Senior Cybersecurity Engineer - Security Engineering & Security Operations

Senior Cybersecurity Engineer - Security Engineering & Security Operations

Salary

$122,096.00 - $171,953.60 Annually

Location

Tacoma, WA

Job Type

Non-Classified

Remote Employment

Flexible/Hybrid

Job Number

T0330-26B

Department

Information Technology

Opening Date

08/21/2026

Closing Date

9/4/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Position Description

Are you passionate about protecting critical public services and the systems that support them? Do you want to join a mission-driven cybersecurity team that values technical excellence, collaboration, and service to the community? If contributing to the security and resilience of a modern city appeals to you, this may be the opportunity you're looking for.

The City of Tacoma is hiring up to two Senior Cybersecurity Engineers through a single, unified recruitment and interview process. Candidates will be considered for either the Security Engineering track or the Security Operations track based on their strengths, experience, and interests. You do not need to be an expert in both domains; we value depth in one track and collaboration across both. Candidates will not only need to be technically gifted but will require essential skills of communication, collaboration, mentorship, and teamwork.

Senior Cybersecurity Engineers safeguard the technology, information systems, and critical services that keep the City running. These roles strengthen cybersecurity maturity aligned with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls and the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF) while supporting compliance obligations such as CJIS, HIPAA, PCI DSS, NERC CIP, and applicable RCW requirements.

Working collaboratively with Information Technology teams and business units, these positions enhance cybersecurity visibility, engineer reliable controls, reduce vulnerabilities, manage threats, and ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of City assets.

Key Responsibilities:

Security Engineering Track

• Conduct secure design reviews and threat modeling for new systems and major changes; identify risks, propose controls, and document decisions.
• Engineer, deploy, integrate, and maintain cybersecurity tools such as SIEM pipelines, endpoint protection, identity security systems, and network security controls.
• Develop and maintain secure configuration baselines across operating systems, cloud platforms, and network infrastructure; monitor drift and drive remediation.
• Improve vulnerability management through engineering, ensuring scanning accuracy, coverage, asset associations, and workflow automation.
• Define and strengthen identity security requirements, including MFA, privileged access pathways, and conditional access policies.
• Perform cyber supply chain risk assessments for vendors, cloud services, data flows, and procurement processes.
• Produce compliance evidence and publish technical standards to support CJIS/HIPAA/PCI/NERC CIP/RCW requirements.
• Guide and mentor junior analysts and engineers in Security Engineering
• Promote a customer service-oriented approach to Security Engineering.

Security Operations Track

• Design, tune, and manage SIEM/SOAR detection logic to improve alert fidelity and reduce false positives.
• Lead incident response and event triage, classifying, investigating, containing, and coordinating remediation of security events.
• Conduct proactive threat hunting across logs, endpoints, identities, and networks.
• Own operational vulnerability management including scanning, validation, prioritization, ticketing, and reporting against SLAs.
• Maintain and tune security tools including EDR, SOAR, email security filters, and log pipelines.
• Onboard log sources and verify telemetry quality, collaborating with IT owners to resolve data gaps.
• Develop SOC procedures and operational standards, producing reports and compliance evidence.
• Guide and mentor junior analysts and engineers in Security Operations
• Promote a customer service-oriented approach to Security Operations.

Qualifications

Minimum Education*

Bachelors degree in information technology, cybersecurity or directly related field

Minimum Experience*

4 years of progressively responsible information technology experience related to assignment

• Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of education

Licensing, Certifications and Other Requirements:

• Security+ or related certification (CISSP, SANS, GIAC, COMTIA)
• As Assigned: Washington State Drivers License; some positions may require the ability to pass additional background checks and / or obtain additional certifications, with maintenance thereafter
• On-call participation is required
• Ability to obtain CJIS/HIPAA/PCI/NERC CIP access

Knowledge & Skills

Security Engineering Skills:

• Secure design review and threat modeling
• Security tool engineering (SIEM pipelines, identity systems, endpoint agents)
• Configuration baselines and secure hardening
• Vulnerability engineering and automation
• Cyber supply chain assessment and vendor risk analysis
• CIS/NIST RMF implementation
• Scripting & Automation familiarity (Python/PowerShell)

Security Operations Skills:

• SIEM/SOAR administration and detection tuning
• Endpoint security administration
• Security investigations and incident response
• Threat hunting and MITRE ATT&CK familiarity
• Scripting familiarity (Python/PowerShell)
• Communication, customer service, and collaboration skills

Selection Process & Supplemental Information

This recruitment is being managed by Kim Susee, if you would like to be notified of similar opportunities or stay connected with things going on at Tacoma Public Utilities and the City of Tacoma, connect with me on LinkedIn!

