Senior Security Analyst

Overview

Planned Systems International (PSI) is currently seeking a Senior Security Analyst is responsible for supervising and coordinating Authorization & Accreditation (A&A) security activities and requirements for software products, including attaining Authority to Operate (ATOs) for multiple applications and systems within a software development Product Line at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Essential Functions and Job Responsibilities

• Act as system steward, advocate, and action manager by ushering products, applications, and systems through VA’s Risk Management Framework (RMF) stages to successfully award and maintain an ATO.
• Work with the VA security engineering teams and development teams to ensure that all requirements and artifacts for a product’s ATO are completed in a timely manner and maintained and updated in the Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Service (eMASS).
• Manage eMASS workflows and assist VA teams in developing documentation, addressing compliance gaps, coordinating reviews, and eliminating blockers.
• Post all required security artifacts in eMASS on behalf of VA employees and developers
• Develop and implement a Security Plan for the products within the Product Line to describe how the ATO will be maintain
• Review software application requirements to assure that the necessary security elements are identified
• Work with the VA engineers, Information Security Officers (ISO), and third-party development vendors to conduct vulnerability assessments on all software products i.
• Provide training on all pertinent security requirements to stakeholders, business sponsors, and PMO and development team members.
• Provide regularly scheduled status reports that summarize all security-related activity, with emphasis on high-risk activities and potential/actual security breaches and violations
• Develop and track Program Objective and Milestones (POAM) to reflect current status of addressing gaps in ATO and security requirements.
• Facilitate working sessions with security and information assurance teams for eMASS issue resolution.
• Document security related planning activities, capture and mitigate risks, and maintain the schedule of planned security activities and document analysis, as needed, on various systems and tools
• Facilitate virtual meetings to review RMF actions and status or to perform deep dives on specific security controls and POAMs, and update eMASS directly based on the meeting outcomes.
• Stay up to date with VA policy, industry trends, and advancements in program management and software development.
• Work proactively and independently to carry out assignments to completion within parameters of instructions given, prescribed routines, and standard accepted practices.
• Function as part of an integrated team sharing products, best practices, and information across the PMO Support Team.
• Perform related duties as assigned by supervisor.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• 3-5 years of relevant experience
• Experience in managing security requirements and ATOs
• Experience working as a federal contractor or employee.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate with brevity and clarity to government clients and develop work products that meet professional quality standards with minimal supervision.
• Experience working as a consultant, with an understanding of how to effectively manage and support government clients and stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of software development life cycle (SDLC) and Agile methodologies.
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., JIRA, MS Project) and methodologies.
• Ability to schedule, organize, and facilitate executive-level virtual meetings and summarize outcomes.
• Ability to self-organize, balance workload, complete tasks on time (without reminders), proactively seek out assignments, and offer improvements to client delivery.

Required Technical/Business Tools Experience

• eMASS or security risk management framework tool
• MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams)
• MS SharePoint
• MS Visio
• Jira or comparable development management tool

Desired Qualifications

• eMASS experience
• Experience working as a VA contractor or employee.

Physical Demands

• Ability to effectively communicate in English, including talking and hearing.
• Ability to operate productively in a fully remote work environment, including the ability to take meetings and phone calls from a quiet and private space during business hours.
• Ability and willingness to actively participate in virtual meetings