Systems Engineer · Security Specialist

Matthew McLellen

Active TS/SCI Clearance
CompTIA SecurityX Certified
Based in Connecticut. Actively relocating. Primary: Huntsville, AL. Secondary: Fort Liberty, NC and Oak Ridge, TN.

Twenty-two years in national security operations. Retired Navy Chief now engineering and securing classified network subsystems for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Clean COMSEC audit record across three accounts, eight years.

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Matthew McLellen

Background

Military and defense-industry security experience

Retired Navy Chief (E-7) with twenty years of progressive responsibility in communications security, classified network operations, and personnel security management. Currently serving as a Systems Engineer with Rite-Solutions at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, Rhode Island, engineering and securing submarine network subsystems.

Core competencies span COMSEC account management, STIG implementation at scale, NIST and RMF compliance for classified environments, and hands-on administration across Windows Server, RHEL, and VMware ESXi. Eight years as Primary COMSEC Manager across three large accounts with zero findings across all audits.

Actively seeking roles in industrial security and information security management. Target positions include Facility Security Officer (FSO), Contractor Program Security Officer (CPSO), Information System Security Manager (ISSM), and senior cleared systems engineering positions.

22
Years of combined military and defense-industry experience
500+
Classified workstations and peripherals secured
1000+
Clearances processed via JPAS and DISS

Experience

Security and systems engineering across military and civilian sectors

January 2024 to Present
Rite-Solutions | NUWC Newport
Systems Engineer

Engineer and secure submarine network subsystems for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Administer virtualized Windows domains and implement security updates across classified infrastructure.

  • Deploy security patches maintaining 100% STIG compliance across 15+ classified systems
  • Administer Windows Server 2016/2019/2022, RHEL, and VMware ESXi environments
  • Integrate Ansible ADP deployments for submarine network automation
  • Apply NIST SP 800-53 and RMF controls for classified networks
May 2004 to May 2024
United States Navy
Chief (E-7) · Primary COMSEC Manager · Security Manager · Department Chief

Led communications security and network operations across multiple commands. Managed three large COMSEC accounts with zero findings during audits over twenty years of service.

  • Primary COMSEC Manager: 8 years across 3 accounts, 0 findings during audits
  • Secured 500+ workstations and peripherals; maintained compliance and uptime
  • Processed security clearances for 1000+ personnel via JPAS and DISS
  • Stood up and maintained two classified document control systems across all classification levels
  • Led teams maintaining submarine LAN and communications equipment underway
  • Authored SOPs for critical network systems still in use fleet-wide

Technical Proficiencies

Tools, frameworks, and platforms

Security & Compliance

COMSEC STIG NIST SP 800-53 RMF TS/SCI SecurityX Wazuh SIEM JPAS / DISS

Systems & Platforms

VMware ESXi Hyper-V Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 RHEL Ubuntu Server Active Directory Microsoft 365

Networking

Cisco IOS Firewalls TCP/IP VLAN Segmentation Network Hardening DNS (Pi-hole, bind)

Automation & Scripting

Ansible PowerShell Bash Python Docker

Homelab & Independent Work

Practical security infrastructure beyond the workplace

Wazuh SIEM Deployment

Active

Self-hosted Wazuh v4.10 instance monitoring three endpoints across a hybrid Linux and Windows homelab environment. Configured custom log forwarding from Pi-hole FTL, rule tuning, and alert baselines to practice SOC-style operations and maintain hands-on familiarity with host-based security monitoring.

Wazuh Linux Windows Log Analysis

Network DNS Filtering & Segmentation

Active

Pi-hole deployment providing network-wide DNS filtering, query logging, and telemetry visibility across a segmented home network. Integrated with upstream logging for correlation inside Wazuh. Ongoing work to migrate DHCP onto Pi-hole for per-host tagging and policy control.

Pi-hole DNS Network Security Raspberry Pi

Contact

Open to conversations about cleared security management, FSO and ISSM positions, and senior systems engineering roles. Responses within one business day.

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