Cybersecurity Lead Jobs in Maryland
Cybersecurity Lead jobs in Maryland are among the most active in the country, concentrated in federal defense contracting, financial services, and healthcare IT across the Baltimore-Washington corridor and the suburbs of Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Large, established employers with deep Maryland roots, including Leidos, Northrop Grumman, and Johns Hopkins Health System, maintain steady demand for leads who can own security programs and manage junior analysts. The most in-demand specialties are cloud security architecture, zero-trust implementation, and compliance with federal frameworks like NIST and FedRAMP. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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The Cyber Engineering division advances threat-informed approaches that help sponsors understand cyber risk, strengthen security, and improve resilience across complex systems and missions.
The Security Automation and Cyber Assessments department brings together assessment, threat, engineering, and automation expertise. We work with sponsors to frame consequential questions, evaluate risk, test preparedness, and turn findings into practical improvements.
The department seeks a Lead Cybersecurity Assessment Engineer to guide multidisciplinary cyber assessment programs across MITRE portfolios. This role sets direction, coordinates sponsors and partners, assures deliverable quality, and helps leaders act on evidence.
Roles & Responsibilities:
- Lead cybersecurity assessment engagements from planning through delivery, defining objectives, scope, work plans, team roles, resource needs, milestones, and quality standards with sponsors and internal partners.
- Direct risk assessments that bring together threat intelligence, vulnerabilities, security controls, operational context, and potential mission impacts; prioritize findings and recommend feasible risk-reduction actions.
- Design and facilitate tabletop exercises, scenario-based workshops, and after-action reviews to test decisions, coordination, and response plans; assign owners and track improvements.
- Coordinate work across government sponsors, MITRE teams, contractors, and other partners; build trusted relationships, resolve dependencies, and keep stakeholders aligned on decisions and delivery.
- Provide day-to-day direction and mentorship to analysts and technical specialists on project teams; review assessment methods, analysis, and written products for rigor, consistency, and usefulness.
- Develop assessment roadmaps, progress measures, executive briefings, and decision-ready reports; communicate uncertainty, tradeoffs, and recommended next steps to technical and nontechnical audiences.
- Guide appropriate use of security assessment methods and tools, including control reviews, vulnerability data, security monitoring, and automation, to support evidence-based recommendations.
Basic Qualifications:
- Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a master’s degree; or a PhD with 3 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
- Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, information systems, engineering, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Experience planning and leading assessments or preparedness activities, such as risk reviews, workshops, tabletop exercises, or after-action efforts, and driving recommendations to completion at a state, national, or international level.
- Working knowledge of cybersecurity concepts and assessment practices, including threats, vulnerabilities, security controls, and risk frameworks; ability to direct technical specialists and evaluate their outputs.
- Strong project coordination, analytical writing, facilitation, and executive communication skills, with experience briefing findings and recommendations to diverse audiences.
- Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret U.S Government issued Security Clearance. Per the U.S. Government’s eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.
- This position requires minimum 3 days per week onsite
Preferred Qualifications:
- Active Top Secret/SCI government security clearance
- Graduate degree in cybersecurity, security studies, public policy, information systems, or a related field.
- Experience leading programs, teams, schedules, and deliverables.
- Experience building partnerships and coordinating information sharing among government, industry, and internal stakeholders.
- Experience using threat intelligence, analytic tradecraft, and structured risk methods to inform assessments and decision-making.
- Experience designing or facilitating tabletop exercises, preparedness training, stakeholder workshops, or cross-functional response planning.
- Familiarity with security assessment frameworks and tools, such as NIST guidance, vulnerability management, SIEM platforms, or assessment automation.
This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
NoneThis requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Top SecretSalary compensation range and midpoint:
$158,800 - $198,500 - $238,200 AnnualWork Location Type:
OnsiteCommitment to Non-Discrimination
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.
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Find roles in Maryland that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Cybersecurity Lead JobsCybersecurity Lead Jobs by City in Maryland
Where Maryland roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Cybersecurity Lead Job Market in Maryland
A snapshot from current Maryland openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring



What Maryland Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in cybersecurity lead jobs across Maryland.
- Active security clearance at Secret or Top Secret level required by most Maryland federal contractors
- Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, or CompTIA Security+ strongly preferred or required
- Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, computer science, information systems, or a closely related field
- Five or more years of progressive cybersecurity experience with at least two in a lead or senior role
- Hands-on experience with NIST Cybersecurity Framework, FedRAMP, or CMMC compliance requirements
- Demonstrated experience leading incident response efforts and mentoring junior security analysts
Cybersecurity Lead Jobs in Maryland: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a cybersecurity lead in Maryland?
Most cybersecurity leads in Maryland move into the role after several years in analyst or engineer positions, typically earning a bachelor's degree in a technical field and then building credentials like CISSP or CISM. Maryland does not issue a state-level license for cybersecurity professionals, so federal clearance eligibility and recognized certifications carry the most weight. The dense concentration of defense contractors and federal agencies in the state means security clearance often becomes a de facto entry requirement for senior roles.
How much do cybersecurity leads make in Maryland?
Cybersecurity leads in Maryland earn a median of about $139,640 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $79,130 for the lowest 10% to over $216,570 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire cybersecurity leads in Maryland?
Companies currently hiring cybersecurity leads in Maryland include MITRE, SOSi, and Sentar, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Maryland's federal contracting ecosystem means many of the largest and most consistent employers are defense and intelligence-sector firms anchored to the Washington corridor.
Which Maryland cities have the most cybersecurity lead jobs?
The most cybersecurity lead openings in Maryland are concentrated in Fort Meade, Linthicum Heights, and Maryland. Baltimore anchors the healthcare and financial services demand, while the suburbs of Bethesda, Rockville, and Columbia drive federal contracting volume given their proximity to NSA, DISA, and other major government installations in the region.
Are there remote cybersecurity lead jobs in Maryland?
Yes, and more than many fields, since cybersecurity lead work is largely analytical, policy-driven, and tool-based rather than physically on-site. About 33% of cybersecurity lead openings tied to Maryland are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though roles requiring active security clearances are more likely to mandate on-site presence. Governance, risk, and compliance functions tend to be the most remote-accessible subspecialties.
How can I get hired as a cybersecurity lead in Maryland with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a security operations center analyst or IT security specialist role, then building toward a lead title over two to four years. Large Maryland employers in federal contracting, like Leidos and SAIC, run associate and early-career programs that place candidates without prior security-specific experience into structured analyst tracks. Earning CompTIA Security+ before applying and applying for positions that qualify you for federal clearance processing gives candidates a concrete edge in Maryland's market, where clearance-eligible candidates are in shorter supply than the open roles suggest.
Where can I find and apply to cybersecurity lead jobs in Maryland?
You can find and apply to cybersecurity lead jobs in Maryland on Migrate Mate, which lists current Maryland openings in one place. Search the roles available, find the ones that match your background and location preference, and apply directly to whichever fit.
See All 12 Cybersecurity Lead Jobs in Maryland
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