Security Lead

About NorthwoodNorthwood is deploying a global network of phased array ground stations that will fundamentally change how satellites communicate with Earth. These systems support real-time, high-throughput communications that commercial and government customers rely on for mission-critical operations. As a Senior Security Engineer, you will design and implement security architectures for infrastructure that simply does not exist anywhere else.

This is an opportunity to define the security posture of a rapidly scaling space-communications network—where the stakes include national security, global communications integrity, and uninterrupted mission operations.

Role OverviewYou will own security end-to-end across distributed ground station infrastructure, cloud environments, RF systems, and data pipelines. This is not a legacy environment, you are building greenfield security systems for first-of-their-kind technology. You will design architectures, lead incident response, build automated compliance workflows, and serve as a key security interface for government customers including Space Force.

Key Responsibilities

Security Architecture & Infrastructure• Design security from the ground up for brand-new ground station infrastructure, RF systems, and space-communication protocols

• Design, build, and maintain scalable, zero-trust architectures across cloud, edge, and physical ground station systems.

• Conduct security architecture reviews for highly regulated and mission-critical environments where “good enough” is not acceptable.

• Implement identity, secrets management, network segmentation, and encryption models across globally distributed systems.

Global Ground Station & Distributed Systems Security• Secure phased-array networks capable of tracking hundreds of satellites across multiple orbits simultaneously.

• Design and implement controls for distributed, latency-sensitive systems spanning continents.

• Develop and deploy detection, logging, and telemetry pipelines 

Threat Detection, Incident Response & Monitoring• Lead incident response, threat hunting, and forensic analysis across cloud, on-prem, RF, and edge computing environments.

• Deploy and manage enterprise SIEM platforms (Splunk, Sentinel, Panther, etc.) and endpoint solutions (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne).

• Establish continuous monitoring strategies tailored for nontraditional environments where standard corporate controls don’t apply.

Governance, Compliance & Security Programs• Build automated CI/CD-integrated compliance pipelines that satisfy FedRAMP, DFARS, NIST 800-171, and internal program requirements without slowing engineering velocity.

• Create security documentation, standards, and processes for internal and external audits.

• Interface directly with government customers, serving as a trusted security liaison.

Policies, Risk Management & Security Operations• Conduct risk assessments, vulnerability analyses, and mitigation planning for cloud, physical, and RF assets.

• Establish security policies, procedures, and governance frameworks appropriate for national-security-grade infrastructure.

• Provide guidance on endpoint security, SaaS hardening, and cloud security across AWS, GovCloud, and air-gapped environments.

• Work hand in hand with vendors on Red Teaming Northwoods corp and production systems

Cross-Functional & Leadership Responsibilities• Collaborate with engineering, network operations, RF, and compliance teams as a primary security subject-matter expert.

• Develop internal security awareness and training (where applicable) for engineering orgs.

• Drive complex, multi-stakeholder security initiatives with direct impact on national security missions.

Basic Qualifications• Strong experience conducting security architecture reviews in regulated, high-assurance environments.

• Deep understanding of NIST 800-171, CUI, FedRAMP, and secure cloud implementation patterns.

• Proficiency in Python, Go, Rust, or similar languages for building automation and custom security tooling.

• Hands-on experience securing AWS GovCloud or other government cloud environments.

• Experience implementing defensive controls across endpoints, SaaS, and distributed/edge infrastructure.

• Ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI clearance.

Preferred Qualifications• Experience designing large-scale log ingestion pipelines for distributed systems with massive telemetry volumes.

• Hands-on experience with SIEMs (Splunk, QRadar, Sentinel, Panther) and modern EDR platforms.

• 5+ years of production experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, AWS CDK); you treat security configuration as code.

• Strong Linux experience, ideally with custom or specialized distributions.

• Knowledge of DFARS and government contracting security requirements.

• Familiarity with EMASS or similar assessment and accreditation tools.

• Demonstrated experience leading security efforts tied to government or national security missions.

Why Northwood• Build security systems for infrastructure that has never existed before.

• Direct impact on missions that matter- to national security, global communications, and commercial space innovation.

• Fast-moving hardware + cloud + RF environment with no legacy constraints.