Job Analysis

IDS 493 Job Analysis

For this job analysis assignment, I selected the company named Leidos and the position of Vulnerability Management Analyst. After reviewing several job postings, this role stood out to me because it closely aligns with my academic major, skills, and professional experience. Additionally, the roles and responsibilities mentioned in this job advertisement are very appealing to me, as they involve conducting vulnerability assessments and supporting remediation efforts to strengthen organizational security. Furthermore, during this analysis, I found that this role perfectly aligns with my career goals and professional interests. This essay will outline the details of my analysis of the Vulnerability Management Analyst role at Leidos, beginning with an overview of the company and position, followed by a discussion of the basic and preferred qualifications and required skills, and concluding with my overall assessment of the role and the company.

About the Company

While researching about the company, I discovered that Leidos is an innovation-driven company and is best known for providing advanced technical and innovative solutions to their government and commercial clients. The company’s mission is to mainly help their customers and clients leverage science and technology for better outcomes for the world by making it a more efficient, healthier, and safer place for everyone. Interestingly, this mission strongly aligns with my interests and career goals. As a cybersecurity major, I believe that technology plays a critical role in protecting organizational digital networks and systems. I am motivated to contribute to this mission by helping safeguard critical infrastructure and sensitive information from evolving cyber threats. The Vulnerability Management Analyst position directly supports this goal and provides an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Roles and Responsibilities of Vulnerability Management Analyst

The job portal lists several roles and responsibilities, including assessing and prioritizing identified vulnerabilities, designing dashboards to analyze raw data, and monitoring threat intelligence feeds. In a nutshell, a Vulnerability Management Analyst is primarily responsible for identifying, assessing, and managing cyber vulnerabilities. Additionally, the job portal outlines both the basic and preferred qualifications for the role.

Although the job description includes many roles and responsibilities, to keep this essay concise, I will focus on discussing some of the major responsibilities as part of my explanation.

Some of the primary responsibilities listed include:

  • “Work under the supervision and direction of senior members of the Vulnerability Management Program”
  • “Participate in the assessment and prioritization of vulnerabilities identified in environments”
  • “Work to identify and prioritize remediation of security flaws and vulnerabilities in systems, network devices, websites, and source code”
  • “Interface with cross-functional teams to participate in security projects and initiatives”

In addition to outlining the responsibilities, the job listing also specifies the required and preferred qualifications for the role.

Qualifications and Skills

The basic qualifications section includes requirements such as a degree in cybersecurity or computer science, a foundational understanding of computer networks and systems, and a strong interest in cybersecurity, among others. In addition, the preferred qualifications include experience with vulnerability scanning tools, knowledge of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) frameworks and the OWASP Top 10, as well as coding or scripting skills.

While going over each role and responsibilities, I identified both soft skills as well as technical skills. Although the job posting doesn’t explicitly mention soft skills such as communication and team work, these skills can be inferred by analyzing the primary job responsibilities. For instance, one of the responsibilities includes “participating in Vulnerability Management discussions with various teams”; it clearly indicates the need for strong communication skills. Another responsibility included “interface with cross-functional teams to participate in security projects and initiatives”, which further emphasizes the importance of teamwork.

Furthermore, with regards to technical skills, the role explicitly listed the required knowledge of programming and development using Python and PowerShell. This demonstrates that the role demands a balance of both technical expertise as well as soft skills, which further suggests a technically intensive environment while effectively communicating findings to the teams and stakeholders. Most of the skills, if not all, I have developed through my academic courses, internship and professional job. In the next few paragraphs, I will discuss the skills I have gained and identify those I still need to further develop. 

Skills Developed Already

During this analysis, I identified several skills that I have already developed, as well as others that I need to either refine or further develop. For example, during my internship with the City of Suffolk as Cyber Risk Management Specialist, I gained hands-on experience in identifying and assessing security vulnerabilities, which closely relates to the primary responsibilities of a Vulnerability Management Analyst. This experience allowed me not only to  strengthen my technical skills, such as using Tenable, a widely recognized vulnerability scanning tool, but also helped to enhance other important skills such as communication and teamwork. Working in a team environment, I learned how to collaborate effectively with colleagues to collectively assess and prioritize identified vulnerabilities and determine appropriate remediation actions. In addition, my current role as a Desktop Support Student Worker has further strengthened my technical and interpersonal skills. In this position, I work closely with my mentor and supervisor to provide IT support to ODU faculty and staff across various departments, continuing to develop both my technical expertise and soft skills. Overall, the job posting for the Vulnerability Management Analyst highlights the importance of experience with vulnerability scanning tools, and my strong combination of technical and soft skills makes me a suitable candidate for this role. In addition to my practical experience, my academic coursework has provided me with foundational knowledge that aligns with many of the required and preferred qualifications for this role.

Through my academic coursework, I have gained the foundational knowledge of cybersecurity principles, frameworks, and computer networks. The job listing specifically highlights the importance of familiarity with the NIST cybersecurity framework and the OWASP Top 10, both of which I have studied during my coursework at ODU. Additionally, the job listing also emphasizes the need for programming and scripting skills using Python and PowerShell. I have gained these skills through class projects and lab activities. I just need some revisions to better apply these skills in a professional setting. Beside these skills, there are some other skills and requirements that I still need to further develop. 

Skills Needs to be Developed

One of the technical skills I identified through this analysis that I still need to develop is leveraging AI to safeguard organizational networks and systems against modern cyber threats. I have gained some exposure to AI in cybersecurity by participating in an AI Capture the Flag competition, and I plan to further enhance my knowledge through the course called, Applied Machine Learning in Cybersecurity. Another preferred qualification listed in the job posting is having any professional certification. I am currently in the process of earning this security+ certification, and I believe obtaining it will significantly strengthen my application and increase my likelihood of being selected for this position.

Conclusion

In conclusion, analyzing the Vulnerability Management Analyst position has given me a clear understanding of the technical and soft skills required for success in this role. Through my academic coursework, internship experience, and current job responsibilities, I have developed a strong foundation in cybersecurity principles, vulnerability assessment, programming, and collaborative teamwork. At the same time, I recognize areas for further growth, such as leveraging AI in cybersecurity and obtaining professional certifications like Security+, which I am actively pursuing. Overall, this analysis has confirmed that my skills and experiences closely match the requirements of the position. Additionally, my combination of technical expertise, practical experience, and commitment to continuous learning makes me a strong candidate for the Vulnerability Management Analyst role.

References

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (n.d.). Vulnerability Assessment Analyst. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved February 9, 2026. https://www.cisa.gov/careers/work-rolesvulnerability-assessment-analyst

Leidos. (n.d.). Who we are. Leidos. Retrieved February 9, 2026, from https://www.leidos.com/company/who-we-are

Leidos. (n.d.). What does Leidos do? Leidos. Retrieved February 9, 2026, from https://www.leidos.com/insights/what-does-leidos-do