EMMANUEL GAWU
Columbia,MD
Summary
Cybersecurity Analyst with 7+ years of experience in vulnerability management, risk assessment, vendor due diligence, and compliance. Skilled in identifying, analyzing, and mitigating security risks while ensuring alignment with industry standards such as NIST, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and HITRUST. Adept at collaborating with cross-functional teams to strengthen security posture and reduce enterprise risk. Recognized for strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and ability to communicate complex security concepts to technical and executive stakeholders.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Vulnerability Management Analyst
Kratos Defense
05.2021 - 08.2022
- Conduct log reviews and incident investigations, escalating threats when needed.
- Lead vulnerability assessments (CVSS/CVE), reducing critical vulnerabilities by 35%.
- Partner with IT teams to prioritize remediation and ensure timely patch cycles.
- Support bug bounty and attack surface monitoring programs.
- Deliver security awareness sessions, reducing recurring user-related issues.
- Author reports on vulnerability trends to guide executive security decisions.
- Collaborate with IT and business units to assess and improve security posture, especially with application development.
- Develop and maintain security policies, procedures, and documentation.
- Coordinate remediation efforts with infrastructure teams and application owners
Information Security Specialist
Lazarus Alliance, Inc.
06.2019 - 05.2021
- Reviewed control environments, identified control gaps, and worked with first-line partners to ensure risk mitigation plans are in place
- Developed vendor due diligence frameworks, improving compliance tracking efficiency.
- Performed vendor risk assessments and integrated security requirements into contracts.
- Delivered security awareness training, raising compliance scores by 25%.
- Validated system hardening and secure configurations across enterprise platforms.
- Reported risks and remediation strategies directly to leadership.
- Coordinate and oversee the user access review process across business applications and infrastructure.
Contract Specialist (IT & Security)
Aspen Corporations
01.2017 - 09.2020
- Managed end-to-end contract lifecycle, including solicitation, award, and reporting.
- Track remediation efforts and document lessons learning for reporting to senior leadership.
- Managed Microsoft Azure cloud license renewals for 1,000+ USPS users.
- Conducted contract risk assessments, balancing cybersecurity with cost optimization.
- Oversaw vendor sourcing to ensure secure and cost-effective IT solutions.
- Support the development, maintenance, and testing of business continuity and resilience plans.
Help Desk Technician
Pani Computer Solutions
03.2012 - 12.2016
- Delivered Tier 1–2 IT support (ServiceNow/Zendesk), resolving 80% of issues on first contact.
- Installed, configured, and secured operating systems and applications.
- Created knowledge base articles, improving first-call resolution rates.
- Trained users on IT security best practices, reducing recurring incidents.
Education
B.S. - Business Management
Takoradi Technical University
GhanaA.A.S. - Cybersecurity
Montgomery College
Takoma Park, MDHelp Desk Professional Training Certification - undefined
Career Technical Institute
Washington, DCSkills
- Security Frameworks & Compliance: NIST, ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, HITRUST, GDPR, OSINT
- Tools & Platforms: Nmap, Azure/M365, ServiceNow, Zendesk, Splunk, Nessus/Tenable, Qualys
- Core Skills: Vulnerability Management, Risk Assessment, Vendor Due Diligence, Incident Response, Security Awareness Training, System Hardening
- Other: Hardware/Software Installation, Ticketing Systems, Contract Management
Certification
- AWS Solutions Architect – Professional
- CompTIA Security+
- CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+)
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
- Help Desk Professional Certification
Timeline
Vulnerability Management Analyst
Kratos Defense
05.2021 - 08.2022
Information Security Specialist
Lazarus Alliance, Inc.
06.2019 - 05.2021
Contract Specialist (IT & Security)
Aspen Corporations
01.2017 - 09.2020
Help Desk Technician
Pani Computer Solutions
03.2012 - 12.2016
A.A.S. - Cybersecurity
Montgomery College
Help Desk Professional Training Certification - undefined
Career Technical Institute
B.S. - Business Management
Takoradi Technical University