Senior Principal Cyber Security Engineer

Remote from: USA
Salary, yearly, USD: 148,200 - 263,000
Department: Software Engineering
Employment type: Full Time,
Job posted: 16 May 2026
Apply before: 16 Jun 2026
Experience level: Senior
Views / Applies: 19 / 2

ManTech delivers technology-driven innovation, develops game-changing solutions, and delivers mission-focused technologies for defense and federal civilian agencies.

Defense & Space
1968

Actively Hiring

AI Summary

This Senior Principal Cyber Security Engineer role at MANTECH International Corporation is a technical expert position within the Enterprise Cyber Security Team. The role focuses on engineering resilient, automated, and AI-enhanced security frameworks, with responsibilities including Infrastructure as Code, automation, CI/CD pipeline security, cloud and container governance, and offensive engineering. The ideal candidate has 10+ years of experience, advanced Python or Go skills, and expertise in Azure, AWS, or GCP. This is a fully remote, U.S.-based position requiring U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance.

Job Complexity

Easy Hard

AI Insight This role requires a rare combination of deep technical expertise in cybersecurity, automation, cloud security, and AI, along with 10+ years of experience and leadership capability. The need for offensive security skills and knowledge of emerging AI threats makes it extremely challenging.

Salary Analysis

AI Insight The offered salary range of $148,200 to $263,000 is competitive for a Senior Principal Cyber Security Engineer role, with a median of $205,600. This aligns well with the market range of $140,000 to $280,000, reflecting the high demand and specialized skills required.

Key Skills

Cyber Security Python Go Azure AWS GCP Kubernetes Terraform CI/CD AI Security

Cover Letter Sample

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am writing to express my strong interest in the Senior Principal Cyber Security Engineer position at MANTECH International Corporation. With over a decade of progressive experience in cybersecurity engineering and a proven track record of architecting resilient, automated security frameworks, I am confident in my ability to drive innovation within your Enterprise Cyber Security Team. My expertise in Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD pipeline security, and cloud governance aligns perfectly with the requirements outlined in the job description.

I have extensive hands-on experience with Terraform, Ansible, Python, and Go, and have successfully implemented automated security gates in development pipelines. My background includes securing Azure, AWS, and GCP environments, managing Kubernetes clusters, and conducting Purple Team exercises to proactively identify vulnerabilities. Additionally, I have a strong interest in AI security and have worked on mitigating risks associated with Generative AI and autonomous agents.

I am particularly drawn to MANTECH's mission of delivering advanced solutions to national security sectors and would be thrilled to contribute to your cutting-edge cybersecurity initiatives. I hold relevant certifications including CISSP and Azure Security Associate, and I am eager to bring my technical expertise and strategic vision to your team.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss how I can contribute to MANTECH's success.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Possible Interview Questions

Can you describe your experience designing immutable security environments using Infrastructure as Code tools like Terraform and Ansible?

I have used Terraform to define cloud infrastructure as code, ensuring consistent and reproducible environments. For example, I created modules for secure VPC configurations, IAM roles, and encryption settings. Ansible was used for configuration management and patch automation. This approach reduced configuration drift and improved security posture.

How would you secure a CI/CD pipeline to prevent vulnerabilities from reaching production?

I would integrate SAST tools like SonarQube for static code analysis, DAST tools like OWASP ZAP for dynamic testing, and SCA tools like Snyk for dependency scanning. These would be embedded as gates in the pipeline, failing builds if critical issues are found. Additionally, I'd enforce code signing and secret scanning.

Explain your approach to securing Kubernetes clusters in a multi-cloud environment.

I would implement network policies to restrict pod communication, use RBAC for access control, and enable audit logging. I'd also use tools like OPA/Gatekeeper for policy enforcement, encrypt secrets with Kubernetes secrets encryption, and regularly scan images for vulnerabilities. For multi-cloud, I'd use a consistent security baseline across clusters.

How do you stay updated on emerging threats like prompt injection attacks in AI systems?

I follow security research from OWASP, attend conferences like Black Hat and DEF CON, and participate in open-source security projects. I also conduct internal red team exercises to test AI models for prompt injection and implement input validation and output filtering to mitigate risks.

