Cybersecurity Specialist

Job Summary:  

 The Cybersecurity Specialist will work closely with the Director of IT and other IT personnel to develop, maintain and grow the cybersecurity posture for Botetourt County. They will, to the fullest possible extent, mitigate threats and educate departments/end users on safe computing practices. 

 Key Responsibilities/Essential Functions:  

 An employee in this position may be called upon to do any or all the following essential duties: 

• Always do the right thing. 

• Promote the vision, mission, and values of the county and the Board of Supervisors 

• Work closely with the Director of IT and other IT personnel to develop and maintain the Information Security Plan for Botetourt County.  

• Create and implement security policies and procedures that align with NIST-800 and CJIS standards.  

• Create and maintain disaster recovery and business continuity plans.  

• Perform comprehensive assessments to evaluate the current security posture of the organization against NIST-800 and CJIS requirements.  

• Deploy necessary security controls, including firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs, and other network security tools.  

• Conduct training sessions and awareness programs for employees to ensure they understand and comply with NIST-800 and CJIS requirements.  

• Develop and maintain an incident response plan to effectively address and mitigate security incidents.  

• Perform regular audits and reviews to ensure ongoing compliance with NIST-800 and CJIS frameworks.  

• Maintain thorough documentation of security policies, procedures, and compliance efforts.  

• Work closely with other departments and external partners to ensure a cohesive approach to security and compliance.  

• Continuously monitor security systems and report on compliance status to Director of IT, County Administration, and relevant stakeholders.  

• Identify and manage risks associated with information systems and data, ensuring alignment with NIST-800 and CJIS risk management practices.  

• Provide periodic summary level security reports for management as well as detailed reports to assist IT staff.  

• Work with external providers on conducting annual penetration testing and producing a plan of action to mitigate any deficiencies.  

• Support the system and network engineering efforts and provide technology infrastructure recommendations pertaining to cybersecurity.  

• Provide support for the Help Desk and Operations staff as needed.  

• Analyze security impacts of application and software changes as well as changes to the technology infrastructure.  

• Always do the right thing.  

• Promotes the mission, vision, and values of the County.  

• Perform risk analysis and assessment for infrastructure.  

• Ability to follow documented processes and procedures.  

• Ability to provide timely and accurate information to management and other groups during events and major outages.  

• Ability to provide continuous improvement solutions based on service tickets, problems, and projects. This includes assisting with the help desk functions and providing second-level support for hardware and software.  

• Strong interpersonal, oral, written, and problem-solving skills.  

• Perform related tasks as required.  

Job Requirements:  

• Bachelor’s Degree in Cybersecurity or Computer Science, required.  

• At least three years of recent hands-on experience in enterprise cybersecurity, showcasing expertise in safeguarding large-scale networks and sensitive data against evolving threats.  

• Proficiency in configuring and managing firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), VPNs, routers, and other network security tools.  

• Knowledge of Network Access Control (NAC) systems to control access to network resources.  

• Ability to respond to and mitigate security incidents effectively. Be aware of state and federal regulations for reporting incidents.  

• Conducting regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify potential security weaknesses including maintaining a Risk and Threat Register.  

• Develop and implement security policies and protocols to safeguard information systems and data including developing and maintaining a Data Inventory.  

• Based on the latest cybersecurity trends and hacker methodologies and provide updates and recommendations as necessary.  

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, effective communication, and the ability to work collaboratively with other teams.  

• Excellent organizational skills, analytical, dependable, detail oriented, interpersonal skills, and understanding of the English language (both written and oral).  

• Ability to work independently.  

• Ability to work with internal and external organizations in a professional and confidential manner while working on new projects or operational needs.  

Certifications:  

• Valid Virginia drivers’ license and dependable transportation.  

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), required.  

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), preferred.  

• Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), preferred.  

• Comp TIA Network or CCNA, preferred.  

• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), desired.  

• Actively maintain and update professional certifications by completing necessary CPE credits and renewal requirements.  

• Demonstrate a proactive attitude towards professional development, setting personal goals for earning new certifications or advancing existing ones.  

Physical Demands/Special Work Environment: 

• This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely involves standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.  

• The physical demands here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  

• The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.  

• The employee must frequently lift and/or move objects up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move objects up to 50 pounds.  

• Required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading and analyzing.  

• This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  

• Frequent evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.  

• Must participate in on-call rotation.  

• Internal Botetourt County candidates must maintain satisfactory non-probationary positions of no less than 12 months as a Network Support Engineer I to be considered for promotion to this level.