Future Technology Branch Chief

Future Technology Branch Chief

Department of Homeland Security

Washington, DC 20036

Posted 5 months ago

  • Job Type(s)

    Full Time
  • Industry

    Administrative, Clerical
  • Job Description

    Future Technology Branch Chief

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is recruiting a Future Technology Branch Chief in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to advance CISA's cyber research and development and incorporation of emerging technology to support novel solutions to defend the Nation's most critical information assets. This position is in the Cybersecurity Service.

    As the Future Technology Branch Chief, in the Office of the Technical Director (OTD) you will manage programs, budgets, contracts, staff, and subordinate staff developing, and implement cyber research and development and emerging technology strategies, requirements, and technical transitions. As a DHS Cybersecurity Service Employee in the Leadership Track, at the Senior Cybersecurity Manager level, you will continually and proactively participate in learning activities to enhance and apply your technical and leadership expertise in Cybersecurity Research and Development to oversee multiple DHS Federal cybersecurity programs, organizations, employees, and contract resources to manage a range of unusually difficult tasks, including:

    • Overseeing the branch's efforts to apply new or emerging technology to produce business or mission improvements, address identified gaps or limitations, or eliminate redundancy.
    • Serving as an R&D technical expert in the identification of emerging technology trends and describing how these technologies potentially introduce risk to business and mission environments as well as leading team to find mitigations.
    • Leading CISA's efforts to understand and reduce cybersecurity risks posed by emergent technologies and producing guidance to reduce these risks.
    • Collaborating with division leaders to identify emerging technology factors that may negatively impact capability development and capability delivery (i.e., cost or time to develop or acquire, alignment with CSD's mission).
    • Managing staff and subordinate managers to address the increasing pervasiveness of unauthorized activity targeting Federal Departments and Agencies and U.S. Critical Infrastructure and mapping these technologies to specified technology gaps that may require research and development.
    • Overseeing and managing teams to foster new and novel ways to meet mission requirements (e.g., enhanced visibility, applying advanced analytical techniques, rapid response and mitigation) through the application of emerging technology and technical approaches.
    • Serving as a technical expert to identify emerging technology in the context of cybersecurity threats, focusing on adversary capabilities, current or expected limitations in addressing these threats at scale, and quantifying the technology transformation needed to respond to these threats and mitigate the risk to Federal Departments and Agencies and U.S. Critical Infrastructure.
    • Managing and collaborating with staff and subordinates on new or additional research and development that would enhance CSD's capability and capacity to execute mission or resolve a specific mission challenges.
    • Overseeing the cultivation of opportunities for pilot programs for feasibility studies, Limited Technical Assessments (LTAs) that apply pilot capabilities in conditions with narrow mission scope, and Limited Objective Experiments (LOEs) that apply pilot capabilities in conditions with broader scope and real-world scenarios.
    • Collaborating with leaders and technical experts across CISA on innovation and technology transformation through the application of lessons learned from recent significant incidents and events.
    • Leading the branch's advocacy efforts for increased funding for R&D priority focus areas to expand the potential results and alternatives that meet the organization's capability requirements or close a capability gap.
    • Overseeing early-stage research, aligning research goals and objectives with the organization's current and evolving mission needs, leveraging results as inputs to the strategic planning and resource planning processes.
    This position is in the Leadership Track at the Senior Cybersecurity Manager level. At this level, individuals generally:
    • Have 12+ years of cybersecurity work experience
    • Have 5+ years of leadership experience
    • Are a seasoned cybersecurity manager who oversees multiple DHS or Federal cybersecurity programs or DHS organizations, including employees and contract resources, through subordinate managers
    Depending on their career level, DHS Cybersecurity Service employees with a technical capability in Cybersecurity Research and Development will generally apply their expertise to:

    • Conduct technology and/or feasibility research, development, and assessments.
    • Provided, build, test and support a prototype capability and/or evaluate its security and utility.
    • Plan, conduct or oversee comprehensive technology research to evaluate potential vulnerabilities in cyberspace systems.
    • Ensure appropriate security measures are considered throughout each phase of the R&D lifecycle.

    Candidates with advanced cybersecurity or related degrees preferred.


    DHS Cybersecurity Service employees start at career levels and salaries matching their experience and expertise. To learn more about DHS Cybersecurity Service career tracks and levels, visit our application portal.


    This position is focused on Cybersecurity Research and Development.


    DHS Cybersecurity Service jobs are structured cybersecurity specializations - called technical capabilities. To learn more about technical capabilities, visit our application portal.

    DESIRED TOOLS/INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE:Experience working with Academia, National Labs, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, etc. is desirable.