Zero Trust Architect (Expert)

Location: Herndon, Virginia

Job Description

BAE Systems, a top-ten prime contractor to the U.S. Department of Defense, enables the U.S. government to transform data into intelligence and provides engineering, integration and sustainment support for critical military platforms and systems. Intelligence & Security provides services and products to the Department of Defense, the government, federal law enforcement officials, and troops deployed around the world.

At BAE Systems, we promote a strong, collaborative culture and provide our employees with the tools, skills and training they need to succeed. We are all about trust, camaraderie, and a shared ambition to lead the world in defense technologies and national security services. We offer flexible work environment to support the balance in your life and keep you performing at your best. Be a part of a company that is part of the community; driven to improve our future and protect our freedom.
We are seeking a Senior Zero Trust Architect to design, implement, and operate our Secure Service Edge (SSE) and Zero Trust security architecture. This role sits at the intersection of networking, identity, and cloud security, and is responsible for building secure, scalable access models across hybrid and cloud-first environments. The ideal candidate brings deep hands-on expertise across SSE platforms, Microsoft 365/Azure security, identity and access management, and network traffic engineering, with the judgment to troubleshoot complex issues and the communication skills to align technical and business stakeholders.

• Ability to communicate complex concepts to engineers, leadership, and non-technical stakeholders
• Experience working in Agile or DevOps environments
• Strong collaboration across security, networking, cloud, and endpoint teams
• Ability to lead or contribute to architecture decision-making
• Ability to design secure hybrid and cloud-first architectures
• Experience evaluating SSE vendors based on performance, security, integration, and cost
• Strong documentation skills:
• • Architecture diagrams
  • Runbooks
  • SOPs
• Experience supporting PoCs and pilot deployments

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Required Education, Experience, & Skills We are looking for Systems Engineer with a minimum of 11 years' relevant experience and a Bachelors' Degree. Candidate must have experience in the following:

Experience in the following are required:

• Experience in regulated environments (FedRAMP, DoD, GCC/GCCH/DoD tenants)
• Certifications:
• • Microsoft (AZ-500, SC-300, SC-200)
  • Zscaler (ZCCA, ZCSP)
  • Cloudflare Zero Trust
  • CISSP, CCSP, CCNP Security
• Exposure to:
• • Endpoint posture enforcement (Intune, Defender for Endpoint)
  • Browser isolation technologies
  • API security and SaaS governance

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

Desired Skills Include:

• Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), including Conditional Access, Identity Protection, and PIM
• Microsoft Global Secure Access (GSA) or similar SSE-native integrations
• Microsoft Defender Suite (Defender for Cloud Apps, Endpoint, Identity, Office)
• Experience integrating third-party SSE platforms with M365 workloads: Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams, OneDrive
• Understanding of Azure networking constructs: VNets, NSGs, Private Endpoints, Virtual WAN
• Familiarity with Azure Firewall, Application Gateway/WAF, and private access models
• TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP/S, TLS inspection, proxy architectures
• Routing (BGP), NAT, VPN (IPSec/SSL), SD-WAN integrations
• Experience with traffic steering methods: PAC files, GRE/IPSec tunnels, agent-based forwarding
• Understanding of secure internet breakout and branch connectivity models
• Ability to troubleshoot latency, packet loss, and SaaS performance issues in cloud-delivered security pipelines
• Zscaler: ZIA/ZPA design, policy implementation, app segmentation
• Microsoft Global Secure Access (Entra): Private & Internet Access, Conditional Access integration
• Cloudflare One: SWG, Zero Trust Access, WARP client, DNS filtering
• Akamai EAA: Secure application publishing, identity integration, traffic optimization

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $146670 - $249330

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.
About BAE Systems Intelligence & Security BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, an international defense, aerospace and security company which delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. Improving the future and protecting lives is an ambitious mission, but it’s what we do at BAE Systems. Working here means using your passion and ingenuity where it counts - defending national security with breakthrough technology, superior products, and intelligence solutions. As you develop the latest technology and defend national security, you will continually hone your skills on a team-making a big impact on a global scale. At BAE Systems, you’ll find a rewarding career that truly makes a difference.

Intelligence & Security (I&S), based in McLean, Virginia, designs and delivers advanced defense, intelligence, and security solutions that support the important missions of our customers. Our pride and dedication shows in everything we do-from intelligence analysis, cyber operations and IT expertise to systems development, systems integration, and operations and maintenance services. Knowing that our work enables the U.S. military and government to recognize, manage and defeat threats inspires us to push ourselves and our technologies to new levels.

This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.

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