Job Description

The Virginia Tech Transportation institute seeks an IT Security Engineer to join our IT team to help lead/support efforts pertaining to information security and IT operations. Working within a scientific research environment, this unique position will need cybersecurity expertise to build on existing DevOps practices in the support of VTTI's research. This role will be responsible for implementation of security controls/tools and collaborating on system design to meet security and continuity of operations objectives. They will assist VTTI's Information Security Officer with incident response, information security education and training, policy development, establishing controls and methods pertaining to data sharing, risk assessment, and other information security matters providing a crossover role with the Sys Admin team. As such, this position will provide expertise to researchers and staff in evaluating, implementing and troubleshooting software and hardware systems in support of VTTI operations and research. The successful candidate will be engaged in designing and implementing research computing clusters, petabyte scale storage, and supporting services.

The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate strong customer service and interpersonal skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to work well in a team environment as well as independently with minimal supervision. Familiarity with IT security issues, risk analysis, and compliance is required. Familiarity with federal requirements and related formal documentation is ideal.

Directions given and Received:
-Independently performs most assignments with instructions on global objectives and general results expected.
-Receives technical guidance on unusual or complex problems and work is reviewed for application of sound professional judgement.
-Position may supervise/mentor/provide training and coordinate the work of research assistants, technicians, and others who assist in specific assignments.

Duties and responsibilities:
-Work closely with the Information Security Officer to implement and improve the IT security plan.
-Lead information security operations, particularly pertaining to incident response, forensics, centralized logging, etc.
-Perform system administration duties, oversee occasional operation and maintenance activities.
-Oversee development of documentation and standards for continuity of operations, risk analysis and mitigation procedures.
-Work with center faculty and staff to establish standards and controls for data sharing and management.
-Establish an institute-wide information security training program, working with and supervising other IT professionals to implement this program.
-Contribute to proposal and report development, especially as it pertains to matters of data management and information security.
-Maintain knowledgebase of information security policy, legislation, and advisories, and vulnerabilities; disseminate throughout VTTI IT team and VTTI researchers as appropriate.

Required Qualifications

-Bachelor's degree in Information Security, Computer Systems, or related field, with exception for significant professional experience in field.
-Demonstrated information security and incident response experience.
-In depth knowledge of operating systems including windows, Linux/Unix, and Mac OSX desktop and server platforms using current secure practices for installation and maintenance
-Solid understanding of operating systems and networking fundamentals including significant troubleshooting experience.
-Strong understanding of IT Security practices, controls, and tools.
-Experience programming and with the infrastructure as code paradigm.
-Strong understanding of authentication standards and middleware like OAuth2, SAML, and LDAP
-Strong written skills; particularly with documenting and drafting communications with a wide audience.
-Ability to communicate and interact with diverse clientele.
-Technical writing background including experience writing knowledge-based articles and similar customer facing documentation.
-Must have strong work ethic and organizational skills to work independently, adapt quickly to changing computer environments and direct efforts of junior and midlevel staff.

Preferred Qualifications

-Masters degree in Information Security, Computer Systems, or related field.
-Demonstrated experience developing standard operating procedures pertaining to research data handling and data sharing.
-Strong scripting and automation skills with a scripting language like bash or PowerShell and configuration management like puppet or ansible.
-Experience with python, MATLAB, R, or other language. Particularly for data analysis and visualization.
-Experience with SEIM tools.
-Understanding of different authorization models like RBAC, MAC, and ABAC
-Strong foundation in IT security and experience with aspects like penetration testing, fuzzing, static analysis, and vulnerability mitigation.
-Experience with web-based tools, collaborative tools such as wikis, content management systems, and shared project spaces.
-Experience in research computing, especially HPC or GPGPU

Appointment Type

Restricted

Salary Information

Starting rate of $70,000, commensurate with experience

Review Date

1/16/2024

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight , a , a college, , and . The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous and . A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.