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Information Systems Security Engineer (ISSE)

Amazon.com Inc

  • Arlington, VA
  • 4 days ago

    Highlights

    Develop and maintain high-quality authorization evidence, including system security plans, control implementation statements, security control traceability matrices, architecture diagrams, hardware/software inventories, test plans, assessment artifacts, risk assessments, plans of action and milestones, and continuous-monitoring records. The successful candidate has both breadth and depth: hands-on knowledge of operating systems, networks, cloud and virtualization, identity, logging, vulnerability management, cryptography, and secure architecture, combined with demonstrated mastery of the Risk Management Framework (RMF) for classified systems.

    Numbers & Facts

    LocationArlington, VA
    IndustryRetail
    Company Size10,000 employees or more
    Year Founded1994
    Websitehttp://Amazon.com/militaryroles

    Description

    Amazon Leo is a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide low-latency, high-speed broadband network connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the world.

    We are seeking a Senior Information Systems Security Engineer (ISSE) to raise the security bar for a portfolio of classified national security systems. You will work backward from mission and authorization outcomes, translate complex security requirements into practical engineering decisions, and own security across the full system lifecycle - from concept and architecture through assessment, authorization, operations, change, and decommissioning.

    This is a senior individual-contributor role for an engineer who can operate independently in ambiguous environments, dive into technical details, and influence system owners, architects, developers, operations teams, ISSMs/ISSOs, assessors, and authorizing officials. You will balance immediate mission needs with durable security controls, automate recurring work, and communicate risk clearly to technical and senior leadership audiences.

    The successful candidate has both breadth and depth: hands-on knowledge of operating systems, networks, cloud and virtualization, identity, logging, vulnerability management, cryptography, and secure architecture, combined with demonstrated mastery of the Risk Management Framework (RMF) for classified systems. A top secret clearance with SCI access is required.

    Key job responsibilities

    • Own end-to-end security engineering for multiple concurrent classified systems and enclaves, establishing priorities, schedules, risks, dependencies, and decision pathds with minimal direction.
    • Lead system security architecture and design reviews; define security requirements, trust boundaries, control allocation, data flows, threat models, and defense-in-depth strategies for on-premises, cloud, hybrid, and disconnected environments.
    • Drive RMF activities through authorization and continuous monitoring, including categorization, control tailoring, implementation guidance, assessment readiness, risk acceptance packages, significant-change analysis, and authorization maintenance.
    • Develop and maintain high-quality authorization evidence, including system security plans, control implementation statements, security control traceability matrices, architecture diagrams, hardware/software inventories, test plans, assessment artifacts, risk assessments, plans of action and milestones, and continuous-monitoring records.
    • Partner with system owners, ISSMs, ISSOs, architects, administrators, developers, security control assessors, authorizing officials, customers, and facility/industrial-security teams to resolve findings and make well-reasoned risk decisions.
    • Engineer and validate secure configurations using applicable government security standards and baselines.
    • Lead technical investigations of vulnerabilities, incidents, control failures, and anomalous results for the applicable environments; determine root cause, assess mission impact, define containment and remediation, and create mechanisms that prevent recurrence.
    • Build automation, reusable templates, dashboards, and quality checks that reduce manual effort, shorten authorization cycle time, improve evidence consistency, and provide leadership with actionable measures of residual risk.
    • Make and document security trade-offs that distinguish non-negotiable risk from reversible decisions; escalate clearly when mission, schedule, and security objectives conflict.
    • Mentor engineers and security practitioners, conduct peer reviews, raise documentation and engineering standards, and serve as a trusted technical resource across programs.

    A day in the life

    You may begin by documenting a proposed architecture change for a classified enclave, then lead a working session to close assessment findings, validate a control implementation against technical evidence, and brief leadership on the risk of a schedule decision. Later, you might automate an evidence-quality check, review vulnerability trends across the portfolio, coach an engineer through a difficult control interpretation, or coordinate with an assessor before an authorization milestone. You move comfortably between technical depth, program judgment, and concise executive communication.

    About the team

    Leo Security protects the people, facilities, hardware, supply chain, and classified communications behind a global satellite constellation. The ISSE function within this team owns the security architecture, administration and compliance of all Leo classified networks. The team works directly with engineering, program security, and government customers to architect and maintain secure sensitive networks across ALG sites.

    About Company

    At Amazon, we don’t wait for the next big idea to present itself. We envision the shape of impossible things and then we boldly make them reality. So far, this mindset has helped us achieve some incredible things. Let’s build new systems, challenge the status quo, and design the world we want to live in. We believe the work you do here will be the best work of your life.

    Wherever you are in your career exploration, Amazon likely has an opportunity for you. Our research scientists and engineers shape the future of natural language understanding with Alexa. Fulfillment center associates around the globe send customer orders from our warehouses to doorsteps. Product managers set feature requirements, strategy, and marketing messages for brand new customer experiences. And as we grow, we’ll add jobs that haven’t been invented yet.

    It’s Always Day 1
    At Amazon, it’s always “Day 1.” Now, what does this mean and why does it matter? It means that our approach remains the same as it was on Amazon’s very first day – to make smart, fast decisions, stay nimble, invent, and stay focused on delighting our customers. In our 2016 shareholder letter, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos shared his thoughts on how to keep up a Day 1 company mindset. “Staying in Day 1 requires you to experiment patiently, accept failures, plant seeds, protect saplings, and double down when you see customer delight,” he wrote. “A customer-obsessed culture best creates the conditions where all of that can happen.” You can read the full letter here

    Our Leadership Principles
    Our Leadership Principles help us keep a Day 1 mentality. They aren’t just a pretty inspirational wall hanging. Amazonians use them, every day, whether they’re discussing ideas for new projects, deciding on the best solution for a customer’s problem, or interviewing candidates. To read through our Leadership Principles from Customer Obsession to Bias for Action, visit https://www.amazon.jobs/principles

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