INSIDE THE

Northrop Grumman’s Cybersecurity Program

Senior Recruiter Nell Breidenstein, Northrop Grumman Information Systems, shares her thoughts on cybersecurity.

Describe cybersecurity for us

What I consider cybersecurity to be on the large scale is what we are doing to secure the nation’s information across a wide variety of government agencies and programs. We also work on state and local levels, helping them build information systems and networks in manners that will be safer and more secure as they move forward.

I would like to reinforce that while cybersecurity is a big part of what we do, many cyber-based programs cover a wide range of missions and skill sets. For example, one program we are hiring for is responsible for building data repositories and managing cloud transformation, which is very important work and requires a variety of skills. We have different programs across our business that are focused on developing architectures, building and securing networks, securing data and preventing network intrusion or exploitation.

The positions that we tend to focus on recruiting for are both cyber based (software developers, systems administrators, etc.) and cybersecurity based (i.e. pen-testers, information systems security engineers, etc.)

What are the typical positions you are hiring for

The majority of the positions that we recruit for are software engineers, systems engineer, systems administrators, test engineers, network engineers, ISSEs and, less frequently, technical writers, trainers, etc.

It does vary from program to program, but my main focus is definitely the key skill sets of software engineers, systems engineer, and systems administrators with the primary focus being Java developers, Linux administrators and Cloud professionals.

Many of the positions supporting our cyber business do require a security clearance. There are certain positions where we may be able to work with a CI Poly, but all of our systems administrators and database administrator positions do require a Full Scope Polygraph.

View Northrop Grumman’s open positions.

Why are veterans good at cybersecurity

Many veterans have hands-on experience working in similar environments to the ones they would be working on here, especially when we are talking about Task Orders that are dealing with deployments, etc. Veterans frequently have very relevant hands-on experience which someone from the civilian sector may not have.

Northrop Grumman has a great initiative called Operation Impact that is just an amazingly wonderful program. It is for veterans that sustained significant injuries during any engagement post-9/11. This program has been around for a number of years and we have started really ramping up by assigning teammates to support the candidates within the program. It is incredibly rewarding when you are truly able to make a difference helping a veteran who has given so much take the next step.

What keywords do you use when searching on a job board for cybersecurity professionals

There are standard sets of terms I may use (i.e. Polygraph, Linux, Java, Software, Engineer, etc.), however, there are times that candidates may not put the correct keywords or search terms in their online profiles or resumes. This can make finding them rather tricky, so I find it necessary to try numerous different terms and strings. Generally speaking though, candidates should be sure to list the tools they are adept with and all of their certifications!

Talk to Northrop Grumman at the Oct 28 Cyber Job Fair!