Earning a spot at the top, Northrop Grumman was named among the best places to work for Cyber Ninjas, according to a recent report issued by the SANS Institute, a global leader in information security training.
“Cyber Ninjas” are defined as those cybersecurity experts whose day-to-day tasks require higher-level technical skills. The report features interviews with employees from the top-rated government system integrators who discussed what they deemed most critical for recruiting and retention.
“Our goal is to show there are a bunch of companies doing it really well,” said Alan Paller, director of research, SANS Institute. “That should maximize the pressure on others to try to be more like the leaders and thereby improve productivity across the cybersecurity field.”
Told through the eyes of the employees, the interviews show the “how and why” of effective recruiting and retention. “The most important thing to me is being able to do challenging and engaging work,” said Jack Baker, Northrop Grumman cyber professional working on the company’s cyber threat assessment and awareness team. “The mission is a bonus – doing challenging projects for the right purpose is really great.”
“Look at their leadership – you want to see diversity, technical experience and leaders who engage with their employees for constant feedback,” said Lauren Mazzoli, a Northrop Grumman cyber systems engineer, responding to a question about assessing potential employers. “You want to know the organization is made up of people who are willing and able to help you, support you and get you where you want to go.”
In 2016, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report, Recruiting and Retaining Cyber Ninjas, published results of an in-depth survey of 284 cybersecurity professionals that identified key factors that characterize employers of choice for cyber ninjas. This follow-up report by SANS provides an initial answer to the question many potential employees ask: which employers provide the best environment to get the most out of top-performing cybersecurity professionals.
The report ranked employers on their success in recruiting and retaining a critical mass of cyber ninjas, names leaders in that ranking among federal IT contractors and adds substance to the CSIS findings by initially naming two of the best places to work and publishing interviews with ninjas who work for those leading employers.
Northrop Grumman’s Jack Baker and Lauren Mazzoli represent two of the four candidates highlighted in this first set of interviews.
Northrop Grumman is a leading provider of full-spectrum cyber solutions to the United States government and to allied nations around the world. The company builds cyber into every system, platform, and product that it produces in order to enhance mission assurance and resiliency, while investing both in innovative technology and cyber talent of the future. For information about careers in cyber, go to http://www.northropgrumman.com/careers .
To hear more from our professionals about employment with Northrop Grumman, click here: https://www.themuse.com/companies/northropgrumman/people/lauren
