IR Specialist

Nightwing; Sterling (VA); On-site; USD 77,000 - 163,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Vision and Dental insurance

401k

Paid Time Off

Holidays

Job summary

Nightwing is seeking a JCDC Cyber Triage Analyst to serve as a frontline defender in the nation's cyber defense posture. You will perform initial analysis of threat reports, IOC submissions, and incident notifications, researching activity and delivering defensible conclusions with recommended follow-up actions.

The role requires active Top Secret with SCI eligibility, U.S. citizenship, and 3–5 years in threat intelligence or SOC operations.

Qualifications

• Active TS with SCI eligibility is required.
• 3–5 years of progressive threat intelligence, SOC operations, or cyber incident response experience.
• Ability to triage and assess incoming threat tickets and IOC submissions.
• Experience enriching IOCs using threat intel platforms and OSINT.
• Ability to coordinate with interagency partners and government teams.

Responsibilities

• Perform initial triage and assessment of threat tickets, incident reports, and IOC submissions.
• Analyze IPs, domains, file hashes, network traffic, and malware artifacts.
• Determine threat severity, credibility, and potential impact to critical infrastructure.
• Enrich IOCs using threat intel platforms, OSINT, and government resources.
• Prepare concise triage reports with actionable escalation recommendations.
• Route tickets to JCDC teams, CISA divisions, or interagency partners.
• Coordinate with sector analysts and interagency liaisons for context.
• Maintain accurate documentation in ticketing systems and knowledge bases.
• Participate in shift handoffs and daily operational briefings.
• Contribute to triage playbooks and SOP development.
• Monitor emerging threat campaigns and adversary activity.
• Provide feedback to submitters and partners on ticket status.

Skills

U.S. Citizenship

Top Secret with SCI Eligibility

DHS Suitability

Threat intelligence

SOC/IR experience

Collaborative across locations

Analytical triage

Threat reports & IOC analysis

Shift handoffs & briefings

Documentation in ticketing systems

Tools

SIEM platforms

Threat intelligence platforms (TIP)

OSINT resources

Ticketing systems

Job description

Nightwing provides technically advanced full-spectrum cyber, data operations, systems integration and intelligence mission support services to meet our customers’ most demanding challenges. Our capabilities include cyber space operations, cyber defense and resiliency, vulnerability research, ubiquitous technical surveillance, data intelligence, lifecycle mission enablement, and software modernization. Nightwing brings disruptive technologies, agility, and competitive offerings to customers in the intelligence community, defense, civil, and commercial markets.

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.

Nightwing is An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age or any other federally protected class.