Position Title: Designated Authorizing Official (DAO) Representative
Position Type: Full-Time, On-Site
Location: Chantilly, VA
Clearance: Active Top Secret/SCI with Polygraph
Waypoint’s client is seeking an experienced Designated Authorizing Official (DAO) Representative to support cybersecurity governance, risk management, and system authorization activities for mission-critical systems within the Intelligence Community. This position will play a key role in supporting the Risk Management Framework (RMF), evaluating system security postures, reviewing authorization documentation, and providing technical and risk-based recommendations to government leadership.
The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in federal cybersecurity, RMF implementation, and system accreditation, with demonstrated experience evaluating security controls, identifying cybersecurity risks, and supporting authorization decisions. This individual must be capable of working independently, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and confidently communicating technical findings, security risks, and recommendations to senior leadership.
Responsibilities- Support Designated Authorizing Official (DAO) functions by providing cybersecurity risk assessments, technical evaluations, and recommendations related to system security authorization.
- Assist government stakeholders with implementing and maintaining Risk Management Framework (RMF) processes throughout the system authorization lifecycle.
- Review and evaluate system security documentation, authorization packages, and supporting cybersecurity artifacts to assess compliance with applicable federal and organizational security requirements.
- Analyze security control implementations, assessment results, identified vulnerabilities, and residual risks to support informed authorization decisions.
- Provide technical guidance and recommendations regarding system accreditation, authorization readiness, and cybersecurity risk mitigation.
- Collaborate with Information System Security Officers (ISSOs), Information System Security Engineers (ISSEs), system owners, security control assessors, and government stakeholders to coordinate RMF and authorization activities.
- Evaluate Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms), security assessment findings, and remediation activities to ensure identified security risks are appropriately documented and addressed.
- Support continuous monitoring activities by reviewing system security changes, vulnerability findings, compliance documentation, and evolving cybersecurity risks.
- Assist in the preparation, review, and maintenance of authorization documentation, including System Security Plans (SSPs), Security Assessment Reports (SARs), risk assessments, and other RMF artifacts.
- Utilize ServiceNow to support cybersecurity workflows, authorization processes, risk tracking, and remediation coordination.
- Assess system security postures and provide independent technical recommendations to support risk-based decisions by government leadership.
- Identify gaps in cybersecurity compliance, security control implementation, and authorization documentation, recommending corrective actions and process improvements.
- Coordinate with technical teams and government stakeholders to ensure cybersecurity requirements and authorization activities align with mission objectives.
- Prepare and deliver cybersecurity risk assessments, authorization status updates, technical findings, and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Work independently to manage assigned responsibilities, resolve technical challenges, and support cybersecurity objectives with minimal oversight.
- Communicate effectively with cross-functional teams to facilitate cybersecurity governance, risk management, and system authorization activities.
- Active Top Secret/SCI clearance with Polygraph.
- IAM Level II certification or higher in accordance with applicable DoD cybersecurity workforce requirements.
- Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution, preferably in a STEM discipline such as Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Engineering, or a closely related technical field.
- Minimum of seven (7) years of professional experience in federal cybersecurity, Risk Management Framework (RMF) implementation, system accreditation, or a closely related discipline.
- Demonstrated experience with ServiceNow to support cybersecurity workflows, RMF activities, authorization tracking, risk management, or remediation coordination.
- Demonstrated understanding of federal cybersecurity requirements, security authorization processes, and risk management principles.
- Knowledge of RMF processes, security control assessments, system authorization documentation, and continuous monitoring requirements.
- Ability to review and evaluate cybersecurity documentation, identify security risks, and provide practical risk mitigation recommendations.
- Understanding of security control implementation, vulnerability management, remediation tracking, and cybersecurity compliance processes.
- Ability to assess technical security findings and communicate their potential impact on system authorization and organizational risk.
- Experience collaborating with cybersecurity professionals, technical teams, and government stakeholders to support system security and authorization objectives.
- Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Self-motivated professional capable of working independently and managing responsibilities with minimal supervision.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in a team-oriented environment.
- Demonstrated ability to confidently brief senior leadership, clearly communicate complex cybersecurity risks, present technical findings, and provide actionable recommendations to support informed decision-making.