$130,000–$170,000 Per Year
Analysis Skills, Automation, CISA - Certified Information Systems Auditor, Cloud Computing, Cyber Threat Hunting, FISMA - Federal Information Security Management Act, Forensic Science, Hunting, Incident Response, Information Technology & Information Systems, Intel Product Family, Internet Security, Intrusion Detection Systems, Intrusion Detection and Prevention (IDP), Malware Analysis, Mentoring, Network Performance/Analysis, Network Traffic Analysis, Operational Audit, Scripting (Scripting Languages), Security Attacks, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Technical Leadership, U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Use Cases
Description
Tier 3 Cybersecurity Analyst
Location: Rockville, MD
Position Overview
The Tier 3 Cybersecurity Analyst serves as a senior technical leader within the SOC, responsible for advanced threat detection, incident response, threat hunting, and forensic analysis. This role operates at the core of the intelligence-driven SOC model, fusing multi-source data to identify, analyze, and mitigate sophisticated cyber threats impacting Agency systems.
Salary $130k-170K
Key Responsibilities
- Lead advanced incident detection, response, and escalation support for high-severity cyber events.
- Perform proactive threat hunting using behavioral analytics, SIEM correlation, and threat intelligence.
- Conduct deep-dive forensic investigations, including host, network, and malware analysis.
- Correlate data across SIEM, endpoint, network, cloud, and threat intel sources to identify attack patterns.
- Develop and refine detection rules, analytics, and SIEM use cases to improve alert fidelity.
- Provide technical mentorship and guidance to Tier 1 and Tier 2 analysts.
- Integrate cyber threat intelligence with operational analysis, including nation-state and advanced persistent threat (APT) activity.
- Support M-21-31 logging maturity initiatives, including log validation, correlation, and visibility improvements.
- Contribute to automation and detection engineering efforts (scripts, playbooks, orchestration).
- Collaborate with federal stakeholders (e.g., CISA, US-CERT) during major incidents.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelors degree in cybersecurity, IT, or related field.
- 8+ years of experience in incident response, threat hunting, malware analysis, or cyber forensics.
- Deep expertise in:
- SIEM platforms and log analysis
- Network traffic and packet analysis
- Intrusion detection/prevention systems
- Malware analysis (static/dynamic)
- Experience with threat intelligence integration and analysis.
- Strong knowledge of NIST, FISMA, EO 14028, and M-21-31 logging requirements.
Key Competencies
- Analytical depth and critical thinking
- Advanced cyber threat detection
- Mentorship and technical leadership
- Cross-domain data correlatio