Describe a time you led a Purple Team exercise and what improvements resulted.

I led a Purple Team exercise where we simulated an advanced persistent threat targeting our cloud infrastructure. We used tools like Cobalt Strike for red team and Splunk for blue team. The exercise revealed gaps in detection of lateral movement and inadequate logging. We subsequently implemented enhanced monitoring rules and improved incident response playbooks.

General information

Requisition # R67796 Locations USA-Remote Work Posting Date 05/15/2026 Security Clearance Required None Remote Type Fully Remote Time Type Full time

Description & Requirements

Elevate your career with MANTECH International Corporation! Join a dynamic team dedicated to national security through cutting-edge technology. Since 1968, MANTECH has led in delivering advanced solutions to government intelligence, the Department of Defense, and Federal Civilian sectors. Dive into innovation in Digital Transformation, Cybersecurity, IT, Data Analytics and Software Development. Your journey to impactful work and rapid growth starts now—be extraordinary at MANTECH!

MANTECH seeks a visionary Senior Principal Cyber Security Engineer to serve as a technical expert within our Enterprise Cyber Security Team. Reporting directly to the CISO’s office, you will not only administer systems, you will also engineer the resilient, automated, and AI-enhanced security frameworks that protect our most critical corporate assets.

This is a role for a builder-breaker: an expert who can code their way out of a bottleneck, think like an adversary to harden our perimeter, and strategically navigate the security implications of the "Agentic AI" revolution.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Design and maintain immutable security environments using tools like Terraform and Ansible to ensure consistent, reproducible infrastructure.
Automation & Tooling: Develop custom middleware and security tools in Python, Go, or Rust to automate incident response and bridge platform gaps.
CI/CD & Pipeline Security: Embed automated security gates (SAST/DAST/SCA) directly into internal development pipelines to ensure secure software delivery.
Cloud & Container Governance: Secure and monitor Azure/AWS/GCP, Kubernetes, and SaaS platforms through configuration auditing and continuous monitoring. API & Secret Management: Oversee the security lifecycle of internal APIs, focusing on secure connectivity and robust credential/secrets management.
AI & Agentic Strategy: Govern Generative AI deployments and autonomous agents, focusing on prompt injection mitigation and preventing "non-human" privilege escalation.
Offensive Engineering & Threat Modeling: Conduct continuous "Purple Team&quot exercises and deep-dive threat modeling to proactive discover and mitigate architectural vulnerabilities.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Cyber Security, or a related STEM field.
10+ years of progressive experience in Cyber Security Engineering, with at least 3 years in a Principal or Lead capacity.
Advanced capability in Python or Go for security automation and API integration.
Expert-level experience securing Azure, AWS, or GCP environments, including
serverless functions and container orchestration (Kubernetes).
Azure Security Associate (AZ-500), Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS), or CISSP.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with the OWASP Top 10 for LLMs and securing vector databases (e.g., Pinecone, Milvus).
OSCP/OSWE (Offensive Security), CASE (Certified AI Security Expert), or CISSP-ISSAP.
Contributions to open-source security projects, published research, or speaking
engagements at conferences like DEF CON, Black Hat, or RSAC.

Clearance Requirements:

U.S. Citizen with the ability to obtain/maintain a Top Secret security clearance

Physical Requirements

Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.
Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery.

The projected compensation range for this position is $148,200.00-$263,000.00. There are differentiating factors that can impact a final salary/hourly rate, including, but not limited to, Contract Wage Determination, relevant work experience, skills and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location (For Remote Opportunities), education and certifications as well as Federal Government Contract Labor categories. In addition, MANTECH invests in its employees beyond just compensation. MANTECH’s benefits offerings include, dependent upon position, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, Holiday Pay, short-term and long-term Disability, Retirement and Savings, Learning and Development opportunities, wellness programs as well as other optional benefit elections.
MANTECH considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to disability or veteran status or any other status protected under any federal, state, or local law or regulation.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply for a position with MANTECH, please email us at [email protected] and provide your name and contact information.

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