Senior SOC Analyst

Position Summary

The Senior SOC Analyst is a key member of the 24/7/365 Security Operations Center, serving as the escalation point for advanced investigations, incident response, and proactive threat hunting. This role conducts higher‑level analysis than other analysts, performing deep forensic investigations, correlating multi‑source threat intelligence, and guiding containment and remediation strategies. The analyst identifies and mitigates advanced threats across enterprise IT endpoints, cloud environments, and OT systems, leveraging frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK. The Senior SOC Analyst works closely with the SOC manager and leads, mentors junior staff, refines SOC processes, and collaborates with engineering, threat intelligence, and forensics teams to enhance detection capabilities and deliver actionable security insights to leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance
• Master’s degree and 8 years of experience or Bachelor’s degree and 11 years of experience
• Documented work experience performing any combination of Information System Security, Security Assessment & Authorization, Cybersecurity, Computer Forensics, or Insider Threat
• One of the following certifications is required:
  • CBROPSCFR
  • CompTIA: CySA+, Security+ CE, CASP+ CE
  • FITSP‑OSANS: GCFA, GCIA, GDSA, GICSP
  • CCNA‑Security, CCNP Security
  • CISSP (or associate), CCSP
  • CISASSCPCND

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 collection, preservation, and analysis of digital evidence
• Coordinate with forensics teams to maintain 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 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 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 improve accuracy and 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 DEA 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

Benefits

• Fortune 500‑level health, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off (PTO)
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Life insurance

Schedule

Full‑time, onsite role with a daily schedule from 7 AM to 3 PM, based in Merrifield, VA.