Cyber Threat Hunter

Leidos Inc; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 108,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos in Washington, DC is seeking a Cyber Threat Hunter to support a Defensive Cyber Operations team. The role is hybrid, with on-site focus and up to 20% telework, and some 24/7 shift support may be required.

You will hunt, analyze telemetry, and drive detection engineering to protect federal networks. Responsibilities include authoring technical hunt reports, developing automation scripts, and applying MITRE ATT&CK to identify adversaries.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree with 8+ years of experience or Master's with 6+ years of relevant experience; additional years may substitute for degrees.
• DoD 8570 IAT Level II or higher certification required (or obtain within 180 days).
• DoD 8570 CSSP Analyst certification required (or obtain within 180 days).
• DoD 8570 CSSP Infrastructure Support certification required (or obtain within 180 days).
• Technical proficiency in networking and security elements; IDS/IPS and next-gen firewalls.
• Experience analyzing complex packet captures and endpoint logs to reconstruct attack timelines.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute hypothesis-driven hunt campaigns using adversary persistence theories.
• Query and correlate large datasets across cloud, identity, and network to detect stealthy attacks.
• Turn hunt findings into high-fidelity SIEM/EDR detections with automation-ready rules.
• Design automation scripts to scale threat mitigation and isolate compromised assets.
• Use MITRE ATT&CK to proactively search for APT activity and engagements.
• Analyze telemetry to identify early indicators of compromise and warning signals.
• Author detailed hunt reports highlighting gaps and improvements to security posture.
• Maintain awareness of threat landscape and potential exploit paths for customer enterprise.

Skills

DoD 8570 IAT Level II/III

DoD 8570 CSSP Analyst

DoD 8570 CSSP Infrastructure Support

Networking protocols

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's Degree +8 yrs or Master's Degree +6 yrs

Tools

Splunk SPL

KQL

Elastic

Job description

Description

The Leidos Digital Modernization sector is looking for a Cyber Threat Hunter to support a Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) team in Washington, DC. This position is expected to become available in Summer 2026.

Our team provides mission critical, 24/7 operational support to the customer's mission of protecting federal networked systems and services from cyber threats impacting national security. This hybrid position is primarily on-site, with potential for up to 20% telework. While this position will primarily work during core hours (0600 - 1600), this position will be supporting a team of analysts working 24/7 rotating shifts (days, swings, nights). As such, occasional shift work or weekend work may be required to fill unexpected gaps in coverage.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Hypothesis-Driven Hunting: Develop and execute structured hunt campaigns by forming theories on adversary persistence and lateral movement based on the latest TTPs.
• Advanced Telemetry Analysis: Query and correlate massive datasets across cloud resources, identity systems, and network infrastructure to identify "low and slow" attacks that evade automated detection.
• Detection Engineering Pipeline: Partner with detection teams to transform manual hunt discoveries into high-fidelity, automated detection rules (SIEM/EDR).
• Automated Countermeasure Deployment: Design and maintain automation scripts to scale threat mitigation and isolate compromised assets at machine speed.
• APT Targeting & Engagement: Utilize theMITRE ATT&CKframework to proactively search for Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) activity, assuming a "breach mentality" to uncover hidden adversaries.
• Indications & Warnings (I&W) Integration: Analyze internal and external telemetry to identify early triggers and "smoke" that signal an imminent or ongoing compromise.
• Tactical Reporting & Metrics: Author detailed technical hunt reports summarizing findings, operational gaps, and measurable improvements to the organization's security posture.
• Situational Awareness: Maintain a deep understanding of the current threat landscape, focusing on how new vulnerabilities or malware variants could be exploited within the customer enterprise.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree with 8+ yrs of experience or Master's Degree with 6+ yrs of relevant experience; additional years of experience may be substituted in lieu of degrees.
• DoD 8570 IAT Level II/III:Must hold an IAT Level II or higher certification (or obtain within 180 days). (e.g., CompTIA Security +, CySA+, GSEC and SSCP) or (CASP+ CE, CCNP Security, CISA, GCED, and GCIH)
• DoD 8570 CSSP Analyst:Must hold a CSSP Analyst certification (or obtain within 180 days). (e.g., CompTIA CySA+, Cloud+, GIAC Global Information Assurance Certification (GCIA))
• DoD 8570 CSSP Infrastructure Support: Must hold a CSSP Infrastructure Support certification (or obtain within 180 days). (e.g., CompTIA CySA+, Cloud+, EC-Council CEH, CND, CHFI, GIAC GICSP, and ISC2 SSCP)
• Technical Proficiency: Expert knowledge of networking protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP/S) and common security elements like IDS/IPS and next-gen firewalls.
• Data Analysis: Direct experience analyzing complex packet captures and endpoint logs to reconstruct attack timelines.

• Security Clearance: Current DoD TS/SCI security clearance and ability to pass additional customer suitability screenings prior to start and maintain throughout employment.

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Hunt Methodology:Demonstrated experience planning and executing hunt missions in complex, hybrid-cloud environments.
• Query Languages:Expert proficiency inSPL(Splunk),KQL(Kusto), orDSL(Elastic) for large-scale data mining.
• Scripting for Security:Advanced use ofPython,PowerShell, orBashto automate repetitive hunt tasks and data enrichment.
• Forensic Insight:Previous experience in Digital Forensics or Incident Response (DFIR) to assist in root-cause analysis.
• Cloud Infrastructure:Familiarity with hunting within AWS, Azure, O365, and containerized workloads.
• AI-Enhanced Defense:Experience using AI-driven analytics to sift through noise and identify anomalous behavioral patterns.

Original Posting: March 12, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range: $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos' name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system - never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at [e-mail].

If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.