Supervisory IT Cybersecurity Specialist (INFOSEC)

The US Patent and Trademark Office is hiring a Supervisory IT Cybersecurity Specialist (INFOSEC) to lead vulnerability management and cyber threat emulation efforts from the Vulnerability Management and Cyber Threat Emulation Branch (VMCEB). In this onsite role in Alexandria, Virginia, you will serve as the branch chief and help prevent cyberattacks by directing advanced intrusion detection, vulnerability management, and penetration testing activities.

Role focus

This position operates as the Vulnerability Management and Cyber Threat Emulation Branch Chief, providing technical and executive leadership across enterprise vulnerability management, cyber threat emulation, and proactive defense. The work emphasizes reducing cybersecurity risk by identifying weaknesses, validating remediation, and surfacing malicious activity before it causes significant impact.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for enterprise vulnerability management, cyber threat emulation, red team operations, threat hunting, attack surface management, and cybersecurity risk reduction activities.
• Direct the planning, execution, and continuous improvement of agency-wide vulnerability management programs to identify, assess, prioritize, remediate, and validate cybersecurity weaknesses across enterprise information systems, cloud services, applications, networks, and emerging technologies.
• Oversee proactive threat hunting using threat intelligence, behavioral analytics, forensic analysis, and cybersecurity telemetry to detect malicious activity, advanced threats, insider risks, and unauthorized activity.
• Develop policies, procedures, standards, and operational guidance supporting cyber defense, vulnerability management, threat hunting, adversary emulation, and continuous monitoring activities.
• Lead technical teams responsible for vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, cyber threat emulation, threat hunting, attack surface analysis, and cybersecurity engineering activities.

Required qualifications and eligibility

• Applicants must be United States Citizens and Nationals (applications accepted from all U.S. Citizens or Nationals).
• Resume and application responses must demonstrate job-related competencies.
• Must meet the definition of specialized experience.
• Required to pass a background investigation and fingerprint check.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
• If selected, you may be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
• Must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of the announcement.
• Must be Suitable for Federal Employment.
• Within 120 days of Entry on Duty, obtain one of: (ISC)2 CAP or CISSP; ISACA CISM; GIAC GISF or GSLC.
• Specialized experience must include, or be supplemented by, IT-related experience (paid or unpaid, and/or intensive training) demonstrating the competencies: Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Information Management, Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Problem Solving, Teamwork, and Technical Competency.
• Must also demonstrate supervisory competencies: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Problem Solving, and Resilience.

Technologies

• NIST
• CISA
• Selective Service System
• (ISC)2 CAP
• CISSP
• ISACA CISM
• GIAC GISF
• GSLC

Duties and work arrangements

• Worksite is located in Alexandria, Virginia, and onsite presence is required for in-person functions.
• The position may be eligible for situational telework in accordance with agency policy/business unit discretion.
• The agency currently allows for 52 hours of telework per calendar year.
• This role supports advanced intrusion detection, vulnerability management, and penetration testing through expertise aligned to VMCEB mission needs.

Specialized experience examples

• Experience leading enterprise vulnerability management and cyber risk reduction initiatives, using NIST, CISA, and federal cybersecurity guidance to prioritize remediation, validate fixes, and strengthen security posture.
• Experience managing proactive cyber defense capabilities including threat hunting, red team operations, penetration testing, adversary simulation, attack path analysis, and control validation to identify threats and improve resilience.
• Experience providing supervisory leadership and executive advisory support, overseeing cybersecurity teams, developing policies, procedures, metrics, and governance frameworks, and briefing leadership on threats, vulnerabilities, and investment priorities.

Pay and employment conditions

• Salary range: USD 169,279 - 197,200 per year.
• This is a Non-Bargaining Unit position.
• Enhanced security requirement: Sensitivity Level is critical sensitive.
• Top Secret clearance expectation: the incumbent will require a Top Secret Compartmented Information clearance to attend Top Secret briefings with other Department of Commerce and Department of Homeland Security entities.
• Fair Credit Act memo may be required if selected, to provide consent for one or more consumer credit reports for employment purposes.
• Background investigation steps may include completing OF-306 (Declaration for Federal Employment) including fingerprint and credit check.
• Relocation expenses are not authorized and will not be paid.
• USPTO participates in E-Verify.
• Federal salary payments are required via direct deposit.
• CTAP and ICTAP candidates may be eligible for selection priority if they exceed minimum qualifications and attain at least a “well qualified” rating of 85 out of 100.

How you will be evaluated

• Evaluations are based on qualifications demonstrated in application materials, application questionnaire responses, and required assessments.
• Competencies assessed include: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Flexibility, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, and Resilience.
• USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum proficiency level in critical general competencies.
• In addition to the USA Hire Assessment, your resume will be reviewed using a Structured Resume Review for evidence of specialized experience and alignment to the announcement.
• Overstating qualifications or cheating on an assessment may result in removal from consideration.
• Best qualified candidates may be referred to the hiring manager and may be invited for an interview.

Required documents

• Resume: submit a two-page resume (not to exceed 2 pages).
• Professional or academic references: provide 2-3 references (name, phone, email), including one current supervisor.
• Supporting documents: Veterans’ Preference documentation (if applicable).
• Supporting documents: CTAP or ICTAP documents (if applicable).

Additional notes: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify Selective Service registration. All application materials become property of the US Patent and Trademark Office. Reasonable Accommodation requests are available for USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if a disability under the Rehabilitation Act would interfere with completing assessments. If you receive a URL to access USA Hire Assessments after the close of the announcement, you must complete all assessments within 48 hours.