Cyber Defense & Resilience - Incident Response - Senior Associate

PwC; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 77,000 - 202,000; Full time

Job summary

PwC is seeking a Senior Associate in Cyber Defense & Resilience specializing in Incident Response to help identify, analyze, and resolve security incidents impacting client systems and data.

In this role, you will manage workstreams, build client relationships, and guide junior team members while applying strong analytical and forensic skills to drive actionable recommendations and improve defenses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 3 years of incident response or cybersecurity experience.
• Experience supporting client-facing engagements preferred.

Responsibilities

• Triage alerts and coordinate containment and recovery during cyber incidents.
• Develop incident response workstreams for malware, phishing, ransomware, and more.
• Apply forensic tools and threat intel to map attack paths and affected assets.
• Create incident timelines and executive summaries for clients.
• Track remediation actions and validate control gaps.
• Guide junior team members and refine response playbooks.

Skills

Incident response

Cybersecurity

Client-facing engagements

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Industry/Sector

Not Applicable

Specialism

Cybersecurity & Privacy

Management Level

Senior Associate

Job Description & Summary

The Opportunity

As a Cyber Defense & Resilience - Incident Response - Senior Associate you will focus on cybersecurity incident management within our Cybersecurity practice, helping identify, analyze, and resolve security incidents that affect client systems and data. As a Senior Associate you will build meaningful client connections, manage assigned workstreams, and use critical thinking to navigate complex situations while deepening your technical skills and growing your personal brand. In this role at PwC, you will support incident response activities, interpret data to shape recommendations, and contribute to work that helps clients respond to threats and reduce future exposure.

Responsibilities

• Responding to cyber incidents by triaging alerts, analyzing indicators of compromise, and coordinating containment and recovery activities
• Developing incident response workstreams that address malware, phishing, credential abuse, ransomware, and other threat scenarios
• Applying forensic tools and threat intelligence sources to reconstruct attack paths and identify impacted systems and data
• Preparing incident timelines, executive-ready summaries, and detailed technical findings for client stakeholders
• Supporting incident remediation efforts by tracking corrective actions, validating control gaps, and documenting lessons learned
• Collaborating with internal teams and client personnel to align response activities with business priorities and operational constraints
• Guiding junior team members through investigation tasks, analysis methods, and documentation standards
• Contributing to the refinement of incident response plans, playbooks, and cyber defense procedures based on emerging threat activity

What You Must Have

• At least a Bachelor’s degree
• At least 3 years of experience

What Sets You Apart

• Preference for at least one of the following fields of study: Business Administration/Management, Computer and Information Science, Information CyberSecurity, Information Technology, Management Information Systems, Computer Applications, Computer Engineering
• Demonstrating incident response experience supporting client-facing cybersecurity engagements
• Applying cybersecurity framework knowledge to incident management activities
• Interpreting threat data to inform remediation and response actions
• Using critical thinking to navigate ambiguous cyber incidents
• Developing client relationships while guiding junior team members

Travel Requirements

Up to 60%

Job Posting End Date

The salary range for this position is: $77,000 - $202,000. Actual compensation within the range will be dependent upon the individual’s skills, experience, qualifications and location, and applicable employment laws. All hired individuals are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. PwC offers a wide range of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, 401k, holiday pay, vacation, personal and family sick leave, and more. To view our benefits at a glance, please visit the following link: https://pwc.to/benefits-at-a-glance

As PwC is anequal opportunity employer, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment at PwC without regard to race; color; religion; national origin; sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity); age; disability; genetic information (including family medical history); veteran, marital, or citizenship status; or, any other status protected by law.

PwC does not intend to hire experienced or entry level job seekers who will need, now or in the future, PwC sponsorship through the H-1B lottery, except as set forth within the following policy: https://pwc.to/H-1B-Lottery-Policy.

Learn more about how we work: https://pwc.to/how-we-work

For only those qualified applicants that are impacted by the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, San Diego County Fair Chance Ordinance, and the California Fair Chance Act, where applicable, arrest or conviction records will be considered for Employment in accordance with these laws. At PwC, we recognize that conviction records may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship to responsibilities such as accessing sensitive company or customer information, handling proprietary assets, or collaborating closely with team members. We evaluate these factors thoughtfully to establish a secure and trusted workplace for all.