Women in Cybersecurity

The Future of Women in Cyber

Women have served across a spectrum of technical roles at CISA since it was established. This has included leading a team that drafted the Blueprint for a Secure Cyber Future, planning and analysis that supported the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, supporting election security efforts, developing recommendations for protecting High Value Asset (HVA) systems across the federal government, and supporting internal diversity and inclusion programs.  

Women historically have had a very low representation in cybersecurity, and yet they remain critical to the mission. As women represent over 50% of the nation’s population, our federal cyber workforce must also reflect their unique perspectives and insights. Our cyber workforce cannot afford to miss out on female viewpoints, hence the high/urgent need for more women in cybersecurity positions.

We are pleased to be a part of a larger chorus of organizations around the world who work to close the gender gap by connecting and supporting women in cybersecurity. We are actively building partnerships with leading organizations that promote women in tech, such as Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code, Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS), and the Girl Scouts, among others. These organizations enable women to join professional organizations, attend conferences, further their education, and explore new possibilities in cybersecurity. By working together on this shared mission, we can more quickly realize our goal of operating with a powerhouse of diverse talent.

How Can Women Join CISA?  

There’s no time to waste when it comes to exploring opportunities to join CISA! Because CISA is at the heart of the nation’s efforts to understand and manage risk to our cyber and critical infrastructure, it is vital that talented job seekers join our mission today.

To look at our open opportunities and apply to positions, please visit USAJOBS. Find out if a special recruitment opportunity applies to you (such as Schedule A, veterans’ preference, or being a military spouse), which might allow for expedited hiring. CISA isn’t just in the Washington, D.C. area either; we have positions nationwide, including in CISA’s regional offices. Additionally, if you don’t see any positions that currently interest you or match your skillset, you can also keep track of new CISA positions in the future by setting up an “saved search” with keyword “Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.”  

Finally, CISA is not just cyber. Our mission also includes securing the nation’s critical infrastructure and requires support from across the agency. We are actively recruiting to fill positions across multiple career fields, including infrastructure security, emergency communications, program and project management, risk assessment, stakeholder management, contracting, human resources, financial management, and more.

Empower the Next Generation of Cybersecurity Professionals 

Different pathways to cybersecurity careers are important to closing the gender gap and filling our nation’s 500,000 open cybersecurity jobs. One of the best ways to do this is through early intervention and preparing the future workforce through STEM education and hands-on mentorship activities. 

Harmful and untrue stereotypes often discourage young women from entering STEM fields. Encourage your family, friends and community to participate in STEM programs.  Interactive programs such as coding bootcamps or hackathons are a chance to get girls hooked on cyber at a young age and further develop their skills. A STEM-focused education can lead to lucrative scholarships and employment through programs like the National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) and CyberCorps®: Scholarship for Service. 

Cybersecurity is a broad field, encompassing everything from threat hunting, vulnerability management, risk assessment, incident response, data governance, analysis, privacy, to cyber awareness and training. While technical skills are often emphasized, cybersecurity is as much about how people think, act and communicate with each other as it is about computers (think of phishing attacks and ransomware, which often rely on human actions rather than just system vulnerabilities).  Further exposure to cybersecurity through internships allows students to learn on the job, build connections with mentors and discover what most interests them in their chosen field, while providing employers with a pipeline of next generation talent and furthering the development of the field. To learn more about internship opportunities for high school through graduate-level students, please visit our Student Opportunities page. 

We strive to discover and promote opportunities for women to lead, diversify and improve CISA’s mission, as well as to join the mission to engage the younger generation of women on pathways to cybersecurity and federal service.  

Connect with Us

We participate in hiring events to connect with job seekers who are eager to learn more about available opportunities.  

We are especially excited about our upcoming career events, which promise to be an opportunity for women to chat virtually, in real-time, with CISA representatives about our inclusive workplace culture and gain insights into CISA careers pathways for women from all backgrounds. You can also engage with us further via Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.