Government & Infrastructure – Service Delivery Center - Cybersecurity - Strategy, Risk, Compliance & Resiliency Senior Analyst

From strategy to execution, the Government & Infrastructure (G&I) practice of Ernst & Young provides a full range of consulting and audit services to help our Federal, State, Local and Education clients implement new ideas to help achieve their mission outcomes. We deliver real change and measurable results through our diverse, high-performing teams, quality work at the highest professional standards, operational know-how from across our global organization, and creative and bold ideas that drive innovation. We enable our government clients to achieve their mission of protecting the nation and serving the people; increasing public safety; improving healthcare for our military, veterans and citizens; delivering essential public services; and helping those in need. EY is ready to help our government build a better working world.

The Opportunity 

The Service Delivery Center is made up of high-performing, US-based resources who work closely with our experienced professionals to deliver project-based work and managed services to our federal clients. The Service Delivery Center is a core component of the Government & Public Sector practice (GPS). This role is part of our Cybersecurity – Strategy, Risk, Compliance & Resiliency (“SRC&R”) team within our Service Delivery Center. This team assists our clients with aligning a security management strategy with their business goals by assessing, designing, training, implementing and operating cybersecurity processes and solutions. This function is supported by our strategic alliances with third-party vendors and leveraging cybersecurity frameworks (e.g. NIST CSF, NIST 800-53r5, NIST 800-37r2). 

The Senior Analyst provides Information System Security Officer (ISSO) and Security Control Assessment (SCA) support across the NIST Risk Management Framework lifecycle, including control assessment, security documentation development, boundary determination support, POA&M management, and continuous monitoring, while coordinating assigned workstreams and reviewing Analyst work products. A strong candidate should be able to prepare systems for assessment, coordinate evidence and remediate findings and describe RMF decisions and outcomes, while explaining when ISSO and SCA independence must be preserved.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Own RMF delivery workstream for assigned systems by maintaining security posture documentation and supporting system owners and government ISSMs throughout the authorization lifecycle.
• Reference NIST SP 800-53A assessment procedures in addition to SP 800-53 controls and applicable overlays, select examination, interview and test methods, judge evidence sufficiency, and document objective results by explaining how implementation statements trace to architecture and evidence.
• Develop and maintain core authorization artifacts, including System Security Plans, Security Assessment Plans, Security Assessment Reports, control implementation statements, and supporting appendices
• Analyze information types and impact analysis, FIPS 199 categorization, NIST SP 800-60 mapping, stakeholder/role identification, authorization boundary rationale and risk context, system boundary information and document authorization boundaries, component inventories, data flows, interconnections, and inherited or shared controls.
• Determine control baseline selection, tailoring, overlays, scoping, parameter assignment, compensating controls and common-control inheritance based on system architecture and hosting model.
• Draft findings and develop POA&M items that link the condition and evidence to the control requirement, threat and vulnerability context, likelihood, impact, recommended action and acceptance criteria.
• Manage POA&M execution for assigned systems, including remediation tracking, evidence validation, closure packages, and deviation or risk acceptance documentation
• Understand NIST 800-137 and execute continuous monitoring and event-driven monitoring activities, including control review cycles, vulnerability management reporting, configuration compliance tracking, and monthly reporting deliverables
• Perform security impact analyses for proposed changes and document results for system owner review
• Review scan results, STIG or CIS benchmark results, configuration data, validate findings, distinguish false positives, and connect technical evidence to NIST controls.
• Maintain workflows, accurate system records and authorization artifacts within governance, risk and compliance tools such as eMASS, JCAM, and Xacta.
• Facilitate evidence-gathering sessions and control interviews with system owners, engineers, and application teams
• Coordinate assigned workstreams, review Analyst deliverables for quality and consistency, provide task-level guidance, manage dependencies and escalate risk.
• Track delivery commitments, monitor schedule and quality risks, and escalate issues to engagement leadership
• Provide day-to-day coaching to Analysts on assessment procedures, evidence expectations, and documentation standards for assigned systems
• Review Analyst work products for accuracy, completeness, and consistency before submission to engagement leadership, and provide specific, actionable feedback
• Drive high-quality work products within expected timeframes.
• Monitor progress and manage risk while ensuring stakeholders are kept informed about progress and expected outcomes
• Use knowledge of industry trends to identify engagement and client service issues and communicate this information to the on-site engagement team through written correspondence and verbal presentations.
• Stay informed of current Cybersecurity industry trends relevant to the services being delivered

Skills and attributes for Success

• Applied  knowledge of federal security frameworks and standards such as NIST SP 800-37, 800-53/53A, 800-60, 800-30, 800-137, FIPS 199/200, FISMA and relevant agency-specific policies.
• Applied knowledge of the NIST Risk Management Framework and security control assessment methodology
• Ability to analyze technical information and translate it into clear control documentation
• Ability to manage multiple systems or workstreams concurrently
• Ability to review work products for quality and consistency
• Clear communication with technical stakeholders and engagement leadership

To qualify for the role you must have

• Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, information technology, information systems, computer science, engineering, business or a related field.
• A minimum of 3 years of related work experience in cybersecurity, technology risk, compliance or information technology, including hands-on experience supporting federal RMF activities.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a secret level clearance
• Must be comfortable working in hybrid
• Experience developing or maintaining RMF documentation, collecting and organizing control evidence, supporting assessment readiness, tracking POA&Ms or executing continuous monitoring activities.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Federal authorization package development and maintenance.
  • NIST SP 800-53 control implementation statements and evidence mapping.
  • Security control assessment preparation and response coordination.
  • POA&M tracking, remediation support or continuous monitoring reporting.
  • Federal governance, risk and compliance tools such as eMASS, JCAM, CSAM or Xacta.
  • Technical security artifacts such as network diagrams, inventories, vulnerability scans, STIG or CIS benchmark results, change records or configuration data.
  • Flexibility to travel up to 20%.

Ideally, you’ll also have

• CISSP, CISM, CISA, CGRC, CIPT, CIPM, CIPP CRISC or other relevant certification
• Prior experience supporting a federal agency, consulting engagement, service delivery center or managed service.

What we look for

We are looking for people who strive to lead themselves, their teams, and their communities, people who can foster effective team work to drive results.  We’re interested in authentic communicators with the ability to collaborate with EY colleagues across various teams who want to develop personally and professionally in a dynamic organization.