Cloud Security Engineer

Washington, DC
Full Time
Experienced

LightFeather is seeking a Cloud Security Engineer to join our team in Washington DC. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience designing and securing AWS environments in compliance with federal regulations. You’ll play a critical role in maintaining the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of our cloud infrastructure by embedding security best practices at every layer—from architecture and automation to compliance and monitoring.

  • Location: In-Person (5 days/week) in Washington, DC
  • Job Type: Full Time
  • Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship Required
  • Clearance Requirement: Active Top Secret Security Clearance Required

Responsibilities:

  • Design, implement, and maintain secure AWS architectures compliant with federal security frameworks (FedRAMP, FISMA, NIST 800-53).
  • Ensure security best practices are incorporated into cloud architecture and infrastructure solutions.
  • Manage IAM roles, policies, federated access controls, and enforce least privilege principles.
  • Configure and continuously monitor AWS-native security tools such as GuardDuty, CloudTrail, Security Hub, Macie, and Inspector.
  • Set up comprehensive monitoring and logging solutions (e.g., Amazon CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail) to track activities and support incident detection.
  • Respond to security incidents, conduct forensic investigations, and implement corrective actions.
  • Conduct risk assessments, vulnerability assessments, audits, and penetration testing to identify and remediate security gaps.
  • Ensure compliance with federal and industry standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS.
  • Implement and manage encryption and key management solutions (e.g., AWS KMS) to safeguard sensitive data.
  • Ensure secure backup and recovery processes are in place and regularly validated.
  • Develop and enforce cloud security policies, standards, and baselines aligned with organizational and regulatory requirements.
  • Integrate security controls into Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform and CloudFormation.
  • Conduct security reviews of IaC templates and remediate misconfigurations.
  • Embed security into CI/CD pipelines, utilizing automation tools like GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, SonarQube, and Terraform.
  • Collaborate with development and DevOps teams to ensure secure software development lifecycle processes.
  • Manage AWS accounts and implement SSO solutions to streamline and consolidate access across environments.
  • Utilize Prometheus and Grafana for EKS (Kubernetes) monitoring to ensure high availability of microservices.
  • Create and maintain critical operating systems, communications software, and utility programs.
  • Manage file systems including logical volumes, network file systems (NFS), encryption, and patching of OS and software packages.
  • Support the preparation of ATO documentation and assist with security audits and continuous monitoring.
  • Maintain thorough documentation, audit trails, and compliance evidence.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

  • U.S. Citizenship.
  • Active Top Secret clearance.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cyber Security, Information Systems, or a related field.
  • 5+ years experience in cloud security and cybersecurity, with a strong understanding of AWS services and their security capabilities.
  • Demonstrated experience designing and implementing secure cloud solutions on AWS.
  • Experience managing IAM roles, policies, SSO integrations, and applying least privilege access principles.
  • Hands-on experience with AWS-native security tools such as GuardDuty, CloudTrail, Security Hub, Macie, and Inspector.
  • Familiarity with risk assessments, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing.
  • Experience with industry regulations and standards including GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, FedRAMP, FISMA, and NIST 800-53.
  • Proficiency with Infrastructure as Code tools: Terraform, CloudFormation.
  • Experience integrating security in CI/CD pipelines using tools such as GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, SonarQube, and GitHub.
  • Strong background in monitoring and alerting (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana) and Kubernetes (EKS) environments.
  • Experience with backup/recovery practices, encryption, and AWS key management (KMS).
  • Solid understanding of systems administration including OS patching, file systems, and network permissions.
  • Excellent communication and documentation skills for audit and compliance reporting.

Preferred:

  • AWS Security Specialty Certification or similar credentials.
  • Experience in a cloud-first government or defense environment.
  • Exposure to automated security testing tools and static code analysis.

Why Join LightFeather?
You'll be part of a team dedicated to meaningful impact, working on solutions that address mission-critical needs. Experience variety, fulfillment, and the opportunity to work with some of the best in the industry. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone is valued and respected.

Commitment to Diversity
LightFeather is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

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