ISSE/Systems Security Engineer at Bowhead
Dahlgren, VA
$130,000–$140,000
Jul 22, 2026
Dahlgren, VA
Jul 24, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
This role centers on information assurance and systems security engineering in support of a government defense program. Day-to-day work involves producing IA documentation (including PIT designation requests and DIACAP plans), creating POA&Ms and SOPs, and coordinating vulnerability assessments across host and network environments. It suits someone with solid DoD security framework knowledge, hands-on UNIX/Windows administration experience, and an active Secret clearance.
Senior level · 5+ years · Secret clearance · Full-time
Pay in the description: $130,000–$140,000
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $132,021 (middle half $99,961–$167,095). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (7)
Work location is not specified in the posting — no CBSA or state could be determined. The role appears to be on-site given physical demands and the cleared-facility context.
A High School Diploma is the stated minimum; a Bachelor's degree is 'highly desired' but not required — degree requirement is treated as None.
Nessus is listed under experience requirements but framed as 'experience with security assessment tools such as Nessus,' indicating it is an example rather than a hard gate on that specific tool.
The role sits at the boundary between security analysis (IA documentation, vulnerability assessments, DIACAP/POA&M) and systems administration (UNIX/Windows admin knowledge). 15-1212 was chosen as primary because the dominant day-to-day work is IA certification, accreditation, and vulnerability management; 15-1244 is noted as a plausible alternative given the systems administration component.
DoD Ports, Protocols, and Services (PPS) knowledge is required but names no specific tool — captured via the IAVM/PKI/PPS policy cluster rather than as a standalone named technology.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): DoD 8570 IAM Level II.
Requires a Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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