Consultant, Technical FedRAMP Assessment

About Coalfire

Coalfire is on a mission to make the world a safer place by solving our clients’ hardest cybersecurity challenges. We work at the cutting edge of technology to advise, assess, automate, and ultimately help companies navigate the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. We are headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with offices across the U.S. and U.K., and we support clients around the world.

But that’s not who we are – that’s just what we do.

We are thought leaders, consultants, and cybersecurity experts, but above all else, we are a team of passionate problem-solvers who are hungry to learn, grow, and make a difference.

We're looking for a technically strong, self-starter Consultant to join our FedRAMP Assessment team.  This role is for someone who can open a configuration file, command output, log extract, scan report or network diagram and understand what it actually shows and who, when they encounter an unfamiliar product, service, or setting, independently researches the vendor documentation to determine what it means for the control being assessed.  The Consultant will apply that technical depth to FedRAMP assessments and, with mentoring from

senior assessors, develop into a FedRAMP Assessor.

What You'll Do: Work collaboratively with a team of assessors on federal compliance assessments (e.g., FedRAMP, NIST 800-171, FISMA) and assist with the planning of assessment for clients

Review technical artifacts at a detailed level – configuration files and exports, system and console settings, command-line output, logs, vulnerability scan results, firewall rulesets, and network/boundary/data flow diagrams – and determine whether they demonstrate the stated control implementation

Review infrastructure as code templates, CI/CD pipeline configurations, and deployment scripts to validate configuration management, change control, and enforcement of secure baselines

Use scripting to parse and analyze large artifact sets (e.g., configuration exports, logs, inventories, and scan data) to support control testing

Independently research unfamiliar technologies, products, and configuration settings using vendor documentation, knowledge bases, and hardening guides to determine what a setting does, what the secure configuration is, and how it relates to the control requirement

Analyze how network traffic flows and how common services (e.g., DNS, NTP, directory services, authentication, SSH, TLS, email, logging, load balancing, proxy, VPN) are implemented within the client environment, and identify gaps between documentation and actual implementation

• Evaluate whether artifacts are complete, current, and in scope for the authorization boundary; appropriately mark artifacts requiring follow-up or additional clarification
• Identify when an artifact is insufficient and clearly explain to clients what specific evidence is needed and why
• Review and assess information system security plans to ensure control implementation statements are accurate and supported by technical evidence

Autonomously leads interview and inquiry walkthroughs, including technical walkthroughs with client engineers and system administrators, to determine the conformity of environments against stated requirements

• Pursue and corroborate conclusions derived from inquiry procedures with client while ensuring diligent interview notes are captured
• Execute, examine, interview and test procedures in accordance with the appropriate control
• Assess security vulnerabilities against the appropriate security frameworks
• Draft audit observations that sufficiently address both the required objectives of the regulatory body and the complexity of the client environment
• First-level reviewer of drafted audit planning and reporting materials
• Prepare and review assessment reports
• Develop toward FedRAMP Assessor responsibilities by progressively taking ownership of control families and assessment workstreams under the guidance of senior assessors
• Educate and interpret compliance activities for clients
• Manage priorities and tasks to achieve delivery utilization targets
• Ensure quality products and services are delivered on time per Coalfire quality standards
• Continuous professional development; maintain industry specific certifications, depth of knowledge, credentials, and designations
• Collaborate with project managers, quality management and/or other delivery team members to drive customer satisfaction and meet project deliverables
• Establish and maintain positive collaborative relationships with clients and stakeholders
• Identify upsell and cross sell opportunities; escalate to appropriate leadership
• Understand how to apply quality standards and adhere to a minimum benchmark for quality assurance throughout the documentation of each work product or deliverable
• Provide advice to customers on issues affecting the scope of work in a manner that provides additional value
• Develop documentation and author recommendations associated with findings on how to improve the customer’s security posture in accordance with appropriate controls

What You'll Bring: Minimum 2-3 years of experience in a technical IT role (e.g., systems or network administration, infrastructure engineering, security engineering, or security operations)

• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret technical artifacts at a detailed level, including configuration files, command-line output, logs, and system settings
• Self-starter who independently researches configurations and vendor documentation to answer technical questions without needing direction
• Strong understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, subnetting, routing, VLANs and segmentation, NAT, firewalls and ACLs, and ports and protocols

Working knowledge of common infrastructure services and how they are secured, such as DNS, DHCP, NTP, directory services/LDAP, authentication and MFA, SSH, TLS and certificates, SMTP, SNMP, syslog, load balancers, proxies, and VPN

• Working knowledge of Linux and Windows operating system configuration
• Experience with infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible) and the ability to read IaC templates to determine how resources are actually configured
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps, Jenkins), including how code changes are reviewed, approved, tested, and deployed
• Scripting experience (e.g., Python, PowerShell, Bash) sufficient to read and understand scripts and to parse or analyze configuration and log data
• Read and interpret firewall rulesets and network/boundary/data flow diagrams
• Ability to review vulnerability scan output and understand the affected components, severity, and remediation
• Familiarity with NIST Special Publications 800-37 Revision 2, 800-53 Revision 5, and 800-53A Revision 5
• Ability to independently research a technical topic and develop logical testing approaches to validate 800-53 control implementations
• Ability to assist team members with proper artifact collection and provide clients examples of artifacts that will satisfy assessment requirements
• Strong written and verbal communication skills including the ability to explain technical matters to a non-technical audience
• Strong personal initiative to appropriately manage time and meet deadlines
• Strong consulting skills; ability to advise and challenge the status quo while building strong relationships
• Ability to build high-trust relationships and credibility quickly
• High attention to detail
• Ability to facilitate meetings to small or large groups
• Diplomatic and broad minded
• Strong technical researcher
• Bachelor's degree (four-year college or university) in IT or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and work experience
• Travel up to 20%
• Bonus Points: Hold networking, systems, or cloud security focused certifications (e.g., CompTIA Network+/Security+, CCNA, AWS, Azure, CCSK)
• Experience working with technologies hosted in cloud computing environments (e.g., AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure)
• Experience reviewing Nessus or other vulnerability scanner output
• Prior experience with FedRAMP, FISMA, NIST 800-171, or other security frameworks
• Why You’ll Want to Join Us

At Coalfire, you’ll find the support you need to thrive personally and professionally. In many cases, we provide a flexible work model that empowers you to choose when and where you’ll work most effectively – whether you’re at home or an office.

Regardless of location, you’ll experience a company that prioritizes connection and wellbeing and be part of a team where people care about each other and our communities. You’ll have opportunities to join employee resource groups, participate in in-person and virtual events, and more.

And you’ll enjoy competitive perks and benefits to support you and your family, like paid parental leave, flexible time off, certification and training reimbursement, digital mental health and wellbeing support membership, and comprehensive insurance options.

At Coalfire, equal opportunity and pay equity is integral to the way we do business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Coalfire is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities.

To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact our Human Resources team at

HumanResourcesMB@coalfire.com.