OT / ICS SOC Analyst

Chenega Corporation•Redstone Arsenal, AL

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The OT/ICS SOC Analyst performs advanced monitoring, threat hunting, anomaly investigation, incident response coordination, and threat analysis across converged IT/OT environments, Industrial Control Systems (ICS), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) platforms, Distributed Control Systems (DCS), and mission support networks. Operating with increased autonomy within established operational authorities and rules of engagement, the analyst correlates telemetry across the Purdue Model (Levels 1–3+), evaluates physical process anomalies alongside digital indicators, ensures response measures prioritize personnel safety and process reliability, and continuously improves OT-specific detection mechanisms, playbooks, and defensive readiness.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Data Science, or a related field and 3+ years of relevant experience.
Or applicants may meet one of the following substitutions: Associate's degree and 5+ years of relevant experience. High school diploma or GED equivalent and 7+ years of relevant experience.
Relevant experience must include cybersecurity operations, security monitoring, network defense, incident response, threat analysis, system administration, or a closely related information technology discipline. At least 2+ years must involve SOC, cyber defense, or incident response functions.
Active DOD IAT Level II Certification or higher is required.
Active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI eligibility.

Nice To Haves

Active TS/SCI clearance.
5+ or more years of relevant cybersecurity experience, including 2+ or more years in a SOC, cyber defense, or incident response environment.
Experience investigating endpoint, network, identity, cloud, email, or application security events using SIEM, EDR/XDR, NDR, SOAR, vulnerability management, or threat intelligence platforms.
OT/ICS Security Tooling: Hands-on operational experience with leading OT security and asset inventory platforms such as Dragos Platform, Claroty Continuous Threat Detection (CTD), Nozomi Networks Guardian, Tenable OT (Indegy), or ForeScout eyeInspect.
Working familiarity with programmable logic controllers (PLCs), remote terminal units (RTUs), human-machine interfaces (HMIs), distributed control systems (DCS), and safety instrumented systems (SIS) manufactured by vendors such as Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Emerson, or GE.
Experience developing or tuning detection logic, analytical queries, dashboards, automation, or incident response playbooks.
Experience applying MITRE ATT&CK, threat intelligence, and adversary behaviors to investigations and defensive recommendations.
Experience supporting the Department of Defense, Federal Civilian, Intelligence Community, or critical infrastructure missions.
Role-Specific Certifications: GIAC Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP), GIAC Response and Industrial Defense (GRID), GIAC Critical Infrastructure Protection (GCIP), ISA/IEC 62443 Cyber Security Specialist/Expert, GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) or CISSP
OT/ICS Protocol Analysis: Demonstrated ability to dissect and analyze industrial protocol traffic (Modbus TCP/RTU, DNP3, CIP, Ethernet/IP, OPC, BACnet, PROFINET, S7comm) and identify anomalies such as unauthorized command functions or out-of-spec register writes.
Purdue Model & Boundary Defense: Advanced understanding of industrial network segmentation, IDMZs, jump hosts, dual-homed servers, unidirectional security gateways (data diodes), and boundary firewall rulebases separating Level 4/5 IT from Level 0–3 OT.
Safe Operational Response: Strict appreciation of the primacy of safety, physical reliability, and process availability over data confidentiality, understanding that standard IT containment methods (e.g., abrupt host isolation or aggressive vulnerability scanning) can cause equipment trips or physical hazards.
Adversary Tradecraft in ICS: Knowledge of real-world OT/ICS threat actors, destructive malware families (e.g., Industroyer/CrashOverride, TRITON/Trisis, INCONTROLLER/Pipedream), living-off-the-land techniques in engineering environments, and supply chain threats.
Packet & Tooling Competency: Advanced proficiency in Wireshark, tcpdump, and specialized dissectors, combined with scripting capabilities (Python, PowerShell, Bash) and query building (KQL, SPL, Lucene).
Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Proven ability to bridge the cultural and technical gap between cybersecurity teams and operational plant/controls engineers, translating cyber events into operational and physical consequences.

Responsibilities

Monitor and analyze security telemetry across network, endpoint, identity, cloud, application, email, and other enterprise sources using approved SIEM, XDR, NDR, and security analytics platforms.
Investigate escalated or complex cybersecurity events to determine validity, scope, affected assets and identities, potential mission impact, and required response actions.
Correlate alerts with asset criticality, vulnerability information, threat intelligence, user behavior, and historical activity to develop evidence-based analytical conclusions.
Lead or perform incident triage and analysis; collect, preserve, and document relevant evidence in accordance with established procedures and evidence-handling requirements.
Execute authorized containment and response actions, including host isolation, account restriction, indicator blocking, or other approved measures, and coordinate eradication and recovery activities with responsible stakeholders.
Develop clear incident records, analytical findings, timelines, and technical reports; communicate status, risk, and recommended actions to SOC leadership and mission stakeholders.
Apply threat intelligence, indicators of compromise, adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures, and frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK to identify related activity and support defensive recommendations.
Review and validate findings, recommendations, and summaries generated by automated analytics, machine learning, or AI-enabled cybersecurity capabilities before operational use.
Tune alerts and detection logic, recommend telemetry improvements, and help reduce false positives, coverage gaps, and analyst workload in coordination with detection engineering or platform owners.
Develop, test, maintain, and improve incident response playbooks, standard operating procedures, queries, dashboards, and repeatable analytical workflows.
Participate in or facilitate post-incident reviews and lessons-learned activities; translate findings into corrective actions and measurable operational improvements.
Mentor SOC Analyst I personnel, provide quality reviews of escalated cases, and share technical knowledge across shifts and teams.
Support cyber exercises, readiness assessments, recovery validation, and continuous improvement activities as directed by the SOC Lead.
Perform additional duties as assigned.