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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About Us
Visa is a world leader in payments technology, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories, dedicated to uplifting everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.
At Visa, you'll have the opportunity to create impact at scale — tackling meaningful challenges, growing your skills and seeing your contributions impact lives around the world.
Join Visa and do work that matters – to you, to your community, and to the world. Progress starts with you.
Job Description
Information security is an integral part of Visa's corporate culture. It is essential to maintain our position as an industry leader in electronic payments, which is why Visa has made it a priority to create top-tier security operations and incident response teams to defend the company against evolving cyber threats. If you would like to join a company where security is truly valued, where you can work with like-minded peers who are passionate about the art & science of cyber defense, and where you can use state of the art tools for maximum impact, then we have a home for you.
The successful candidate will work with a team of incident responders at one of Visa's Cyber Fusion Centers. The team is part of a larger organization located across multiple geographical sites that are responsible for the comprehensive cyber defense of Visa and its subsidiaries.
Essential Functions:
- Manage and address cybersecurity incidents through all stages, including identification, containment, and eradication.
- Perform deep-dive analysis on systems, accounts, and networks to identify the root cause and impact of incidents.
- Act as an engagement point for broader technology teams, including Cyber Defense and Engineering.
- Perform proactive threat hunting to identify and mitigate potential threats before they can cause harm.
- Develop and refine detection rules to improve the identification and response to security incidents.
- Provide detailed reports and documentation of incidents and response actions.
- Conduct quality control of the work performed by analysts to ensure accuracy and thoroughness.
- Mentor and train junior analysts in advanced incident response techniques, tactics, and procedures.
- Develop and maintain incident response playbooks and runbooks to ensure standardized and efficient response processes.
- Contribute to identifying process improvement opportunities to enhance security incident response processes.
- Implement process automation to streamline incident response workflows and improve efficiency.
- Support and manage cybersecurity projects to enhance overall security posture.
Visa requires at least 3 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications:
- 5+ years of relevant work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 2 years of work experience with an Advanced degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 0 years of work experience with a PhD, OR 8+ years of relevant work experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
- 6 or more years of work experience with a bachelor’s degree or 4 or more years of relevant experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or up to 3 years of relevant experience with a PhD.
- Proven subject matter expertise in relevant areas, such as incident response, threat hunting, malware analysis, web application security or security engineering.
- 3+ years of Security Operations Center (SOC) work experience with a bachelor’s degree.
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, or related technical discipline or equivalent professional experience related to Cybersecurity, Incident Response or information security.
- Experience working in an enterprise-level incident response team or security operations center.
- Relevant security-related certifications a plus: CISSP, GCIH, GCIA, GCED, GCFA, CySA+.
- Demonstrated expertise in areas like incident response, intrusion and malware analysis, web application security, or security engineering.
- Extensive understanding of malware types and network attack methods.
- Strong grasp of TCP/IP, packet analysis, routing, and network security.
- Extensive expertise in operating systems (Windows and Linux), as well as network services and applications.
- Direct experience in handling cyber security incidents and associated incident response tools.
- Strong working knowledge of common security tools such as SIEM, AV, WAF, IDS, Netflow, Packet Analyzer and Endpoint Detection & Response tools.
- Understanding of web application security vulnerabilities, such as cross-site scripting, cross-site request forgery, SQL injection, denial-of-service attacks, and API attacks.
- Good understanding of Web Application Security risks.
- Excellent understanding of DDoS techniques and mitigation mechanisms.
- Display great problem-solving skills, with tenacity and resilience to resolve issues.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills with proven skill in presenting analytical data effectively to varied audiences.
- Strong interpersonal and leadership skills to influence and build credibility as a peer.
- Strong understanding of cloud technologies and related security best practices.
Information for US Applicants
Work Hours
Varies upon the needs of the department.
Travel Requirements
This position requires travel 5-10% of the time.
Mental/Physical Requirements
This position will be performed in an office setting. The position will require the incumbent to sit and stand at a desk, communicate in person and by telephone, frequently operate standard office equipment, such as telephones and computers.
Visa is an EEO Employer
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protect veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.See All 45 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 Workday, Entarian, and Empower AI, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 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, Chantilly, and Reston. 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 58% of senior cybersecurity engineer openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of September 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 45 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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