Compensation & Benefits

Pay Details:

Hourly: $58.70 - $82.67

Annual Salary: $122,096.00 - $171,953.60

Employee Benefits | City of Tacoma

The Department

The Information Technology Department supports the City's technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, application development, and innovation efforts across all City departments. The Cybersecurity Operations Team is part of the IT Department's Information Assurance line of business and is responsible for protecting the City's digital assets through the use of best practice controls and methodologies.

Joining the City of Tacoma's cybersecurity team means doing meaningful work that protects critical public services relied upon by hundreds of thousands of residents every day. You'll be part of a collaborative, mission-driven environment where technical excellence, integrity, and service to the community truly matter. Whether your strengths are in Security Engineering or Security Operations, you'll work alongside peers who value curiosity, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Additionally, you'll have the opportunity to directly shape the maturity, reliability, and resilience of the City's technology landscape. We offer complex challenges, support for professional growth, and flexible hybrid-remote work, and the chance to leave a lasting impact on a modern municipal environment.

A Commitment to Equity & Diversity

At the City of Tacoma, were on a mission to make our workforce as diverse and inclusive as the community we serve. We actively seek out candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. Join our team at the City of Tacoma and help us build a more vibrant, inclusive, and equitable community for all.

If you have a less traditional background, we want to hear about your transferrable skills and experience. We value a variety of perspectives and are excited to see what you bring to the table.

The Community

Tacoma is centrally located just 32 miles south of the city of Seattle and 31 miles north of the state capital, Olympia. The City of Tacoma is also home to the Port of Tacoma, which is among the largest container ports in the United States. Like most cities in the northwest, Tacoma is surrounded by beautiful nature, offering residents many opportunities for outdoor adventures.

Largely suburban in nature with a small, but dense, urban core, Tacoma is home to numerous institutes of higher learning that attract students from across the country. The University of Washington Tacoma, Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, a satellite campus of the Evergreen State College, three community/technical colleges, and several trade and business schools are within Tacomas geographic area. Downtowns Cultural District is the site of the Washington State History Museum, Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum, and Americas Car Museum.

With its affordable housing and distinctive neighborhoods and business districts, the city has been recognized numerous times as a best city to live in the nation. To see a few of the great things Tacoma has to offer, view this YouTube Video!

View this exciting video to learn more about the City of Tacoma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n5MWl8KFvI

Application Process

Interested individuals should apply online by completing the application and attaching a resume and cover letter by the closing date and time listed on the job announcement. Applications received without attaching the required materials may not progress in the selection process. Applicants who have the strongest backgrounds related to the responsibilities of this position may be invited to participate in the interview process, which may include a work problem. Appointment is subject to passing a background check.

Get Assistance

For assistance with the application process or questions regarding this job announcement please contact the Human Resources office at (253) 591-5400 by 4:00 p.m. of the closing date of the job announcement.

For technical difficulties using the NEOGOV system, call the applicant support line at 1-855-524-5627 between 6:00a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. This will allow us to assist you before the job announcement closes.

Communication with the City of Tacoma

We primarily communicate via email during the application process. Emails from Tacoma.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure that you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk email folders.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision plans for the whole family; paid holidays and paid leave; participation in the Tacoma Employees Retirement System (alternate plan for Police/Fire); continuing education and advancement opportunities and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities and incentives.

Medical Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Dental Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Vision Coverage: For eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Paid Leave: City employees are entitled to received paid holidays, sick/vacation leave or personal time off (PTO), depending upon union affiliation and appointment type.

