Must Be A Us Citizen Jobs in Chicago, IL

Junior (0–2 years): $80k–$110k; Mid‑level (2–5 years): $110k–$150k; Senior (5+ years): $150k–$200k+; Lead/Director: $200k–$250k+. Federal contracts often add a 5–10% premium for security clearance holders.

A Top Secret clearance is usually mandatory. Key certifications include CISSP, CISM, PMP, GRC, FedRAMP, SOC 2, ITIL, CompTIA Security+, and AWS Certified Solutions Architect – GovCloud. Technical skills in NIST frameworks, DoD 8570.1‑M compliance, Splunk, Ansible, Terraform, and secure cloud architecture are highly valued.

Many roles allow 30–50% remote work within the United States, but federal contracts often require on‑site presence or a hybrid model. Remote eligibility depends on the sensitivity of the data and the specific agency or contractor policies.

Typical progression: Security Analyst → Senior Analyst → Security Engineer → Security Architect → GRC Manager → Director of GRC → Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or Chief Data Officer. Advanced roles also lead to federal advisory positions or executive security leadership in defense contractors.

The cyber threat landscape is expanding, driving demand for zero‑trust architectures and AI/ML security. Cloud migration to AWS GovCloud and Azure Government is accelerating. Privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) and increasing defense budgets are creating new compliance and security roles, while the focus on supply‑chain risk management continues to grow.