It security specialist technical lead

Summary

The IT Security Specialist Technical Lead is part of a team that, under the supervision of the Circuit IT Security Officer, provides IT security support to the court units within the Eleventh Circuit, which includes Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. This is an on-site position located in either Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; Jacksonville, Florida; or Miami, Florida. Location is negotiable.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

Citizens of the United States of America and those eligible to work in the United States of America.

Duties

The Circuit security team, working from a formal IT security plan, provides risk management, vulnerability management, and IT security innovation to the court units within the Eleventh Circuit. This work includes support for national tools, policy creation and review, training, risk management strategy, and an annual independent assessment process.

• Provide technical advice on network security for court units throughout the Eleventh Circuit.
• Answer technical questions for Eleventh Circuit court units regarding national network security requirements, including IT Security assessment requirements.
• Work with and influence multiple court divisions within the circuit to align court strategies with secure, high-performance systems.
• Provide subject matter expertise for areas including firewalls, the Domain Name System (DNS), and other network technologies.
• Track and support circuit-wide implementation of national IT security tools for scanning, logging, and patching.
• Provide guidance in designing security architecture roadmaps and documenting architecture decisions.
• Assist with developing secure baseline configurations for court units' networks, endpoints, and applications.
• Assist Eleventh Circuit court units with implementing network access control measures.
• Conceive, develop, document, and manage IT security projects.
• Troubleshoot and diagnose cyber defense infrastructure anomalies and recommend resolutions.
• Regularly collaborate with the Administrative Office of the Courts' National Logging Service (NLS) team to gain backend IT security insight and roadmaps for upcoming national initiatives.
• Engage with the judiciary NLS community to identify common data issues and data requests.
• Assist local court units with NLS investigations after cybersecurity incidents.
• Identify insecure enterprise tool configurations as part of annual court unit assessments.
• Assist local court units with exploring and implementing custom data solutions when national solutions do not exist.
• Translate and document technical terms into non-technical language.
• Train non-automation personnel in automation techniques and processes.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work for the federal government.
• All applicant information is subject to verification.
• All offers of employment are provisional pending successful completion of a background check or investigation and a favorable employment suitability determination. Selectees to high-sensitive positions such as this must successfully complete a ten-year background investigation, and subsequent favorable suitability determination, and every five years thereafter will be subject to a re-investigation.
• It is the policy of this court that all new personnel are hired for a twelve-month initial probationary period, at the end of which time their work and progress will be evaluated.
• All court employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.
• Employees of the United States Circuit Court are considered "at-will" employees, and, as such, may be terminated with or without cause.
• The Office of Personnel Management civil service position classification standards and appeal procedures do not apply to federal court employees.
• This position is subject to Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for payroll deposit.

Qualifications

• Four years of experience in information security/cybersecurity.
• Experience in network security, incident handling and response, and vulnerability management.
• Ability to travel (25% - 50%).

Candidates selected for an interview will be required to take a technical skills test to demonstrate their IT Security knowledge.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Detailed, organized, and self-driven.
• Strong interpersonal skills; excellent customer service skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and within the constraints of conflicting deadlines.
• Proactive, creative problem-solving approach.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Strong collaboration skills with IT and other court staff.
• Ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and use sound judgement.
• Possess a professional demeanor and strong work ethic.
• Excellent computer skills and ability to work with a variety of programs and applications.
• Ability to lift and move equipment (approximately 50 pounds).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS: The following knowledge, skills, and qualifications are highly desired:

• Bachelor's degree in cyber security, computer science, or related field from an accredited four-year college or university.
• CISSP, CISM, CISA, or equivalent certification.
• Knowledge of NIST Risk Management Framework.
• Proficiency in Windows and Active Directory, and experience with Websense, Tenable Security Center/Nessus, KACE, and Splunk is preferred.
• Work experience with federal court-related applications, systems, and services.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

Review our benefits

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applicants will also be evaluated based on the application materials submitted.

Required Documents

Please refer to the "How to Apply" section.

How to Apply

A cover letter addressed to Cheryl Vessels, Assistant Circuit Executive for Human Resources, and resume detailing background, experience, and qualifications should be emailed in one single PDF attachment to [email protected]. Please indicate "IT Security Specialist - Technical Lead" in the subject line. Preference given to applications received by January 26, 2026.

Agency contact information

Human Resources

Phone

(404) 335-6202

Email

[email protected]

Address

US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
56 Forsyth Street, N.W.
Atlanta, GA 30303-2289
US

Next steps

An evaluation of your qualifications will be conducted. The most qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. Due to the volume of applications received, only candidates selected to interview will be contacted.

Overview

Accepting applications

Open & closing dates

01/05/2026 to 01/26/2026

Salary

$90,036 to - $146,336 per year

Pay scale & grade

CL 29

Locations

1 vacancy in the following locations:

Birmingham, AL

Jacksonville, FL

Miami, FL

Atlanta, GA

Remote job

No

Telework eligible

No

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

Appointment type

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Excepted

Promotion potential

None

Job family (Series)

• 2210 Information Technology Management

Supervisory status

No

Security clearance

Other

Drug test

No

Financial disclosure

No

Bargaining unit status

No

Announcement number

DE-12863370-26-AB

Control number

854053400