SCIF Cyber Defense Mission Lead

Leidos; Whitehall (OH); On-site; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a highly skilled Cyber Defense Lead to join our on-site team supporting DoD missions in a secure SCIF environment. The role emphasizes team leadership, incident response, and mission readiness across classified networks.

You will mentor analysts, guide training and certifications, and ensure strict adherence to DoD reporting standards. 100% on-site with a 5x8 schedule and commutable to multiple bases.

Qualifications

• Active DoD Top Secret / SCI clearance is required.
• IAT Level II baseline certification (Security+ CE, SSCP, GSEC, CySA+).
• CSSP-A or CSSP-IR certification (or ability to obtain within 180 days).
• Strong TCP/IP networking, packet analysis (Wireshark/tcpdump), OSI model, and defense-in-depth knowledge.
• Bachelor’s degree with 4 years (Level III) or 8 years (Level IV) cyber defense or SOC experience.

Responsibilities

• Coaching & Mentoring: Conduct 1-on-1 check-ins with team members every two weeks to provide supportive, actionable career guidance and retention.
• Professional Growth: Partner with Operations Managers to facilitate advanced technical training, support certification pathways, and deliver performance reviews.
• Trust & Accountability: Establish clear performance expectations and address policy compliance and operational gaps fairly.
• Positive Work Culture: Maintain ties with HR and leadership to resolve challenges and foster psychological safety in classified environments.
• Operational Integration: Collaborate with Shift Leads on shift coverage, training schedules, and mission readiness within the SCIF.

Skills

DoD Top Secret

IAT II

CSSP-A

CSSP-IR

TCP/IP

Wireshark

tcpdump

Incident response

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 4 years cyber defense

Bachelor’s degree + 8 years cyber defense

Tools

Splunk

Elastic

Microsoft Sentinel

Job description

Leidos is seeking a highly skilled Cyber Defense Lead to join our on-site team supporting DoD missions in a secure SCIF environment. The role emphasizes team leadership, incident response, and mission readiness across classified networks.

You will mentor analysts, guide training and certifications, and ensure strict adherence to DoD reporting standards. 100% on-site with a 5x8 schedule and commutable to multiple bases.