Senior Cybersecurity Compliance Specialist NASA Mission Cloud
MRI Technologies, Houston, TX, United States
MRI Technologies has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Cybersecurity Compliance Specialist on the Mission Enabling Services Contract (MESC) supporting NASA's Mission Cloud (NMC) program. In this role, you will own the compliance posture for a production cloud platform delivering CUI/ITAR and FISMA Moderate classified workloads across GCP and Azure environments-systems that enable NASA mission operations every day.
You will serve as the foremost authority on NIST SP 800-53, SP 800-171, and FedRAMP control requirements, working alongside cloud engineers, security personnel, and NASA ISSO stakeholders to translate compliance mandates into actionable engineering guidance. Your documentation, leadership, and technical rigor will shape the authorization and continuous monitoring of a platform that is actively expanding across new service boundaries and capability families.
A typical day might begin with reviewing updated control implementation evidence for an active ATO package or coordinating with the NASA ISSO on a compliance finding flagged during continuous monitoring. By midday you could be authoring new SSP sections for an expanding system boundary, translating a complex NIST control into step-by-step engineering guidance, or presenting compliance status to program leadership. In the afternoon, you might be evaluating OSCAL-based tooling to automate evidence generation, assessing whether a proposed architecture change affects the authorization boundary, or working with AI-assisted tools to accelerate documentation drafting. The work is substantive, high-stakes, and directly tied to the secure operation of infrastructure that NASA depends on.
What We Are Looking For
Requirements:
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, IT, or equivalent
6 or more years of relevant cybersecurity compliance experience
Deep working knowledge of NIST SP 800-53 and NIST SP 800-171 control frameworks
Experience authoring and maintaining System Security Plans (SSPs), Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&Ms), and Security Assessment Reports (SARs)
Familiarity with FedRAMP or FISMA authorization processes
Experience working within a federal or NASA IT environment
Strong technical writing and compliance documentation skills
Ability to communicate complex compliance requirements clearly to engineering and leadership audiences
Working familiarity with OSCAL (Open Security Controls Assessment Language) or willingness to develop OSCAL-based SSP and assessment workflows
Comfort using AI-assisted tooling to accelerate compliance workflows such as control mapping, evidence summarization, and documentation drafting
Ability to excel in a remote work environment
Preferences:
Experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) security tooling such as Security Command Center and Chronicle
Familiarity with ITAR-controlled systems or CUI handling requirements
CISSP, CAP, Security+, or equivalent certification
Experience with continuous monitoring automation tools
Prior NASA or federal civilian agency ATO experience
Hands-on experience with OSCAL tooling (e.g., NIST OSCAL CLI, Trestle, or similar) or machine-readable SSP generation
Experience using AI tools to accelerate compliance documentation, gap analysis, or control implementation guidance
This position has been posted at multiple levels. Depending on your experience and business needs, we may consider candidates at any level for which the position has been advertised.
Benefits and Perks
We offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, company-paid life and disability insurance, paid time off, and 401(k). You'll also enjoy a flexible work schedule and strong career development opportunities working alongside NASA's mission teams.
Proof of U.S. Citizenship is a requirement for this position. Must be able to complete a U.S. government background investigation.
MRI Technologies is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.
As we are a Federal Contractor, most positions require the employee to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government background investigation. MRI also completes a pre-screening background check for anyone offered employment.
You will serve as the foremost authority on NIST SP 800-53, SP 800-171, and FedRAMP control requirements, working alongside cloud engineers, security personnel, and NASA ISSO stakeholders to translate compliance mandates into actionable engineering guidance. Your documentation, leadership, and technical rigor will shape the authorization and continuous monitoring of a platform that is actively expanding across new service boundaries and capability families.
A typical day might begin with reviewing updated control implementation evidence for an active ATO package or coordinating with the NASA ISSO on a compliance finding flagged during continuous monitoring. By midday you could be authoring new SSP sections for an expanding system boundary, translating a complex NIST control into step-by-step engineering guidance, or presenting compliance status to program leadership. In the afternoon, you might be evaluating OSCAL-based tooling to automate evidence generation, assessing whether a proposed architecture change affects the authorization boundary, or working with AI-assisted tools to accelerate documentation drafting. The work is substantive, high-stakes, and directly tied to the secure operation of infrastructure that NASA depends on.
What We Are Looking For
Requirements:
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, IT, or equivalent
6 or more years of relevant cybersecurity compliance experience
Deep working knowledge of NIST SP 800-53 and NIST SP 800-171 control frameworks
Experience authoring and maintaining System Security Plans (SSPs), Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&Ms), and Security Assessment Reports (SARs)
Familiarity with FedRAMP or FISMA authorization processes
Experience working within a federal or NASA IT environment
Strong technical writing and compliance documentation skills
Ability to communicate complex compliance requirements clearly to engineering and leadership audiences
Working familiarity with OSCAL (Open Security Controls Assessment Language) or willingness to develop OSCAL-based SSP and assessment workflows
Comfort using AI-assisted tooling to accelerate compliance workflows such as control mapping, evidence summarization, and documentation drafting
Ability to excel in a remote work environment
Preferences:
Experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) security tooling such as Security Command Center and Chronicle
Familiarity with ITAR-controlled systems or CUI handling requirements
CISSP, CAP, Security+, or equivalent certification
Experience with continuous monitoring automation tools
Prior NASA or federal civilian agency ATO experience
Hands-on experience with OSCAL tooling (e.g., NIST OSCAL CLI, Trestle, or similar) or machine-readable SSP generation
Experience using AI tools to accelerate compliance documentation, gap analysis, or control implementation guidance
This position has been posted at multiple levels. Depending on your experience and business needs, we may consider candidates at any level for which the position has been advertised.
Benefits and Perks
We offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, company-paid life and disability insurance, paid time off, and 401(k). You'll also enjoy a flexible work schedule and strong career development opportunities working alongside NASA's mission teams.
Proof of U.S. Citizenship is a requirement for this position. Must be able to complete a U.S. government background investigation.
MRI Technologies is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.
As we are a Federal Contractor, most positions require the employee to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government background investigation. MRI also completes a pre-screening background check for anyone offered employment.