Associate Principal/Cybersecurity & Incident Response (Forensic Services practice)

Charles River Associates; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Immigration support for foreign natl./

Wellness programs

Job summary

Charles River Associates (CRA) seeks an Associate Principal to lead cybersecurity and incident response efforts within the Forensic Services practice. The role spans data breach investigations, digital forensics, client engagement, and business development across U.S.

offices including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C. The ideal candidate brings 7–10+ years of cyber intrusion experience, strong leadership, and fluency with cyber frameworks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree preferred but can be waived with experience.
• 7–10+ years in cyber intrusion investigation, digital forensics or incident response.
• Ability to lead teams, manage multiple projects, meet deadlines.
• Hands-on technical experience as incident responder, malware analyst, or forensic analyst.

Responsibilities

• Lead security and privacy investigations for clients, including breach detection and incident response.
• Perform forensic analysis of digital information using standard techniques and tools.
• Serve as primary client contact for incident response activities and access control matters.
• Supervise project teams, ensure quality of work, and manage morale.
• Evaluate new tools and processes to improve incident response capabilities.
• Maintain relationships with law enforcement agencies for criminal matters.
• Participate in business development, drafting proposals, and client pitches.
• Provide assessments of cyber security controls against frameworks like NIST CSF, HIPAA, ISO 27001/27002, SOC2.
• Assist with recruiting and training; work with counsel during investigations.

Skills

Cyber intrusion investigation

Digital forensics

Incident response

Team leadership

Client relations

Data analytics

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a related field

Job description

Associate Principal/Cybersecurity & Incident Response (Forensic Services practice)

Boston, MA, United States; Chicago, IL, United States; Dallas, Texas, United States; Houston, Texas, United States; Washington, DC, United States

About Charles River Associates

Charles River Associates is a leading global consulting firm that provides economic, financial, and business management expertise to major law firms, corporations and governments around the world. CRA advises clients on economic and financial matters pertaining to litigation and regulatory proceedings, and guides corporations through critical business strategy and performance-related issues. Since 1965, clients have engaged CRA for its combination of industry experience and rigorous, fact-based analysis that provide clients with clear, implementable solutions to complex business concerns.

Learn more about our work by reviewing our Services and Industries on our website.

Position Overview

CRA’s Forensic Services practice supports companies’ commitment to integrity by assisting them and their counsel in independently responding to allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, and non-compliance. We are noted for deploying cross-trained teams of forensic professionals to assist our clients in gaining deeper insights and greater value more quickly. We provide accounting and forensic services as well as cybercrime investigation services.

As an experienced leader in the forensic & cyber investigations space, your responsibilities as an Associate Principal may include (but are not limited to):

• Leading security and privacy investigations for CRA clients, in preparation of, and in response to, data security matters, which may include ongoing breach detection, threat analysis, incident response and malware analysis;
• Performing forensic analysis of digital information using standard computer forensics and evidence handling techniques and computer forensics tools;
• Serving as primary point of contact for clients with regard to all incident response activities including malicious code, unauthorized access, and inappropriate usage;
• Supervising project team execution by leading quality assurance efforts and overseeing work product;
• Improving the ability of the incident response team to react to incidents by evaluating and implementing new tools and processes;
• Maintaining effective relationships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to assist in criminal matters;
• Creating, leading, and maintaining leveraged team environment that is positioned for continued success and expansion by actively recruiting and retaining employees, and managing team morale;
• Participating in and leading business development efforts by building relationships with current and potential clients, drafting and presenting proposals, participating in pitches, and demonstrating firm capabilities to potential clients;
• Providing technical assessment/audit and guidance to clients on the adequacy of cyber security controls in accordance with cybersecurity frameworks that are included in one or more of the following - NIST CSF 2.0, HIPAA, ISO 27001 and 27002, SOC2, NERC-CIP,
• Assist with team recruiting and training efforts as needed;
• Working at the direction of counsel on investigations.

Desired Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a related field is preferred but can be waived with sufficient experience;
• 7-10+ years’ experience in cyber intrusion investigation, digital forensics or incident response analysis;
• Ability to effectively lead teams, prioritize multiple projects and meet timely deadlines;
• Experience in a hands‑on technical role functioning as an testifying expert, incident responder, network forensic analyst or malware analyst;
• Experience leading data analytics engagements and managing the execution of technology‑based best practices;
• Working knowledge of computer hardware components, operating systems, file systems, computer networks, e‑mail systems, mobile devices, IT security or incident response;
• Deep knowledge of networking (TCP/IP, design, traffic flow, protocols, sessions), operating systems (Windows / *nix) and web technologies;
• Willing and able to travel for client projects.

Career Growth and Benefits

• CRA’s robust skills development programs , including a commitment to offering 100 hours of training annually through formal and informal programs, encourage you to thrive as an individual and team member. Beginning with research and analysis skill building, training continues with technical training, presentation skills, internal seminars, and career mentoring and performance coaching from an assigned senior colleague. Additional leadership and collaboration opportunities exist through internal firm development activities.
• We offer a comprehensive total rewards program including a superior benefits package, wellness programming to support physical, mental, emotional and financial well‑being, and in-house immigration support for foreign nationals and international business travelers.

Work Location Flexibility

CRA creates a work environment that enables our colleagues to benefit from being together in the office to best deliver on our promise of career growth, mentorship and inclusivity. At the same time, we recognize that individuals realize a range of benefits when working from home periodically. We currently ask that individuals spend 3 to 4 days a week on average working in the office (which may include traveling to another CRA office or to a client's location), with specific days determined in coordination with your practice or team. At certain times of the year (e.g. holiday periods), additional remote work options are offered to those whose work commitments permit it, although our offices remain open for those who choose or need to be there.

Responsible AI Use in Recruiting

We believe that recruiting is fundamentally a human process, and we are committed to a hiring process that is consistent, transparent, and people‑focused. While AI and other technology‑enabled tools help our team operate more efficiently, we strive to provide every candidate with a personalized, thoughtful, and high‑touch experience. As CRA invests significant human effort to find qualified members for our teams, we expect candidates to invest corresponding human effort to learn about CRA, prepare thoughtful application materials, and engage with our interviewers. Read more about appropriate hiring manager, recruiting team, and candidate AI at CRA on our website.

Our Commitment to Diversity

Charles River Associates is an equal opportunity employer (EOE/AAE). As part of our focus on equity and inclusion, we work to ensure a fair and consistent hiring process. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to an inclusive work environment.

Salary and other compensation

A good‑faith estimate of the annual base salary range for this position is $140,000 - $170,000. Stating pay within this range may vary based on factors such as education level, experience, skills, geographic location, market conditions, and other qualifications of the successful candidate. This position may be eligible for additional bonus incentive compensation.

CRA offers a comprehensive benefits package, subject to eligibility requirements, which may include: medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) retirement plan with employer match; life and disability insurance; paid time off (vacation, sick leave, holidays); paid parental leave; wellness programs and employee assistance resources; and commuter benefits.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Charles River Associates’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person which was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.