Senior Security Engineer & Security Architect

MALCOLM SMITH

Senior Security Engineer / Security Architect

Upper Marlboro, MD • 202-***-**** • ********@*****.***

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Security-focused IT infrastructure leader with 10+ years designing, hardening, and operating enterprise environments for federal (U.S. Department of State) and commercial organizations. Deep experience across identity and access management (Azure AD, Okta), endpoint security, vulnerability and patch management (CVE remediation cycles), SIEM-based monitoring (iPost, PAT), and cloud security in Azure and AWS. Proven record enforcing FISMA and NIST 800-53 controls with a 100% audit pass rate over three consecutive years, leading incident response efforts that cut security breaches by 45%, and building disaster recovery and business continuity programs for mission-critical systems. certified security practitioner and former engineering team lead skilled at translating security architecture decisions into measurable risk reduction.

CORE SECURITY COMPETENCIES

Security Architecture & Engineering: Identity & Access Management (Azure AD, Okta), Endpoint Security Strategy, Network Security & Infrastructure Design, Zero Trust / Least-Privilege Access, Cloud Security (Azure, AWS)

Vulnerability & Threat Management: CVE / Patch Management, SIEM Monitoring & Log Analysis (iPost, PAT), Incident Response & Remediation, Risk Assessment

Governance, Risk & Compliance: FISMA, NIST 800-53, Security Compliance & Audit Readiness, Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Planning, Vendor & SLA Risk Management

Systems, Cloud & Database: Windows & Linux (Ubuntu, Red Hat) Administration, Oracle & SQL Server Administration, PowerShell / Python Automation, ERP & HRIS Integration

Leadership: Security Team Building & Mentoring, Cross-Functional Collaboration, IT Strategy Alignment

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Great Hill Solutions — U.S. Department of State • Chantilly, VA 07/2023 – 07/2025

Sr. IT Infrastructure Team Lead

•Operated and tuned U.S. DOS proprietary SIEM and vulnerability-management platforms (iPost, PAT) to monitor security posture, detect anomalies, and drive CVE remediation across production systems.

•Established endpoint security controls and standardized device management workflows, reducing exposure across the managed environment.

•Led backend architecture upgrades and performance optimization for enterprise systems supporting a growing federal user base while maintaining 99% uptime.

•Hardened OS, DNS, DHCP, IIS, and Apache configurations and applied security patches/drivers, cutting latency incidents by 20% without compromising system integrity.

•Administered Oracle and SQL Server database security, backup, and disaster recovery processes to ensure high availability and rapid recovery from incidents.

•Served as SME advising cross-functional teams on secure application and database performance practices.

•Administered Windows and Linux (Ubuntu, Red Hat) server platforms in accordance with federal security baselines.

Infrastructure & Security Impact

•Led migration of 200+ servers to a cloud environment with security controls built into the migration plan, reducing operational costs by 30%.

•Implemented automation scripts that cut system maintenance time by 40%, reducing the window of exposure for routine patching.

•Directed network upgrades enhancing system uptime to 99.9% across all platforms.

•Managed IT asset inventory (a core input to vulnerability management), improving tracking accuracy by 25%.

Team Leadership

•Built and mentored a 10-engineer team, achieving 95% on-time project delivery.

•Coordinated cross-departmental incident response initiatives, accelerating response time by 50%.

•Negotiated vendor service agreements, saving $500K annually while maintaining security and service standards.

Richard S. Carson Associates — U.S. Department of State • Bethesda, MD 04/2011 – 09/2023

Lead / Senior Systems Administrator

•Ensured compliance with FISMA, NIST 800-53, and DOS security policy across federal applications, supporting continuous audit readiness and risk mitigation.

•Enforced NIST and FISMA compliance measures, achieving a 100% audit pass rate over 3 consecutive years.

•Led incident response efforts to contain and mitigate cyber threats, decreasing security breaches by 45% within the first year.

•Directed system architecture upgrades and capacity planning for federal applications, tuning OS-level security parameters and applying patches across 150+ servers.

•Provided Oracle database administration, backup, and disaster recovery to uphold system SLAs, reducing incident volume by ~15%.

•Automated routine system and security tasks using PowerShell and Python, cutting manual workload by 40% and accelerating issue resolution.

•Collaborated with vendors on maintenance contracts and SLAs to optimize security and cost efficiency.

Team Leadership

•Managed and mentored 8 system administrators, reducing ticket backlog by 35%.

•Partnered with U.S. State Department stakeholders to align security and IT initiatives with mission-critical objectives, improving service delivery efficiency by 25%.

Test Pros, Inc. — U.S. Department of State • Sterling, VA 06/2011 – 03/2013

Senior Systems Analyst / Deputy Team Lead

•Conducted ASP.NET, Java, and SQL code reviews to identify security gaps and improve maintainability of federal applications.

•Administered and tested SQL Server and Oracle databases to support data integrity and backup/recovery strategies.

•Performed Active Directory administration for the System Integration and Testing Environment (SITE) Lab, managing access controls.

•Executed software and systems testing to validate compatibility, performance, and security requirements.

•Facilitated incident and service-request tracking using ITSM principles.

•Directed a cross-functional team of 8 analysts, delivering 15+ projects on schedule and under budget; mentored junior analysts to boost productivity by 20%.

Geek Squad / Best Buy • Charlotte, NC 03/2007 – 03/2011

Counter Intelligence Agent / In-Store Tech

•Delivered in-store and on-site technical support, resolving hardware and software issues for 200+ customers monthly at a 95% satisfaction rate.

•Streamlined diagnostic processes, cutting average repair time by 25%.

•Led and mentored a team of junior technicians, improving overall service quality.

JCSU STA+ • Charlotte, NC 03/2006 – 03/2010

STA+ Program Manager / Systems Administrator

•Led the STA+ program while configuring and maintaining campus servers, Cisco switches, routers, and workstations, ensuring network uptime and security.

CERTIFICATIONS

CompTIA Security+ • CompTIA Network+ • Oracle OCP Database 11g • MCSE (Retired) NRA Instructor, USCCA Instructor

EDUCATION

B.S., Computer Engineering — Johnson C. Smith University

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