System Engineer 2

Software Analyst supports the mission of the National Information Assurance Partnership by conducting in-depth software assurance and Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) analysis for commercial technologies seeking evaluation, authorization, or deployment within National Security Systems (NSS) and other sensitive U.S. Government environments.

This role focuses heavily on software supply chain transparency, software provenance, open-source software (OSS) risk analysis, vulnerability identification, and vendor cybersecurity practices. The analyst evaluates software components, dependencies, development practices, and third-party supplier risks to identify potential threats to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of government systems.

The position requires strong technical analysis, cybersecurity knowledge, and the ability to assess software ecosystems from both a security and supply chain perspective.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) analysis on commercial software products, platforms, and applications undergoing evaluation or review.
• Analyze software dependencies, transitive dependencies, and third-party libraries to identify supply chain risks and hidden software exposure.
• Review and validate SBOM formats and standards including:
  • SPDX
  • CycloneDX
  • SWID tags
• Assess software provenance, code lineage, package integrity, and software component authenticity.
• Identify known vulnerabilities and software weaknesses through:
  • CVE analysis
  • KEV review
  • Vulnerability databases
  • Threat intelligence sources
• Evaluate risks associated with:
  • Open-source software (OSS)
  • Foreign-developed software components
  • Unsupported or end-of-life dependencies
  • Unmaintained libraries
  • Software obfuscation or lack of transparency
• Perform secure software supply chain assessments aligned with:
  • NIST SSDF
  • Executive Order 14028
  • Federal software assurance guidance
  • NIAP protection profile requirements
• Conduct due diligence research on software vendors, developers, maintainers, and software ecosystems.
• Analyze vendor secure development practices including:
  • Secure coding methodologies
  • Build pipeline security
  • CI/CD protections
  • Dependency management
  • Patch management
  • Code signing
• Review software development and deployment architectures for potential supply chain attack vectors.
• Support Common Criteria evaluations and software assurance activities through technical risk analysis and supply chain assessments.
• Produce technical reports, analytical findings, risk summaries, and executive-level briefings related to software supply chain security.
• Collaborate with government, industry, evaluation labs, and cybersecurity stakeholders to improve software assurance practices and SBOM utilization.
• Monitor emerging software supply chain threats, malware campaigns, dependency compromise incidents, and malicious package activity.

Preferred Education & Certifications

• (U) Fourteen (14) years experience as a SE in programs and contracts of similar scope, type and complexity is required. Bachelor's degree in System Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering Science, Engineering Management, or related discipline from an accredited college or university is required. Five (5) years of additional SE experience may be substituted for a bachelor's degree.
• Preferred certifications may include:
  • CISSP
  • CSSLP
  • Security+
  • GIAC certifications
  • Certified SCRM Professional
  • Cloud security certifications

Application security certifications

Published Required Skills

• Experience in software supply chain security, cybersecurity analysis, application security, or SCRM.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs)
  • Open-source software ecosystems
  • Software composition analysis (SCA)
  • Vulnerability management
  • Secure software development
• Familiarity with:
  • Common Criteria
  • NIAP evaluation concepts
  • NIST cybersecurity guidance
  • Federal software security initiatives
• Knowledge of software package managers and ecosystems such as:
  • npm
  • PyPI
  • Maven
  • NuGet
  • GitHub repositories
• Ability to analyze complex software dependency structures and identify risk indicators.
• Experience writing technical analytical reports and communicating findings to technical and non-technical audiences.

LCAT Domain Experience Needed:

• IA and cybersecurity architectures, concepts, principles, use cases, and standards;
  DoD, IC, and other federal government (e.g., NIST) policy, directives, and instructions relevant to IA and cybersecurity strategic planning and direction.

Published Desired Skills

• Experience with SBOM and software analysis tools such as:
  • Dependency-Track
  • Syft
  • Grype
  • Black Duck
  • Snyk
  • Sonatype Nexus
  • Mend.io
  • Anchore
• Familiarity with:
  • Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
  • Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
  • Malware analysis
  • Reverse engineering
  • Code signing validation
• Understanding of:
  • Supply chain attacks
  • Dependency confusion
  • Typosquatting
  • Build system compromise
  • Malicious open-source package activity
• Experience evaluating software vendor security maturity and secure development lifecycle practices.
• Knowledge of cloud-native software architectures and container security.