Junior Exercise Planner - Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC)

Leidos; Virginia (MN); On-site; USD 52,000 - 94,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Junior Exercise Planner – Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) to support HSEEP exercise design, development, conduct, and evaluation for CISA’s National Cyber Exercise Program (NCEP). The role requires TS/SCI clearance and coordinates with JCDC members and CISA exercise teams.

Join a team delivering cross‑sector cyber defense planning, scenario development, and post-exercise reporting across regional exercises, while ensuring alignment with threat analysis and guidance.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance is required.
• Experience with HSEEP exercise design, development, conduct and evaluation.
• Ability to obtain DHS Suitability / CISA EOD.

Responsibilities

• Support the Senior Exercise Planner – JCDC.
• Coordinate between JCDC members and the CISA exercise support teams.
• Participate in JCDC meetings to understand threat analysis and guidance.
• Guide cyber training and exercises based on expertise and experience.
• Review and refine exercise materials to align with JCDC work.
• Report findings from exercises forming common threads and themes.
• Incorporate JCDC elements into CISA exercises.
• Communicate regularly with exercise support teams and stakeholders.
• Participate in planning meetings and develop supporting documentation.
• Support end-to-end exercise execution and post-exercise reporting.

Skills

TS/SCI clearance

Strong writing skills

Cybersecurity knowledge

Job description

Looking for an opportunity to make an impact?

At Leidos , we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainable. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business.

Your greatest work is ahead!

Leidos is seeking a Junior Exercise Planner – Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) to support aspects of HSEEP exercise design, development, conduct, and evaluation for CISA’s National Cyber Exercise Program (NCEP) and engage with CISA’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC). The JCDC unites cyber defenders from worldwide organizations to a team of cross-industry organizations that proactively gather, analyze, and share actionable cyber risk information. The JCDC brings together cyber defense capabilities from government, industry and international organizations in an effort to reduce cyber risks. This role supports the Regional Exercise Lead for their assigned regional exercises and works with exercise planning teams on aspects such as planning meetings, scenario development, exercise documentation, facilitation, exercise conduct, and exercise evaluation, for multiple concurrent exercises across the region. This role specifically incorporates the work of the JCDC into all CISA cyber exercise by knowing and understanding the efforts of the JCDC in threat and vulnerability analysis, creation of cybersecurity guidance, and operational coordination across internal CISA divisions and external groups like the intelligence community. An active TS/SCI security clearance is required for this position due to the nature of the subject matter.

If this sounds like the kind of environment where you can thrive, keep reading!

Leidos’ Homeland Sector’s Airports, Borders, and Security (ABS) business area delivers air travel modernization, border protection, and critical infrastructure security solutions that help build a safer, more resilient homeland. Operating globally across aviation security, passenger screening, cybersecurity, and border and port security, ABS integrates next-generation technologies—including AI-driven analytics, advanced threat detection, and command-and-control platforms to secure the movement of people and goods worldwide by improving situational awareness, accelerating decisions, and strengthening operational outcomes for customers.

Junior Exercise Planner – Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) (TS/SCI)

Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Support the Senior Exercise Planner – JCDC.
• Coordinate between JCDC members and the CISA exercise support teams.
• Participate and collaborate with, as requested by CISA, the JCDC meetings to understand threat analysis, vulnerability information, and expert guidance that can be incorporated into CISA cyber exercises.
• Support the customer’s needs for cyber policy review and development, identifying hot button issues and trends in cyber threats, and guiding informed recommendations for cyber training and exercises based on expertise and experience.
• Review and refine ideas, exercise materials, and exercise foundation (i.e., scope, objectives, scenario, player actions, discussion questions, evaluation criteria, etc.) to ensure alignment with JCDC work and cyber response principles.
• Coordinate with Senior Exercise Planner – JCDC to report back to the JCDC, as requested by CISA, findings from exercises forming common threads and themes in cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
• Support the incorporation of JCDC elements into the CISA exercises.
• Communicate and coordinate regularly across exercise support team, with Senior Exercise Planners, Exercise Leads, and with exercise stakeholders.
• Support and participate in planning meetings (as appropriate), such as C&O, IP, MPM, MSEL Meeting, and FPM, and in developing all supporting documentation, including agendas, presentations, and notes.
• Support the development of core exercise documentation and artifacts (e.g., CONOPS, EXPLAN, SITMAN, MSEL, COSIN, evaluation forms, invitations/sign-in sheets).
• Support end-to-end exercise execution: concept and scope, execution support, evaluation approach, and post-exercise reporting (AAR and assigned reports).
• Report regularly to Exercise Leads and across exercise support team according to communications plan.
• Attend and participate in each exercise within assigned region, as required.
• Support development of new CISA Tabletop Exercise Packages (CTEPs) and maintenance of the CTEP scenario library.
• Support internal training activities to improve facilitation and planning skills across NCEP staff.

Required Experience, Skills, and Education:

• Active TS/SCI clearance.
• Ability to obtain DHS Suitability / CISA EOD.
• 2+ years experience in supporting cybersecurity operations, cyber threat analysis, incident response, vulnerability management, cyber risk management, or cyber exercise planning.
• Familiarity with cyber incident response lifecycle activities, including detection, triage, escalation, containment, coordination, remediation, recovery, and post-incident improvement.
• Familiarity with threat intelligence, indicators of compromise, malware reporting, vulnerability information, and adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures.
• Experience with HSEEP exercise design, development, conduct, and evaluation.
• FEMA HSEEP Certification or ability to achieve HSEEP certification within 30 days of contract start.
• Strong writing skills to develop polished exercise materials and documents (such as EXPLANs, SITMANs, MSELs, and controller/observer instructions) and post-exercise products (including AAR drafting support).
• Demonstrated ability to manage time, meet deadlines and milestones.

Preferred Experience, Skills, and Education:

• Education or certifications in cybersecurity, information technology, computer science, homeland security, emergency management, intelligence studies, public policy, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• Experience supporting cybersecurity-focused scenarios and stakeholder engagement across government and private sector partners.
• Cybersecurity Certifications
• Experience contributing to AAR development and communicating findings to technical and non-technical audiences.

Clearance Required:

• Active TS/SCI clearance.

If you’re looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We’re not hiring followers. We’re recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We’re already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $52,000.00 - $94,000.00

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.