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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Information Systems Security Officer

💰 $ - $

Information SecurityCybersecurityGovernanceCompliance

🎯 Role Definition

The Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) is a technical and compliance-focused cybersecurity professional responsible for implementing, maintaining, and continuously improving an organization’s information security posture. The ISSO administers risk management and authorization activities (RMF), designs and operates security controls, coordinates security assessments, leads incident response and continuous monitoring, and ensures alignment with regulatory frameworks such as NIST, FISMA, FedRAMP, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR. This role bridges technical teams, system owners, auditors, and leadership to protect data, systems, and cloud environments while enabling business operations.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Cybersecurity Analyst
  • Systems Administrator with security focus
  • Network Security Engineer

Advancement To:

  • Senior Information Systems Security Officer / Lead ISSO
  • Information Security Manager
  • Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Lateral Moves:

  • Security Architect
  • Risk and Compliance Manager
  • Cloud Security Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead implementation and continuous management of an organization’s Risk Management Framework (RMF) and authorization lifecycle for one or more information systems, ensuring timely System Security Plan (SSP), Security Assessment Plan (SAP), and Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M) development and maintenance.
  • Develop, document, and maintain System Security Plans (SSPs), Interconnection Security Agreements (ISAs), Security Assessment Reports (SARs), and artifacts required for ATO/ATO renewal in alignment with NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-37, and organizational policies.
  • Conduct and coordinate security control assessments, vulnerability assessments, and penetration testing results with third-party assessors and internal teams to validate control effectiveness and remediate findings to acceptable risk levels.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external audits, compliance reviews, and assessments (FISMA, FedRAMP, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR), coordinating evidence collection, implementing corrective actions, and reporting status to stakeholders.
  • Implement and operate continuous monitoring programs, define CM thresholds, integrate automated tooling (SIEM, vulnerability scanners, cloud-native monitoring), and produce risk dashboards and executive briefings for leadership.
  • Lead incident response activities for assigned systems: triage alerts, coordinate containment and remediation, conduct root cause analysis, document incident reports, and update SSP/POA&M as needed.
  • Manage system configuration management and change control from a security perspective; review architected changes, approve exceptions, and ensure baseline configurations meet hardening standards and secure build guides.
  • Define, enforce, and improve access control and identity management processes (RBAC, least privilege, privileged account management), coordinate IAM changes, and approve/examine privileged access requests.
  • Architect and validate security controls for cloud environments (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud), including secure cloud deployments, IaC review, cloud-native logging, encryption, and key management.
  • Oversee data protection measures: classification, encryption (at-rest/in-transit), data loss prevention (DLP), backups, and secure disposal to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
  • Integrate threat intelligence and vulnerability management programs to prioritize remediation actions by risk, orchestrating patching, configuration fixes, and mitigation measures across systems.
  • Collaborate with DevSecOps and engineering teams to embed security into software development lifecycles (SDLC), perform code review gating, container and orchestration security, and vulnerability scanning in CI/CD pipelines.
  • Maintain and improve secure configurations, baselines, and hardening guides for servers, endpoints, network devices, and cloud services; enforce compliance through automated configuration management tools.
  • Design, test, and execute security training, awareness, and phishing campaigns targeted at administrators and users to reduce human risk and maintain compliance with policy requirements.
  • Prepare, present, and communicate security posture, risk metrics, and ATO/authorization progress to executive leadership, program managers, and stakeholders in both technical and non-technical language.
  • Coordinate interagency or third-party connections and reviews for system-to-system integrations, ensuring interconnection agreements and security baselines are established, documented, and enforced.
  • Participate in procurement reviews and vendor security assessments; evaluate third-party risk, contract language for security clauses, and implement compensating controls where necessary.
  • Develop and maintain incident playbooks, runbooks, and disaster recovery / business continuity security procedures to ensure rapid, repeatable response and system resilience.
  • Monitor and tune security monitoring infrastructure (SIEM, IDS/IPS, EDR) for assigned systems; set detection rules, manage alerts, and coordinate with SOC for escalations and investigations.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of emerging threats, vulnerabilities, security technologies, and regulatory changes; translate that knowledge into practical updates to security controls and policies.
  • Facilitate security-focused tabletop exercises and system-level penetration test validation and coordinate remediation tracking from discovery through closure in POA&M.
  • Ensure logging, monitoring, retention policies, and forensic capabilities meet legal, regulatory, and investigative requirements for assigned systems.
  • Review and approve security-related design documents and architecture diagrams; provide security risk assessments and recommendations early in project lifecycles to reduce rework and expedite secure deployments.
  • Enforce privacy and data handling controls, working with privacy officers to map data flows, ensure appropriate safeguards, and support DPIA/Data Protection Impact Assessments when required.

