SOC Analyst

Job Summary:

The Senior SOC Analyst is a key member of the 24/7/365 Security Operations Center, which serves as the escalation point for advanced investigations, incident response, and proactive threat hunting. This role conducts higher-level analysis than other analysts on the team. A senior SOC analyst performs deep forensic investigations, correlates multi-source threat intelligence information, and guides containment and remediation strategies. The Senior SOC Analyst identifies and mitigates advanced threats across enterprise IT endpoints, cloud environments, and OT systems. They leverage frameworks like the MITRE ATT&CK framework and others to detect, disrupt, and prevent malicious activity from occurring in the enterprise environment.

They work closely with the SOC manager and leads. They mentor junior staff, assist to refine SOC processes, and ensures the organization maintains a strong cybersecurity posture. They collaborate with engineers, threat intelligence and forensics teams to enhance detection capabilities, improve incident response readiness, and deliver actionable security insights to leadership.



Duties and Responsibilities:

* Lead advanced incident detection, investigation, and analysis efforts.
* Correlate SIEM, EDR, IDS/IPS, and firewall data to identify and analyze potential incidents.
* Perform deep-dive investigations to determine root cause, scope, and impact of incidents.
* Apply MITRE ATT&CK and other frameworks for adversary TTP identification.
* Conduct kill-chain and supply chain analysis to understand and counter threats.
* Coordinate and direct complex incident response activities.
* Guide preparation, identification, containment, eradication, and recovery actions in collaboration with SOC, forensics, and engineering teams.
* Serve as the primary escalation point for high-impact or advanced incidents.
* Ensure incident handling aligns with established guidelines, response plans, and playbooks.
* Conduct proactive threat hunting to identify emerging risks.
* Analyze telemetry, logs, and behavioral patterns for indicators of compromise or attack.
* Hunt for advanced persistent threats and undiscovered vulnerabilities.
* Use advanced queries in SOC cybersecurity tools to detect anomalous or suspicious activity.
* Work with forensic teams to ensure proper forensic collection, preservation, and analysis of digital evidence.
* Coordinate with forensics teams to ensure chain-of-custody and evidence integrity.
* Extract and analyze relevant artifacts to support investigations and post-incident reviews.
* Document and communicate forensic findings to stakeholders.
* Develop and enhance SOC processes, playbooks, and detection capabilities.
* Refine detection rules, alert thresholds, and automation workflows in SIEM/SOAR platforms and other cybersecurity tools.
* Create SOPs, knowledge base articles, and training materials for SOC staff.
* Recommend and guide implementation of new detection and analysis tools.
* Perform threat intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination.
* Gather threat data from internal, classified, and open-source intelligence feeds.
* Analyze and contextualize intelligence to produce actionable recommendations.
* Share relevant threat information with SOC, leadership, and partner teams.
* Mentor and train SOC analysts to improve investigative capabilities and analytical thought process.
* Provide real-time guidance during active incidents.
* Conduct regular training sessions, tabletop exercises, and red/blue team drills.
* Validate analyst findings and provide feedback to designed to provoke thought, improve accuracy, and investigative thoroughness.
* Collaborate with stakeholders to strengthen overall cybersecurity posture.
* Work with engineering, IT, and cloud teams to address identified vulnerabilities.
* Participate in tool evaluations, recommending solutions that enhance SOC capabilities and identify capability overlap.
* Support internal coordination with client sections, divisions, and external entities.
* Maintain documentation and reporting for SOC operations.
* Record investigative steps, evidence, and incident timelines in case management systems.
* Generate incident reports, trend analyses, and post-mortem summaries.
* Provide executive-level briefings on security events and SOC performance.

Basic Qualifications:

1. Master’s degree in any of the following disciplines (Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Information Systems, or Computer Science), from an ABET accredited or CAE designated institution fulfills the educational requirement for this WRC.
2. 10 years of experience in Information Technology (IT) and/or Information Security (IS).
3. DoD 8140 certification for their respective area or the ability to obtain certification within six (6) months of onboarding.
4. Active Secret Security Clearance
5. Must be a US Citizen who lives within a commutable distance to the client's sites in Arlington or Merrifield, VA.
Preferred Qualifications:

Cyber Defense Analyst advanced certifications:
CBROPS
CFR
CompTIA: CySA+, Security + CE, CASP+CE
FITSP-O
SANS: GCFA, GCIA, GDSA, GICSP
CCNA-Security, CCNP Security
CISSP (or associate), CCSP
CISA
SSCP
CND