Senior Cybersecurity Engineer Jobs in Virginia
Senior Cybersecurity Engineer jobs in Virginia are among the most active in the country, driven by the dense concentration of federal agencies, defense contractors, and intelligence community operations in the National Capital Region, Northern Virginia, and the Hampton Roads corridor. Most hiring is centered in Arlington, Reston, and McLean, where employers like Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, and Northrop Grumman maintain large cybersecurity workforces across cleared and unclassified programs. The most in-demand specialties are cloud security, zero trust architecture, and security operations center leadership. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Norfolk, VAWork Shift
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Overview
We are seeking an experienced Senior Cybersecurity Engineer to join our Cybersecurity Engineering team and help design, implement, optimize, and support enterprise security technologies across a large, complex environment.
This role will have an immediate focus on Secure Service Edge (SSE), Zero Trust, and Zscaler technologies, while also working across network security, cloud, identity, and endpoint security initiatives.
The ideal candidate is a highly capable hands-on engineer who combines deep technical troubleshooting skills, strong networking fundamentals, security expertise, and technical leadership. This individual should be comfortable taking ownership of complex problems, working across multiple technology domains, and driving initiatives from architecture and design through implementation, production stabilization, and operational handoff.
We are looking for someone who does more than configure technology—we want an engineer who understands how and why the technology works, can determine why it isn’t working when problems occur, and can collaborate across teams to drive issues to resolution.
Technical Leadership & Collaboration
- Takes ownership of complex technical issues, using a methodical, evidence-based approach to drive root-cause identification and resolution.
- Translates architectural direction into scalable technical solutions, identifying risks, dependencies, and operational considerations throughout implementation.
- Leads cross-functional technical discussions and troubleshooting across cybersecurity, network, cloud, identity, endpoint, and infrastructure teams.
- Communicates complex technical findings, risks, and recommendations clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders, leadership, and vendors.
- Mentors engineers, promotes knowledge sharing, and identifies opportunities to improve automation, reliability, processes, and operational support.
Education
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or a related field preferred.
Certification/Licensure
- Zscaler, CCNP/CCIE, PCNSE, Microsoft Security/Azure, CISSP, or Security+ certifications preferred.
Experience
- Extensive hands-on cybersecurity engineering experience supporting SSE/SASE, Zero Trust, network security, cloud security, or related enterprise security technologies.
- Strong experience with Zscaler technologies, including ZIA, ZPA, ZCC, ZDX, GRE/IPsec tunnels, SSL/TLS inspection, proxy/traffic forwarding, and policy troubleshooting.
- Strong networking and troubleshooting expertise across TCP/IP, DNS, routing, firewalls, VPN, PKI/certificates, HTTP/HTTPS, proxies, and application connectivity, including packet and log analysis.
- Experience with enterprise identity and cloud technologies, including Microsoft Entra ID/Active Directory, SAML, OAuth/OIDC, MFA, Conditional Access, and Azure or comparable cloud platforms.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex security implementations and production troubleshooting from architecture/design through implementation, stabilization, documentation, and operational handoff.
We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives, and benefits. The base pay range for full-time employment is $126,152.00 - $198,161.60 annually. Additional compensation may be available for this role, such as shift differentials, on-call pay, shift premiums, extra-shift incentives, or bonus opportunities. Compensation within the range may vary based on qualifications, experience, location, market conditions, and business needs. Note: If an annual salary is posted, it is based on a full-time colleague working 2,080 hours annually. Sentara offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance; 401(k)/403(b) with employer match; paid time off (vacation, sick time, and holidays); paid parental and military leave; educational assistance or student loan repayment; and voluntary benefits.
Benefits: Caring For Your Family and Your Career
- Medical, Dental, Vision plans
- Adoption, Fertility and Surrogacy Reimbursement up to $10,000
- Paid Time Off and Sick Leave
- Paid Parental & Family Caregiver Leave
- Emergency Backup Care
- Long-Term, Short-Term Disability, and Critical Illness plans
- Life Insurance
- 401k/403B with Employer Match
- Tuition Assistance – $5,250/year and discounted educational opportunities through Guild Education
- Student Debt Pay Down – $10,000
- Pet Insurance
- Legal Resources Plan
- Colleagues have the opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus if established system and employee eligibility criteria is met.
Sentara Health is an equal opportunity employer and prides itself on the diversity and inclusiveness of its close to an almost 30,000-member workforce. Diversity, inclusion, and belonging is a guiding principle of the organization to ensure its workforce reflects the communities it serves.
In support of our mission “to improve health every day,” this is a tobacco-free environment.
For positions that are available as remote work, Sentara Health employs associates in the following states:
Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
See All 53 Senior Cybersecurity Engineer Jobs in Virginia
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Find JobsSenior Cybersecurity Engineer Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Senior Cybersecurity Engineer Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring

Top Industries Hiring
- Consulting & Professional Services
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in senior cybersecurity engineer jobs across Virginia.
- Active DoD security clearance at Secret or Top Secret level required
- Eight or more years of hands-on cybersecurity engineering or operations experience
- CISSP, CISM, or CompTIA Security+ certification strongly preferred or required
- Deep expertise in zero trust frameworks, SIEM platforms, or cloud security architecture
- Experience with federal compliance frameworks including NIST, RMF, or FedRAMP
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, information security, or a closely related field
Senior Cybersecurity Engineer Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a senior cybersecurity engineer in Virginia?
Virginia does not require a state-issued license to work as a senior cybersecurity engineer, so the path runs through education, certifications, and clearance eligibility. Most Virginia employers expect a bachelor's degree in computer science or information security plus industry credentials like CISSP or CISM. Because so much of the Virginia market supports federal contracts, obtaining or maintaining a DoD security clearance is often the single most decisive credential for advancing to senior roles.
How much do senior cybersecurity engineers make in Virginia?
Senior cybersecurity engineers in Virginia earn a median of about $134,900 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $81,410 for the lowest 10% to over $205,750 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire senior cybersecurity engineers in Virginia?
Employers hiring senior cybersecurity engineers in Virginia right now include Entarian, Intégral, and Empower AI, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Virginia's defense and intelligence contracting base means many of these employers operate on government contracts and consistently need cleared cybersecurity talent across Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads region.
Which Virginia cities have the most senior cybersecurity engineer jobs?
The cities with the most senior cybersecurity engineer openings in Virginia are Arlington, Radford, and McLean. Northern Virginia dominates because of its proximity to the Pentagon, the intelligence community campus in McLean, and the headquarters of major defense contractors, while secondary hubs like Reston and Herndon have grown around the region's large federal IT corridor.
Are there remote senior cybersecurity engineer jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than many technical fields, since senior cybersecurity engineers often work on policy, architecture, and monitoring tasks that can be done off-site. About 65% of senior cybersecurity engineer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though roles requiring cleared access to classified systems or on-site incident response are typically on-site or hybrid only.
How can I get hired as a senior cybersecurity engineer in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is starting as a cybersecurity analyst or IT systems administrator at a Virginia defense contractor or federal agency, then building toward senior roles over several years. Employers like Leidos, SAIC, and General Dynamics IT run associate-level and early-career hiring programs in Northern Virginia that are explicitly designed to develop talent from adjacent IT roles. Earning CompTIA Security+ and beginning the security clearance process early gives candidates a meaningful edge in this market.
Where can I find and apply to senior cybersecurity engineer jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to senior cybersecurity engineer jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings across the Northern Virginia corridor, Hampton Roads, and the Richmond area. Find the roles that fit your experience and clearance level and apply directly.
See All 53 Senior Cybersecurity Engineer Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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