Secondary Functions

  • Support security-related reporting, dashboards, and metrics for program management and continuous improvement.
  • Provide technical mentorship to junior security staff and act as a subject matter expert for system owners on security posture and remediation strategies.
  • Participate in cross-functional project teams to advise on security implications of new initiatives, integrations, and product releases.
  • Coordinate incident post-mortem reviews, lessons-learned sessions, and updates to policy, training, and technical controls.
  • Assist in procurement and vendor risk assessments, reviewing security documentation (SOCs, security questionnaires, attestation reports) and recommending contractual protections.
  • Contribute to the organization’s security policy and standard development, ensuring operational procedures are practical and enforceable.
  • Facilitate secure onboarding and offboarding processes for system users and administrators, ensuring access is granted and revoked in accordance with policy.
  • Support business continuity and disaster recovery testing from a security perspective; validate emergency access and data restoration procedures.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep knowledge of Risk Management Framework (RMF), NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-37, and experience producing SSPs, SAPs, SARs, and POA&Ms in Azure, AWS, GCP, or on-prem environments.
  • Hands-on experience with vulnerability management tools (e.g., Nessus, Qualys, Tenable) and the ability to prioritize remediation based on CVSS, asset criticality, and business impact.
  • Operational expertise with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms (Splunk, Elastic SIEM, IBM QRadar, Azure Sentinel) and integrating logs from cloud and on-prem sources.
  • Familiarity with cloud security controls and cloud-native services (AWS IAM, Azure AD, KMS, CloudTrail, CloudWatch, Security Hub) and experience implementing secure cloud architectures.
  • Strong understanding of identity and access management (IAM), RBAC, MFA, SSO, and privileged account management solutions (PAM).
  • Experience conducting and managing security assessments, penetration tests, and red-team/blue-team exercises; translating findings into technical remediations and POA&Ms.
  • Knowledge of endpoint detection and response (EDR) platforms (CrowdStrike, Carbon Black, Microsoft Defender) and their integration with incident response workflows.
  • Proficiency with encryption technologies, PKI, key management, TLS, and data protection controls across applications and databases.
  • Logging, monitoring, and forensic skills, including evidence preservation, chain of custody best practices, and working with SOC teams during investigations.
  • Familiarity with regulatory compliance frameworks: FISMA, FedRAMP, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR, and ability to map controls to business requirements.
  • Experience with DevSecOps practices, CI/CD pipeline security, container security, and IaC (Terraform, CloudFormation) security review and scanning tools.
  • Working knowledge of network security technologies (firewalls, VPNs, IDS/IPS, network segmentation) and secure network design principles.
  • Proficiency with scripting or automation (Python, PowerShell, Bash) for automation of assessments, log parsing, and remediation workflows.
  • Ability to read and assess security architectures, threat models, and design documents; recommend compensating controls and secure design changes.

Soft Skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication — able to translate technical risk into executive-ready briefings and clear remediation guidance.
  • Proven stakeholder management — ability to coordinate cross-functional teams, negotiate timelines, and influence without direct authority.
  • Analytical and problem-solving mindset with attention to detail; able to prioritize remediation actions under competing deadlines.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning — stays current with evolving threat landscapes and regulatory changes.
  • Project management skills — able to manage multiple system authorizations, assessments, and remediation tracks concurrently.
  • Teaching and mentorship capability — able to deliver effective security awareness, training, and technical guidance to non-security staff.
  • Professionalism under pressure — calm, methodical approach to incident response and crisis communications.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or a related technical field; or equivalent security-related work experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, or related discipline; or specialized graduate-level certifications and executive security training.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Systems
  • Cybersecurity / Information Assurance
  • Computer Engineering
  • Network Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 4–8 years of progressive cybersecurity experience, or 3+ years for federal/RMF-focused roles with relevant certification.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years administering security controls, ATO processes, and continuous monitoring for enterprise or federal information systems.
  • Demonstrated experience with NIST RMF/FISMA and FedRAMP authorizations, or equivalent compliance frameworks.
  • Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, Security+, CSSLP, CCSP, or equivalent; RMF-specific training (e.g., Certified Information Systems Security Officer courses) preferred.
  • Experience operating within a SOC, working with SIEM, EDR, vulnerability scanners, and cloud security tooling.
  • Experience coordinating with auditors, external assessors, and regulatory bodies; history of successful audit outcomes.
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