IR Specialist

Nightwing

• $77K — $163K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • U.S. Citizenship required
  • Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility
  • DHS Suitability must be obtainable
  • 3-5 years in threat intelligence or cyber incident response
  • Experience with technical data analysis related to cyber threats

Responsibilities

  • Perform initial triage of cyber threat tickets
  • Analyze technical data including IOCs and network traffic
  • Assess threat severity and potential impact
  • Enrich IOCs using various intelligence platforms
  • Prepare actionable triage reports for escalation
  • Coordinate with interagency teams for added context
  • Monitor emerging threat campaigns

Benefits

  • Medical, vision, and dental insurance
  • 401k plan
  • Paid time off (PTO)
  • Holidays
  • Additional insurances
Full Job Description

Nightwing is supporting a U.S. Government customer to provide rapid deployment and management of secure cloud-based engagement kits for cyber incident response and threat hunting operations. As part of the Engagement Support Services (ESS) contract, this program enables analysts to quickly access the tools and environments they need to investigate cyber threats affecting federal agencies, state and local governments, and critical infrastructure. Working on this team means directly supporting the nation's cybersecurity defenders by ensuring they have reliable, scalable, and secure cloud infrastructure available within hours of a cyber incident—helping protect America's digital infrastructure when it matters most.

The JCDC Cyber Triage Analyst serves as a frontline defender in the nation's cyber defense posture, performing initial analysis and triage of cyber threat reports, indicators of compromise (IOCs), and incident notifications submitted to the JCDC. This is not a developmental position. Analysts function similarly to a Tier 1/2 SOC analyst with enhanced threat intelligence responsibilities, and are expected to independently research cyber activity, rapidly assess and evaluate available information, develop defensible analytical conclusions, identify gaps, and recommend appropriate follow-on actions while maintaining strong coordination with government and private sector partners.

 

Responsibilities:

·         Perform initial triage and assessment of incoming cyber threat tickets, incident reports, and IOC submissions

·         Analyze technical data including IP addresses, domain names, file hashes, network traffic patterns, and malware artifacts

·         Determine threat severity, credibility, and potential impact to critical infrastructure sectors

·         Enrich IOCs using threat intelligence platforms, open-source intelligence (OSINT), and government-exclusive resources

·         Prepare concise triage reports with actionable recommendations for escalation or further analysis

·         Route tickets to appropriate JCDC teams, CISA divisions, or interagency partners based on assessment findings

·         Coordinate with sector-specific analysts and interagency liaisons to gather additional context

·         Maintain accurate documentation in ticketing systems and knowledge management platforms

·         Participate in shift handoffs and contribute to daily operational briefings

·         Support development of triage playbooks and standard operating procedures

·         Monitor emerging threat campaigns and trending adversary activity

·         Provide feedback to submitters and partner organizations on ticket status and outcomes

 

Required Skills:

  • U.S. Citizenship
  • Must have an active Top Secret with SCI Eligibility
  • Must be able to obtain DHS Suitability

·         3-5 years of progressive experience in threat intelligence, SOC operations, or cyber incident response

·         Perform initial triage and assessment of incoming cyber threat tickets, incident reports, and IOC submissions

·         Analyze technical data including IP addresses, domain names, file hashes, network traffic patterns, and malware artifacts

·         Determine threat severity, credibility, and potential impact to critical infrastructure sectors

·         Enrich IOCs using threat intelligence platforms, open-source intelligence (OSINT), and government-exclusive resources

·         Prepare concise triage reports with actionable recommendations for escalation or further analysis

·         Route tickets to appropriate JCDC teams, CISA divisions, or interagency partners based on assessment findings

·         Coordinate with sector-specific analysts and interagency liaisons to gather additional context

·         Maintain accurate documentation in ticketing systems and knowledge management platforms

·         Participate in shift handoffs and contribute to daily operational briefings

·         Support development of triage playbooks and standard operating procedures

·         Monitor emerging threat campaigns and trending adversary activity

·         Provide feedback to submitters and partner organizations on ticket status and outcomes

·         Must be able to work collaboratively across physical locations

 

Desired Skills:

·         Prior experience in federal government cybersecurity roles (CISA, FBI, NSA, DoD)

  • Understanding the CISA NCISS National Cyber Incident Scoring System to be able to prioritize triaging of incident
  • Knowledge of general attack stages (e.g., foot printing and scanning, enumeration, gaining access, escalation of privileges, maintaining access, network exploitation, covering tracks, etc.)
  • Demonstrated experience with recognizing and categorizing types of vulnerabilities and associated attacks- Knowledge of Computer Network Defense policies, procedures, and regulations
  • Knowledge of different operational threat environments (e.g., first generation [script kiddies], second generation [non nation-state sponsored], and third generation [nation-state sponsored])
  • Knowledge of system and application security threats and vulnerabilities (e.g., buffer overflow, mobile code, cross-site scripting, PL/SQL and injections, race conditions, covert channel, replay, return- oriented attacks, and malicious code)

·         Experience with SIEM platforms, threat intelligence platforms (TIP), and ticketing systems

·         Knowledge of critical infrastructure sectors and associated cyber risks

·         Familiarity with DHS/CISA products and services

  • undefined

 

Desired Certifications:

- Security+, CySA+, GCIH, GCIA , or similar certifications

 

Syndeo: ESS-3648 through ESS-3656


Salary & Benefits

The salary associated with this position ($77,000–$163,000) is commensurate with the selected candidate’s qualifications, years of relevant experience, and demonstrated level of expertise. Compensation will be determined based on these factors to ensure alignment with skills, responsibilities, and market standards.


Nightwing offers medical, vision and dental insurance coverage in addition to a 401k plan, PTO, Holidays, and additional insurances.

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