Cybersecurity Research Assistant

The role

This person will implement and monitor security controls across Kubernetes, Linux, database, and model-serving environments. They will also help develop AI tooling to assist with cybersecurity control maintenance.

What you will do

• Implement assigned security controls across Kubernetes, Linux, database, and model-serving environments.
• Build and operate monitoring and detection coverage including metrics, dashboards, and log aggregation.
• Run scheduled vulnerability scanning across container images, hosts, and application dependencies.
• Write and maintain automation for hardening baselines using Ansible and Python.
• Contribute to secrets management, network policy, and role-based access control.
• Build deterministic collectors to gather control evidence.
• Help build internal AI tooling for control catalog retrieval and scanner output triaging.
• Keep security documentation in agreement with deployed configuration.
• Test builds by restoring backups and verifying policy alerts.
• Document work in detail for assessors and prepare material for security reviews.

Required qualifications

• One to three years of professional experience in IT, systems administration, help desk, network operations, or a comparable hands-on technical role.
• Comfort on the Linux command line.
• Scripting ability in Bash and Python.
• Demonstrated interest in security.
• Careful, methodical work habits.
• Willingness to ask questions early.
• Ability to work independently on assigned tasks.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust Security clearance.
• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience or a completed technical cer
• Working knowledge of Linux system administration, ideally on RHEL based systems such as Rocky Linux, and on Ubuntu.
• Basic understanding of networking, including TCP/IP, DNS, TLS, firewalls.
• Basic familiarity with containers.

Nice to have

• CompTIA Security+, Network+, or Linux+, a Kubernetes certification, or a cloud certification.
• Coursework or a degree concentration in cybersecurity or information assurance.
• Any exposure to NIST security standards, security frameworks, or compliance work.
• A home lab, capture the flag participation, open-source contributions, or a personal project.
• Experience with Ansible, Terraform, or another configuration management tool.
• Any experience with Prometheus, Grafana, Elastic, or another monitoring or logging platform.
• Curiosity about large language models.
• Prior work at NIH or another federal agency, or familiarity with federal IT environments.

Benefits

• 100% Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage for Employees
• Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
• 401K match up to 5%
• Educational Benefits for Career Growth
• Employee Referral Bonus
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Healthcare (FSA), Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK), Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP), Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)
• Axle will sponsor the right candidate for certifications and provides working hours to study for them.

Before you apply

• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust Security clearance.

About the company

Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad.