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 CISO and senior leaders on cybersecurity strategy, governance, and enterprise risk management.

• Provide Risk Management Framework (RMF) and authorization-to-operate (ATO) expertise, including improving ATO processes and promoting reciprocity across organizations.

• Advice on the management of the process for Internal Use Software.

• Develop and review cybersecurity policies, directives, standards, and technical implementation guidance.

• Brief senior leaders and coordinate cybersecurity matters across multiple government organizations and interagency working groups.

• Support security architecture, identity and access management, and zero trust planning and implementation.

• Oversee or advise on incident response planning, vulnerability management, and security monitoring (SOC/SIEM).

• Draft briefings, decision papers, budget inputs, and responses to taskers and data calls for the front office.

• Build security into acquisition and system engineering from the start (security-by-design / DevSecOps).

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.

• Experience advising executive leadership on cybersecurity strategy, governance, and risk management for complex enterprises.

• Experience with security frameworks and concepts, such as RMF, NIST CSF/SP 800-53, zero trust, and identity and access management.

• Experience improving ATO processes and promoting reciprocity, and developing security policies, standards, and implementation guidance.

• Ability to work on-site in Northern Virginia.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, or CDPSE.

• 10 or more years of progressively senior cybersecurity advisory or program experience supporting the Intelligence Community or DoD.

• Experience supporting a CISO, CIO, or their front office, including drafting for senior leaders.

• Experience with Intelligence Community directives and standards, including ICD 503, and authoring or coordinating IC-wide cybersecurity policy.

• Experience overseeing incident response planning, vulnerability management, and security monitoring.

• Experience integrating cybersecurity into acquisition and system engineering (security-by-design, DevSecOps).

• Experience briefing senior leaders and coordinating across multiple organizations, including interagency teams.

• Experience with cloud security architecture and enterprise cloud authorization.