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Top Secret Clearance Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

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How much do top secret clearance jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for top secret clearance in Reston, VA is $139,557.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $119,600.00 and $149,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Top Secret Clearance?

A Top Secret Clearance is the highest level of security clearance granted by the U.S. government. It allows an individual access to information or material that could cause exceptionally grave damage to national security if disclosed without authorization. Obtaining this clearance involves an extensive background investigation, including checks on personal, financial, and criminal history. Only individuals with a legitimate need to know can be granted this clearance, and it must be renewed periodically.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals working in roles that require a Top Secret Clearance?

Professionals in positions requiring a Top Secret Clearance often encounter challenges related to maintaining strict confidentiality, adhering to rigorous security protocols, and managing the stress of handling sensitive information. Daily responsibilities typically include safeguarding classified materials, following detailed reporting procedures, and undergoing regular security evaluations. Collaboration may be limited to cleared colleagues, which can sometimes restrict information sharing and require careful coordination. Additionally, the need for ongoing background checks and the potential for sudden re-investigations can add to the pressure of the role.

What is the difference between Top Secret Clearance vs Confidential Clearance?

AspectTop Secret ClearanceConfidential Clearance
Required CredentialsBackground check, polygraph (if applicable), security interviewBasic background check, fingerprinting
Work EnvironmentGovernment agencies, defense contractors, intelligence agenciesSimilar environments but for less sensitive information
Employer & Industry UsageMilitary, intelligence, national securityGovernment offices, civilian agencies

Top Secret Clearance is a higher level of security clearance than Confidential Clearance, allowing access to more sensitive information. While both require background checks and security interviews, Top Secret Clearance involves more extensive vetting, including polygraphs in some cases. Employers in defense, intelligence, and national security sectors primarily use these clearances, with Top Secret being essential for handling highly classified data.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in roles requiring Top Secret Clearance, and why are they important?

To excel in positions requiring a Top Secret Clearance, individuals must demonstrate reliability, integrity, and a clean personal and professional background, often supported by relevant education or military experience. Familiarity with secure communication systems, classified information protocols, and potentially certifications like Security+ or CISSP is essential. Strong judgment, discretion, and the ability to remain calm under pressure are valuable soft skills in these sensitive environments. These qualities are critical because they ensure the protection of national security information and maintain the trust necessary for handling classified material.

What jobs do you need top secret clearance for?

Top Secret clearance is required for jobs involving national security, intelligence, defense contracting, and military roles that handle sensitive information. These positions often involve working with classified data, intelligence analysis, or military operations, and may require additional certifications or background checks.
What are the most commonly searched types of Top Secret Clearance jobs in Reston, VA? The most popular types of Top Secret Clearance jobs in Reston, VA are:
What are popular job titles related to Top Secret Clearance jobs in Reston, VA? For Top Secret Clearance jobs in Reston, VA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Top Secret Clearance jobs in Reston, VA look for? The top searched job categories for Top Secret Clearance jobs in Reston, VA are:
What cities near Reston, VA are hiring for Top Secret Clearance jobs? Cities near Reston, VA with the most Top Secret Clearance job openings:
Top Secret Clearance jobs near you
Infographic showing various Top Secret Clearance job openings in Reston, VA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $139,557 per year, or $67.1 per hour.

Data Engineer, Top Secret Clearance

Blue Sky Innovators

Reston, VA • On-site

$119K - $143K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 13 days ago

Job description

Job Summary:
Blue Sky Innovators, Inc. is seeking a Lead Data Engineer to serve as a Subject Matter Expert in designing and implementing data pipelines for mission-relevant data. The role involves collaborating with government and industry stakeholders to improve data accessibility and operational visibility while ensuring compliance with security requirements.
Responsibilities:
• Analyze mission workflows and system architecture to identify the data artifacts required to support operational capabilities.
• Define the structure, semantics, and lifecycle of mission data products within the data architecture.
• Ensure data artifacts align with architectural standards for interoperability, traceability, and reuse across mission components.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison for defining data exchange interfaces between mission systems.
• Collaborate with mission partners to define message schemas, data formats, transport mechanisms, and interface expectations.
• Document data interface specifications to support both system integration and operational sustainment.
• Support the RMF process by defining technical details for machine-to-machine data interfaces.
• Produce or contribute to required RMF artifacts including: Data message descriptions, Ports, Protocols, and Services Management (PPSM) entries, System topology diagrams and interface documentation.
• Coordinate with cybersecurity engineers to ensure pipeline implementations meet DoW security and compliance requirements.
• Design and implement automated data pipelines that ingest, transform, persist, and expose data artifacts for use by internal and external stakeholders.
• Utilize government-provided data platform infrastructure to build scalable ETL workflows.
• Develop custom transformation logic when required using appropriate programming languages and data processing frameworks.
• Expose processed data products through standardized service interfaces such as REST APIs or platform-native services.
• Implement data validation, normalization, and transformation logic to ensure accuracy and usability of integrated datasets.
• Troubleshoot data pipeline failures and implement monitoring, logging, and recovery mechanisms.
• Optimize pipeline performance to support mission timelines and large-scale data processing requirements.
• Design and implementation of production data pipelines enabling automated ingestion and dissemination of mission data across systems.
• Technical documentation describing data artifacts, including purpose and operational relevance, source systems and ingestion methods, transformation logic, and destination systems and access interfaces.
• Interface documentation supporting integration with external mission partners.
• RMF technical artifacts supporting security authorization of data interfaces.
• Continuous improvement and sustainment of the data pipeline ecosystem to support evolving mission needs.
Qualifications:
Required:
• 9 years of experience and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Management Information Systems/Information Systems, or a related discipline; or a Master's degree and 7 years of experience; or a PhD/JD and 4 years of experience.
• 7+ years of experience supporting software engineering, systems integration, platform implementation, or application development efforts within DoD, IC, SAP/SCI, or other complex mission environments.
• Experience designing or implementing data pipelines, ETL workflows, or data integration architectures.
• Experience working with structured and semi-structured data formats (JSON, CSV, XML, etc.).
• Requires an active Top Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain Sensitive Compartmented Information and Special Program access, as well as a willingness to consent to a polygraph examination.
Preferred:
• Proficiency with low-code/no-code data orchestration technologies such as Apache NiFi, Apache Airflow, or similar ETL orchestration tools.
• Experience implementing data transformation logic using Python and data processing libraries such as Pandas and NumPy.
• Certification or demonstrated experience as a Palantir Foundry Data Engineer, including use of Code Repositories, Pipeline Builder, AIP Logic, and other platform-relevant technologies.
• Experience designing pipelines that process and fuse large-scale datasets from multiple sources.
• Familiarity with DoW data architectures, mission system integration, or data interoperability frameworks.
• Ability to communicate effectively with engineers, architects, operators, and senior Government leadership while translating technical concepts into mission-relevant value.
• Proven ability to work in highly regulated, fast-moving environments where technical excellence, mission responsiveness, and stakeholder coordination are all critical to success.
Company:
Blue Sky Innovators is a technology company in DoD and IC. Founded in 2013, the company is headquartered in Arlington, USA, with a team of 51-200 employees. The company is currently Growth Stage.

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