Cyber Security Engineer III

About this role

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 r

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