Senior SOAR Engineer

Apavo Corporation•Arlington, VA

20h

About The Position

The Senior SOAR Engineer supports a critical mission-focused role by designing, implementing, and optimizing Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) capabilities to enhance cyber defense operations. This role is responsible for leading the development of automated workflows, playbooks, and integrations that improve incident response efficiency, reduce analyst workload, and strengthen overall security posture. The Senior SOAR Engineer will collaborate closely with Security Operations Center (SOC) teams, threat intelligence, engineering, and system owners to ensure seamless integration of automation solutions within existing security architectures. In this role, you are expected to provide senior-level technical expertise in automation strategy, orchestration design, and response optimization. The Senior SOAR Engineer will drive continuous improvement of incident response processes by aligning automation initiatives with industry best practices, federal security standards, and mission requirements. This includes ensuring automation frameworks support compliance obligations, enhance visibility across enterprise systems, and provide measurable operational impact while maintaining alignment with organizational cybersecurity objectives.

Requirements

Bachelors degree in information technology, Cyber Security, or other related fields.
8+ years of professional experience in cybersecurity with at least 5+ years dedicated to SOAR engineering or automation, including 3+ years working in a classified and air-gapped environment and 2+ years in a technical leadership role.
DOD Top Secret clearance with the ability to obtain an SCI and CI Polygraph
IAT III or higher-level certification required
At least one of the following certifications: PCAP, PCPP, PCCSE, GCIH, GSOC, GMON, GCIA, GCDA, GCFA, or GCTI is preferred.
At least one platform-specific SOAR certification: XSOAR, Splunk, Sentinel is preferred.
Strong hands-on experience with at least one major SOAR platform (e.g., XSOAR, Splunk SOAR, IBM SOAR, Swimlane, Tines, Sentinel Logic Apps).
Proficiency in Python for automation and integrations.
Deep understanding of system architecture, data structures, and algorithms.
Strong understanding of SOC operations, detection engineering, and IR processes.
Experience working with REST APIs, webhooks, JSON, YAML, and automation frameworks.
Advanced troubleshooting and problem-solving across complex enterprise networks.
Knowledge of classified/unclassified government network requirements, NIST, DISA STIGs, and other cybersecurity frameworks.
Effective collaboration with cross-functional teams, including security, systems engineering, and program management.
Experience with multiple operating systems (Windows, Linux, and MacOS).
Deep understanding of common security technologies (EDR, SIEM, firewalls, TIPs, IAM, cloud security).
Strong understanding of vulnerability requirements, system STIGing, RMF, and ATO life cycle best practices.
Familiarity with DevOps/GitOps tools (Git, CI/CD pipelines).
Familiarity with SIEM and SOAR solutions (XSOAR, Swimlane, Splunk, Cortex XDR, QRadar, etc.).
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud automation.
Knowledge of scripting beyond Python (PowerShell, Bash).

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary architect and technical expert for SOAR technologies (e.g., Palo Alto XSOAR, Splunk SOAR, IBM SOAR, Microsoft Sentinel automation).
Lead design and development of new SOAR playbooks, integrations, automation, and workflows.
Maintain platform health, performance, scalability, and high availability.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into technical specifications.
Implement best practices for automation governance, version control, and deployment processes.
Mentor, support, and guide engineers through code reviews, technical discussions, and career development.
Build and optimize automated solutions for incident triage, enrichment, containment, remediation, and reporting.
Develop custom connectors and integrations via APIs, Python scripting, or vendor SDKs.
Identify repetitive SOC tasks and convert them into automation opportunities.
Ensure automations meet security, compliance, and operational requirements.
Enhance IR workflows with automated threat intelligence, vulnerability data, and detection signals.
Troubleshoot automation failures, workflow issues, and data ingestion problems.
Support major incident response activities by leveraging SOAR-driven orchestrations.
Other duties as assigned.
The Senior SOAR Engineer is expected to have additional duties as assigned in support of corporate cyber security services.
Additional details are reviewed in accordance with company policies.