maintain plans of action and milestones.
- Write and maintain Ansible and Python automation for hardening baselines and drift detection.
- Contribute to secrets management, network policy, and role-based access control.
- Build deterministic collectors for security-control evidence and normalize timestamped outputs.
- Help develop internal AI tooling for control-catalog retrieval, evidence drafting, and scanner-output triage.
- Keep security documentation aligned with deployed configurations and prepare materials for security reviews and continuous-monitoring reports.
- Test controls, policies, alerts, backups, and implemented changes.
Requirements
- 1–3 years of professional experience in IT, systems administration, help desk, network operations, or a comparable hands-on technical role.
- Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, or a related field; equivalent experience or technical certification may substitute.
- Comfort with the Linux command line and working knowledge of Linux system administration, preferably RHEL-based systems and Ubuntu.
- Scripting ability in Bash and Python.
- Basic understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, TLS, firewalls, and request flows.
- Basic familiarity with containers and interest in learning Kubernetes.
- Familiarity with version control and shared Git repositories.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance.
- Clear written communication, careful documentation, independent task execution, and willingness to ask questions.
- Interest in NIST security controls, continuous monitoring, and federal security authorization.
Nice-to-haves
- CompTIA Security+, Network+, Linux+, Kubernetes, or cloud certification.
- Cybersecurity or information-assurance coursework or concentration.
- Exposure to NIST standards, security frameworks, or compliance work.
- Home lab, capture-the-flag participation, open-source contributions, or a personal security project.
- Experience with Ansible, Terraform, Prometheus, Grafana, Elastic, or similar monitoring and configuration-management tools.
- Curiosity about large language models and AI tooling.
- Experience with NIH, federal agencies, or federal IT environments.
Compensation and Benefits
- Annual salary: $85,000–$110,000 USD.
- 100% employee medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Paid time off and holidays.
- 401(k) match up to 5%.
- Educational benefits, flexible spending accounts, and certification exam and study-material sponsorship.
Skills
Linux, Bash, Python, Kubernetes, Ansible, Terraform, Git, TCP/IP, DNS, Tls, Firewalls, Prometheus, Grafana, Elastic, Nist
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