Digital Forensic Lab Technician (Unit 42)

Palo Alto Networks•Reston, VA

1d•$74,000 - $119,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Digital Forensic Lab Technician is a critical pillar of our lab's operations, ensuring all digital evidence is handled, tracked, and preserved in strict accordance with industry-leading standards. The ideal candidate will excel in a fast-paced, high-stakes laboratory environment where meticulous attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities are essential. Due to the time-sensitive nature of forensic investigations, this role requires schedule flexibility, including occasional evening and weekend work, as well as participation in a holiday on-call rotation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Digital Forensics, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Criminal Justice, or a closely related field.
1+ year of experience and/or new grad with Bachelor's degree.
Working knowledge of Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems, including file systems and common artifacts.
Proven ability to diagnose and resolve routine to complex hardware and software operational issues.
Solid understanding of computer networking principles, protocols, and underlying enterprise IT infrastructure.
A strong, demonstrated passion for technology, cybersecurity, and digital forensics, with a desire to stay current on emerging trends.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical findings for non-technical stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience handling digital evidence and a practical understanding of forensic imaging tools, write-blocking techniques, and preservation methodologies.
Relevant industry-recognized certifications, such as EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE), AccessData Certified Examiner (ACE), or similar credentials.

Responsibilities

Manage the end-to-end evidence lifecycle—including receipt, inventory, tracking, and auditing—ensuring strict adherence to lab protocols and company standards from case inception to closure.
Maintain meticulous chain of custody documentation to guarantee the legal defensibility, security, and integrity of all physical and digital evidence.
Perform forensically sound acquisitions and preservations of digital media across diverse platforms, including workstations, servers, mobile devices, and tablets.
Triage and fulfill evidence handling and system requests via Jira, ensuring rapid resolution and consistent adherence to internal Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Evaluate, test, and validate emerging forensic hardware, software, and methodologies to continuously enhance lab capabilities and efficiency.
Collaborate with cross-functional IT teams to monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot the forensic lab’s high-performance computing and secure storage infrastructure.
Design and administer comprehensive training modules via Litmos to educate staff on evolving lab workflows, security policies, and forensic systems.
Facilitate software and hardware procurement and manage licensing renewals, optimizing internal workflows and ensuring uninterrupted lab operations.
Author, review, and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to align with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.
Execute secure data wiping and evidence disposition protocols for closed cases in accordance with data retention policies and environmental guidelines.