Insurance Plans: Employees are covered by a long-term disability plan. Short-term and expanded long-term disability insurance plans are also available to employees. The State Industrial Insurance Act also covers employees.

Deferred Compensation: Income can be set aside on a pretax basis and invested for supplementation of normal retirement income.

Retirement: All employees of the City, except members of the Police and Fire services, Tacoma Rail and certain project employees, are included in the Tacoma Employees Retirement System. Information on the Tacoma Employees Retirement System can be found at www.cityoftacoma.org or by calling (253) 502-8200.

Other Employment Information

Direct Deposit: Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule by direct deposit.

Salary Increases: Based on satisfactory job performance, the City provides for a regular progression of salary increases for most classifications according to the salary schedule.

Union Affiliation: Many job classifications are covered by union security provisions which require union membership, dues, or payment of equivalent service fees.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

01

Which best describes your highest level of education?

• High school or GED
• Associates degree
• Bachelors degree
• Masters degree
• PhD or other
• None of the above

02

What field is your degree in?

03

How many years of progressive cybersecurity experience do you have?

• Less than 2 years
• 2 years but less than 3
• 3 years but less than 4
• 4 years but less than 5
• 5 years but less than 6
• 6 years but less than 7
• 7 years but less than 8
• 8+ years

04

Which of the following certifications do you have? (Check all that apply)

• CompTIA (Sec+)
• GIAC/SANS
• ISC2 (CISSP)
• None of the above

05

This position requires the ability to pass and maintain background check requirements associated with CJIS, NERC-CIP, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and RCW obligations. Are you able to meet this requirement?

• Yes
• No

06

This position requires participation in an on-call rotation. Are you able to meet this requirement?

• Yes
• No

07

The following questions are designed to help the hiring panel understand your relevant experience across both cybersecurity engineering and cybersecurity operations. Please provide detailed, contextual responses where applicable. Have you supported cybersecurity functions in regulated environments such as CJIS, NERC-CIP, HIPAA, PCI DSS, RCW, or similar frameworks?

• Yes
• No

08

If yes, please describe your experience and your role in meeting or maintaining required controls.

09

Please describe your experience performing cybersecurity engineering and/or cybersecurity operations work. Include examples related to: • SIEM/SOAR • EDR • Configuration baselines or secure hardening • Threat modeling or design reviews • Incident response or threat detection • Logging pipelines or identity security systems

10

Please describe your experience with vulnerability management. Include relevant details such as: • Engineering-level work (scan coverage, asset mapping, automation, baseline drift remediation) • Operations-level work (scan scheduling, validation, prioritization, SLA tracking, reporting)

11

Please describe your hands-on experience with security tools such as SIEM, SOAR, EDR, identity security platforms, or logging pipelines. In your response, describe whether your work was focused more on engineering (integration, pipeline development, tuning inputs) or operations (triage, tuning detections, investigations).

12

Please describe any experience you have with incident response, threat detection, or threat hunting. Include examples such as: • Investigations you have led or supported • Detections you have created or improved • Hunting methods or analytic techniques you have used

13

Please describe your experience performing secure design reviews, threat modeling, secure architecture assessments, or developing secure configuration baselines. Include examples of technologies, systems, or patterns you've evaluated.

14

Senior-level positions require collaboration, mentorship, and customer service with business units and IT teams. Please describe how you have collaborated with cross-functional teams or mentored junior staff in previous cybersecurity roles. Include examples of guiding team members, supporting investigations, or helping non-technical stakeholders understand security requirements.

15

How have you helped create a work environment where employees feel they have equal access to resources, opportunities to grow, and a strong sense of belonging in your previous roles?

16

Please tell us how you learned about this job opening.

• Job Interest Card notification
• Internet search
• Professional organization
• Community organization
• Military organization
• Union job posting
• City of Tacoma employee
• Online job board posting
• Word of mouth
• Other

17

Please provide specific information regarding how you learned about this job opening. Thank you, your feedback will be used to evaluate our success reaching the public and refine our methods for future job postings.

Required Question

Employer City of Tacoma

Address Human Resources Department

747 Market Street

Tacoma, Washington, 98402-3764

Phone 253-591-5400

Website http://www.tacoma.gov