American University is a student-centered research institution
located in Washington, DC, with highly-ranked schools and colleges,
internationally-renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating
meaningful change in the world. Learn more about
American University
Department:
Information Security Engineering
Time Type:
Full time
Job Type:
Regular
FLSA Status:
Exempt
Work Modality:
Hybrid 04 (On Campus 1 day/Month)
Union:
SEIU Local 500 - Provost & Enrollment Division
This position is part of a collective bargaining unit represented
by SEIU Local 500 - Provost & Enrollment Division. That means
the terms and conditions of your employment are governed by
university policy (including the Staff Personnel Policies Manual)
and any collective bargaining agreement entered into between
American University and SEIU Local 500 - Provost & Enrollment
Division.
Job Description:
Summary:
The Cyber Security Engineer III plays a critical role in
safeguarding the university’s information infrastructure by
administering, monitoring, and optimizing security systems across
on-premises and cloud environments. This position is responsible
for threat detection, incident response, forensic analysis, and the
development of secure system architectures. The engineer
contributes to strategic planning, policy enforcement, and risk
assessment, while also providing expert consultation on new
technologies and mentoring junior staff. A strong technical
foundation, proactive problem-solving skills, and a commitment to
continuous learning are essential to success in this role.
Essential Functions:
1.) Security System Administration, Monitoring, and Forensics
- Configures, scripts, and develops applications across various
computer, network, server, and cloud-based systems.
Monitors network systems and traffic to ensure the
confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the university’s
information infrastructure.
Administers and develops systems to protect the internal
network from unauthorized access or abuse and streamline
information security operations.
Deploys, manages, and optimizes tools for analyzing enterprise
logs and detecting anomalies or threats.
Perform forensic analysis of network, system, and application
logs to support troubleshooting, incident response, and potential
disciplinary or legal proceedings.
Assists IT units in resolving security issues and ensuring
adherence to security protocols.
2.) Security Strategy
- Contribute to the development and maintenance of the
university’s information security strategy and architecture across
systems, platforms, and services.
- Enforce security policies, processes, and procedures.
- Analyze emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and risks to assess
potential business impact.
- Collaborate with the Director of Information Security and CISO
to mentor junior cyber security engineers and support strategic
planning.
3.) Security Consultation
- Advise on security risks for new technology initiatives.
- Provide guidance on university policies and regulatory
compliance.
- Recommend risk mitigation strategies aligned with institutional
goals.
4.) Continuous Learning and Professional Development
- Stay current on cybersecurity trends, technologies, and best
practices through research, training, and participation in external
knowledge-sharing communities (budget permitting).
Supervisory Responsibility:
- No direct reports. However, collaborative support is expected
with junior colleagues.
Competencies:
- Serving Customers.
- Displaying Creativity.
- Prioritizing and Organizing.
- Acquiring and Analyzing Information.
- Supporting Coworkers.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:
- Full-time.
- 35 hours per week.
- Schedule is Monday through Friday with a one-hour lunch break
in a hybrid modality with one day a month required to work from the
office.
- This position participates in a published on-call rotation,
typically one week out of every four weeks, with more frequent
rotations possible during staffing shortages or unplanned absences.
Purpose of on-call rotation: 1.) The Information Security on-call
rotation ensures timely detection, response, and coordination for
security alerts and incidents that occur outside of standard
business hours. This rotation is a critical operational
responsibility of Information Security staff and supports the
institution’s overall risk-management and incident-response
obligations. 2.) During an on-call rotation, the designated
employee performs their regularly work duties and must be readily
available throughout the day (including evenings, weekends, and
holidays) to proactively monitor alerts, queues and dashboards and
respond to incidents. 3.) Outside of on-call rotations, all team
members are expected to be reasonably available to respond to
emergencies and critical or time-sensitive security incidents. 4.)
This role may require frequent interrupted nights and
weekends.
- The on-call designee will be required to work remotely, during
unplanned closures or weather emergencies. The rest of the team are
expected to be on call and available to work remotely to address
emergency IT issues.
- OIT staff are prohibited from taking non-emergency leave during
the three-week period at the start of each semester, this includes
the week before the start of the Fall and Spring term and the first
two weeks of classes for the Fall and Spring term. Requests for
support peak during these times and system availability is also
critical, which requires all staff members to be working during
these times.
Salary Range:
- $105,519.00 - $115,000.00 annually.
Required Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
- 5 - 8 years of relevant experience.
Travel Required:
- May be required to travel between university computing
facilities.
Additional Eligibility Qualifications:
- Professional security certification (e.g., CISSP, SSCP, GIAC)
is highly desirable.
- Proven experience with incident response, log management and
analysis, Virtual Private Networks, virtualization, firewalls, web
application security, and intrusion detection/prevention
systems.
- Solid technical expertise in operating systems (Unix/Linux,
Windows, macOS), internet applications (email, web, DNS/DHCP,
TCP/IP), desktop software, antivirus tools), encryption
technologies (SSL, TLS, IPsec), and networking hardware and
software.
- In-depth knowledge of internet and network protocols and
standards, including TCP/IP, LDAP, and 802.1x.
- Experience with network management tools, such as SNMP.
- Familiarity with process improvement frameworks, such as CMMI
or ITIL, preferred.
- Background in system administration and scripting/programming
(Python and Powershell), ideally in a higher education
environment.
- Excellent oral and written English skills required.
- Ability to collaborate effectively within a team-oriented IT
environment; must understand the importance of workload sharing and
thorough documentation.
- Customer-focused with the ability to support users with diverse
technical backgrounds.
- Must demonstrate high personal and professional integrity in a
position of trust.
Other Duties:
- Please note this job description is not designed to cover or
contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or
responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.
Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time
with or without notice.
Benefits
AU offers a competitive benefits package.
Click here to learn about American University's unique benefit
options .
Other Details
- Hiring offers for this position are contingent on successful
completion of a background check.
- Employees in staff positions at American University must
deliver their services to the university from either the District
of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, or perform work on-site at the
university.
- Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or
contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or
responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.
Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time
with or without notice.
- American University is an
E-Verify employer.
Current American University Employees
American University current employees must apply through their
employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American
University, please log into Workday and select the Find Jobs report
which will take you to our internal career listings.
Contact Us
For more information or assistance with the American University
careers site, email
theworkline@american.edu
.
American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action
institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and
regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of
race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy),
age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal
appearance, gender identity and expression, family
responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran
status, an individual’s genetic information or any other bases
under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its
programs and activities.
