Senior SOC Analyst and Incident Responder

KeenLogic is seeking to hire a Senior SOC Analyst & Incident Responder to join our team at the Drug Enforcement Administration. All the duties listed support one or more of the following cybersecurity- related functions; information security, SPAA, incident response, cyber security, insider threat, computer forensics, vulnerability assessment and management, network data capture, intrusion detection, log management, auditing, security incident and event management (SIEM), and penetration testing.

This is a full-time position oﬀering Fortune 500-level health/dental/vision, PTO, 401k, and Life Insurance. This onsite role, with a daily schedule from 7 AM to 3 PM, based in Merriﬁeld, VA.

Position 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.

Required Qualiﬁcations

Active Secret or Top Secret clearance
Master’s degree and 8 years or Bachelor's degree and 11 years
- Documented work experience performing any combination of Information System Security, Security Assessment & Authorization, Cybersecurity, Computer Forensics, or Insider Threat

One of the following required:
- 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

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 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

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Senior SOC Analyst