When interviewing with Addison Group, you will face a variety of questions designed to test your technical depth, your problem-solving methodology, and your cultural fit. The questions below represent patterns observed in actual interviews and should be used to guide your study sessions.

Cloud Architecture & DevSecOps

These questions test your ability to secure modern infrastructure and integrate security into automated pipelines.

• How do you ensure that secrets and credentials are not hardcoded into Docker images or Terraform scripts?
• Walk me through the architecture of a secure, multi-tier web application in AWS. Which specific security services would you enable?
• If a developer needs cluster-admin rights in Kubernetes to troubleshoot an issue, how do you handle that request securely?
• Explain how you would set up automated security scanning in a GitLab or Jenkins CI/CD pipeline.
• How do you monitor and secure outbound traffic from a containerized application to prevent data exfiltration?

Enterprise Infrastructure & Networking

These questions evaluate your hands-on experience with traditional IT environments, virtualization, and network defense.

• Describe the step-by-step process you would use to secure a newly deployed Windows Server 2025 instance.
• How do you design an Active Directory structure that limits the blast radius of a compromised account?
• Explain the differences between a stateful firewall and a Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW). How would you configure a Cisco ASA or Firepower device for a zero-trust boundary?
• What is your strategy for managing and rotating certificates in a large-scale enterprise PKI environment?
• How do you ensure high availability and data integrity for enterprise storage systems attached to a Hyper-V cluster?

Incident Response & Compliance

These questions probe your ability to handle active threats and maintain regulatory standards.

• Walk me through your methodology for responding to an alert from your SIEM indicating a potential ransomware infection on an endpoint.
• How do you balance the strict requirements of CMMC compliance with the need for developers to have local admin rights on their machines?
• Describe a time you had to lead a root-cause analysis after a significant security incident. What was the outcome?
• How do you prioritize vulnerability remediation when a scan returns thousands of critical and high alerts?
• Explain the concept of continuous monitoring under NIST guidelines. How do you implement it practically?

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Enterprise Infrastructure & Network Security

For roles focused on on-premises or hybrid environments, this area tests your ability to harden traditional enterprise infrastructure. You must demonstrate a deep understanding of network topologies, server ecosystems, and identity management.

• Microsoft Server Ecosystems – You will be tested on your ability to deploy and secure Windows Server 2025, manage Active Directory, enforce Group Policy, and administer DNS.
• Virtualization & High Availability – Expect questions on architecting secure Hyper-V environments and implementing robust disaster recovery and failover solutions.
• Network Defense – You must be proficient in advanced configuration of Cisco firewalls, secure network architecture design, and managing edge security.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Hybrid Exchange migrations, advanced PKI/Certificate Authority design, and secure configuration of enterprise SQL Server clusters.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How would you design and implement a redundant, high-availability Hyper-V cluster across two distinct physical data centers?"
• "Explain your process for locking down Active Directory to prevent privilege escalation attacks in a hybrid environment."
• "Walk me through the steps you take to configure a Cisco firewall to support a secure, compliant CMMC boundary."

Compliance & Risk Management

Because Addison Group clients often operate in the federal or defense space, compliance is not optional—it is a core engineering requirement. This area evaluates your ability to translate policy into technical controls.

• Framework Implementation – You must understand how to implement and validate controls for CMMC, NIST, or FedRAMP.
• Vulnerability Management – Interviewers will ask how you oversee vulnerability scanning, prioritize remediation planning, and mitigate risks based on business impact.
• Identity & Access Management – Expect questions on managing enterprise endpoint protection and implementing robust MFA solutions (like Duo).

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How do you approach mapping NIST 800-171 controls to actual technical configurations in a Windows Server environment?"
• "Describe your strategy for managing vulnerability remediation when the development team pushes back due to tight feature deadlines."
• "What is your process for preparing an organization for a CMMC compliance audit?"

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6. Key Responsibilities

As a Security Engineer at Addison Group, your day-to-day work will be a mix of strategic architectural design and hands-on tactical execution. You will spend a significant portion of your time assessing current security practices, identifying gaps in the security posture, and driving the implementation of new controls. Whether you are writing Terraform modules to secure an AWS environment or configuring Cisco firewalls for an on-premises data center, your primary deliverable is resilient, compliant infrastructure.

Collaboration is a massive part of this role. You will partner closely with developers, IT operations, and DevOps teams to embed security throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) or enterprise provisioning process. This means you will frequently lead incident response efforts, conduct root-cause analyses, and manage SIEM platforms for continuous monitoring and alerting.

Additionally, you will serve as the subject matter expert for compliance initiatives. You will be responsible for leading CMMC or FedRAMP documentation efforts, validating security controls, and presenting risk mitigation strategies to both technical peers and executive stakeholders. Your ability to manage multiple critical systems simultaneously while maintaining a strict documentation and compliance mindset will be essential to your daily success.

7. Role Requirements & Qualifications

To be a competitive candidate for the Security Engineer role at Addison Group, you need a robust mix of deep technical expertise and strong communication skills. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can independently architect solutions while adhering to strict compliance standards.

• Must-have technical skills – 5 to 7+ years of hands-on experience in either enterprise systems engineering (Microsoft ecosystems, Hyper-V, Cisco) or cloud security (AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform). You must have proven experience implementing security controls, encryption, MFA, and identity management.
• Must-have compliance experience – Demonstrated experience supporting environments regulated by CMMC, NIST, or government cloud security standards. You need a strong compliance mindset and documentation skills.
• Must-have soft skills – Exceptional problem-solving and analytical abilities. You must possess strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively translate technical security requirements to non-technical executive stakeholders.
• Nice-to-have qualifications – Knowledge of IL5 and FedRAMP. Experience securing AI systems and enhancing ongoing AI development efforts.
• Preferred Certifications – Industry-recognized certifications highly differentiate candidates. Look to highlight your CISSP, CCSP, Security+, CCNA/CCNP, AWS Security Specialty, or CKA/CKS credentials.

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