Cybersecurity Watch Operations Subject Matter Expert IV
About The Position
Serve as the senior hands-on technical authority for SOC watch operations and a founding operational SME for the establishment and maturation of a new DoD SOC. Lead the most complex cyber defense investigations and incident-response activities and provide technical direction when scope, impact, evidence, or response options are uncertain. Perform advanced forensic and security analysis of digital information, host and network telemetry, firewall and IDS/IPS data, authentication activity, intrusion artifacts, and other relevant evidence. Establish and continuously improve investigative methodology, triage standards, severity and escalation criteria, evidence requirements, incident workflows, case-quality standards, and shift-turnover practices. Provide senior technical guidance to SOC management on watch readiness, investigative quality, operational risk, staffing proficiency, capability gaps, and response considerations. Serve as the highest-level operational escalation point for Cybersecurity Operations Analysts and mentor senior and developing personnel through complex investigations and exercises. Coordinate complex incidents with government stakeholders, incident response organizations, system owners, administrators, network/security engineers, and other agencies as required. Partner with cybersecurity engineering personnel to translate watch-operations requirements into actionable telemetry, SIEM/SOAR, network monitoring, firewall, endpoint, enrichment, and automation capabilities. Identify systemic visibility, detection, workflow, tooling, and analyst-proficiency gaps and develop recommendations to improve SOC effectiveness and enterprise security posture. Lead development and validation of SOPs, runbooks, incident-response playbooks, analyst qualification standards, training scenarios, exercises, and lessons-learned actions. Conduct or direct proactive threat hunting and advanced analysis to identify malicious activity not detected by automated controls and to validate the effectiveness of existing defenses. Analyze trends across incidents and investigations and provide technical input to operational metrics, significant-activity reporting, leadership briefings, and defensive priorities. Apply network forensics, host analysis, malware-analysis concepts, vulnerability context, and threat-informed defense techniques as appropriate to complex investigations; advanced malware reverse engineering or penetration-testing experience is beneficial but not required.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institute in a technical discipline applicable to the position; an additional 4 years of may be substituted in lieu of a degree
- Minimum of eight (8) years of relevant experience in addition to education level
- Expert-level hands-on experience in SOC operations, cyber defense analysis, incident investigation, and incident response in complex enterprise environments
- Demonstrated experience leading complex investigations while remaining technically hands-on
- Demonstrated ability to establish or materially improve SOC operating procedures, investigative standards, incident workflows, or analyst qualification/training programs
- Strong knowledge of enterprise networking, network security monitoring, host/endpoint analysis, identity/authentication activity, incident response, and adversary TTPs
- Experience collaborating with SIEM/SOAR, detection, network-security, endpoint, vulnerability, and other cybersecurity engineering teams
- Experience helping establish, transform, or mature a SOC, CSIRT, or cyber defense capability is highly desired
- Must possess current DoD 8570 IAT II or IAM II certification
- Experience working in a DoD or IC environment
- Current active TS/SCI clearance, with the ability to obtain and maintain a CI polygraph
Nice To Haves
- Advanced malware reverse engineering or penetration-testing experience is beneficial but not required
Responsibilities
- Serve as the senior hands-on technical authority for SOC watch operations and a founding operational SME for the establishment and maturation of a new DoD SOC
- Lead the most complex cyber defense investigations and incident-response activities and provide technical direction when scope, impact, evidence, or response options are uncertain
- Perform advanced forensic and security analysis of digital information, host and network telemetry, firewall and IDS/IPS data, authentication activity, intrusion artifacts, and other relevant evidence
- Establish and continuously improve investigative methodology, triage standards, severity and escalation criteria, evidence requirements, incident workflows, case-quality standards, and shift-turnover practices
- Provide senior technical guidance to SOC management on watch readiness, investigative quality, operational risk, staffing proficiency, capability gaps, and response considerations
- Serve as the highest-level operational escalation point for Cybersecurity Operations Analysts and mentor senior and developing personnel through complex investigations and exercises
- Coordinate complex incidents with government stakeholders, incident response organizations, system owners, administrators, network/security engineers, and other agencies as required
- Partner with cybersecurity engineering personnel to translate watch-operations requirements into actionable telemetry, SIEM/SOAR, network monitoring, firewall, endpoint, enrichment, and automation capabilities
- Identify systemic visibility, detection, workflow, tooling, and analyst-proficiency gaps and develop recommendations to improve SOC effectiveness and enterprise security posture
- Lead development and validation of SOPs, runbooks, incident-response playbooks, analyst qualification standards, training scenarios, exercises, and lessons-learned actions
- Conduct or direct proactive threat hunting and advanced analysis to identify malicious activity not detected by automated controls and to validate the effectiveness of existing defenses
- Analyze trends across incidents and investigations and provide technical input to operational metrics, significant-activity reporting, leadership briefings, and defensive priorities
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
