Functional Competency Assessment and Development Program

The voluntary Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity (NICE Framework) was developed through 

a collaborative process by industry, academia, and government stakeholders. It establishes a 

taxonomy and common lexicon that describes cybersecurity work and is intended for use in both 

the public and private sectors. NIST does not validate or endorse any individual organization or its 

approach to using the NICE Framework. 

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE

NICE FRAMEWORK SUCCESS STORY 

Competency Program

Lynx Technology Partners 

– Kerstin Zell, Director, Risk and

Operations, Lynx

DRIVERS

“Clients who choose the Lynx Competency 

Program for their organizations are forwardthinking and proactive in their approaches to Risk 

Management, Talent Management, and Workforce

Development. They are able to reduce risk by 

merging planning, people, processes, and

technology in an innovative manner while enabling

and maximizing their biggest assets – their

employees.” 

Founded in 2009, Lynx Technology Partners (“Lynx”) 

was named one of Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing

private companies and ranked among the top U.S. 

security companies for consecutive years. Lynx 

delivers dynamic cybersecurity and risk-management 

solutions for their customers, helping them 

understand and navigate their threat landscapes. The

Lynx team comprises experienced, industryrecognized experts who have led governance, risk

management, compliance, and cybersecurity 

programs and have served as subject matter experts 

for Fortune 500 enterprises, small and mid-sized 

businesses and Federal agencies.

Lynx combines risk management professional services 

with an integrated risk management platform to

better manage risk throughout the people, 

processes, and technology lifecycles. This enables 

simplification, automation and integration of 

strategic, operational and IT risk management 

processes and data, helping companies reach higher 

levels of program maturity, performance, increased 

resilience, assurance and compliance.

Lynx is passionate about helping clients 

understand and reduce risks they may face,

including potential hazards associated with

competency gaps. Lynx trusts that a standardized 

approach improves their clients’ hiring, training, 

and succession processes as well as enables 

employees to better understand what capabilities

are needed for desired positions and upskill 

accordingly. Lynx therefore utilizes the NICE 

Framework, as it is both far reaching and lends 

itself to competency assessments and careerpathing activities.

• 1 in 3 companies say that a shortage of skills

makes their organizations more desirable

hacking targets. (McAfee, 2016)

• Widespread difficulty with recruiting and hiring

security talent across organizations.

• The emergence of competency-based

management as a strategic talent management

approach that defines the competencies

required for successfully delivering an

organization’s business strategy.

• Recognition that competencies are crucial to all

aspects of talent management, including

lowering turnover rates, hiring the best talent,

increasing revenue per employee, and

improving employee performance.
NICE FRAMEWORK SUCCESS STORY

Competency Program, Lynx Technology Partners 

NICE Framework Website: nist.gov/nice/framework 

Contact Us: niceframework@nist.gov 

February 2021 

CONTACT INFORMATION & RESOURCES 

Contact:

 Kerstin Zell, Director, Risk and Operations, Lynx

 Technology Partners

 kzell@lynxtp.com 

Website:

 www.lynxtechnologypartners.com

– Association for Talent

Development (2018/19)

“If developing talent is critical to the future 

success of organizations, then understanding 

and using competencies to create a more 

talented workforce is key to maintaining a 

competitive edge.” 

PROCESS

By using competencies as building blocks, companies 

can create an integrated talent management network 

within their organizations to ensure that they are 

hiring, developing, and promoting the right people in 

the right positions. Lynx Technology Partners utilized 

the NICE Framework to develop a holistic 

competency program that includes:

• A comprehensive, multi-level, and customizable

service offering Functional Competency

Assessment and Development Program Services.

• Competency-driven solutions that define talent

requirements, addresses skill deficiencies, and

improve individual and overall organizational

performance within security operations.

• Utilization of a well-researched, easily adopted,

and defensible out-of-the-box approach that

includes libraries of competencies, knowledge

areas, job responsibility statements, education,

and certifications.

• A strategic partnership with the Human Resource

Systems Group (HRSG), a world leader in the

field of competency-based talent management,

with Lynx applying configuration based on the

NICE Framework and client requirements.

• A leadership team with the ability to address risk

through people, processes, and technology in a

strategic approach to best serve the individual

client’s needs.

TIE-IN WITH THE NICE FRAMEWORK

The Lynx program uses the NICE Framework to 

map positions and align them with needed 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. It includes 

functional self-assessments and career pathing that:

• Utilizes NICE Framework Knowledge, Skill, and

Ability statements to assess cybersecurity teams’

effectiveness regarding relevant competencies.

• Structures NICE Framework Work Roles to

develop career-pathing options based on shared

competencies, effectiveness, and organizational

structure.

In doing so, Lynx is able to provide assistance and 

advisement in communication approach as well as 

conduct an analysis of gaps, risks, and 

improvement opportunities. 

BENEFITS & IMPACT 

Just some examples of the impact of this 

approach include the ability to:

• Identify and proactively address the risks

organizations may face due to competency

gaps.

• Assess employees’ competencies based on

industry standards.

• Maximize the talent potential of existing and

future human capital.

• Improve the allocation of training and

resource spending.

• Accelerate motivation among all levels of

employees and inspire a performance-based

business culture.

• Support additional organizational

competency-driven efforts based on

standardized language within a tool.