Senior Digital Forensics & Incident Response Analyst

TikTok USDS Joint Venture; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 89,000 - 176,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC in Washington, DC is seeking a Senior Analyst for the Forensics & Response team to lead complex digital investigations across endpoints, servers, mobile devices, data platforms, and cloud. You will perform DFIR investigations, preserve evidence, analyze data, and produce detailed reports for executives, while coordinating with legal and IT security.

On-site up to 5 days a week.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in digital forensics & incident response, cybersecurity engineering, or data analytics experience.
• Strong understanding of Windows, Linux, and macOS file systems (NTFS, EXT4, APFS) and forensic artifacts.
• Strong report writing skills, detailing analysis, procedures performed, and findings, capable of being consumed by executive-level stakeholders.
• Strong hands‑on experience with evidence handling, chain-of-custody, and contemporaneous notetaking.

Responsibilities

• Incident Investigations & Response: Perform digital forensic investigations of endpoints, servers, mobile devices, data platforms, internal systems, and cloud infrastructure.
• Evidence Acquisition & Preservation: Identify, collect, image, and preserve physical and digital evidence in strict adherence to chain-of-custody protocols and legal standards.
• Data Analytics: Analyze complex data queries, trace data lineage, and assess outputs for data residency and compliance issues.
• Artifact & Malware Analysis: Analyze endpoints, file system artifacts, memory dumps, and network traffic to identify root cause, scope of incident, and TTPs.
• Reporting & Documentation: Author detailed forensic reports outlining technical findings, timeline of events, root cause analysis, and remediation recommendations.
• Legal & Compliance Support: Assist with internal investigations, eDiscovery requests, and coordinate with legal teams or law enforcement when necessary.
• Lab & Equipment Management: Maintain, configure, and upgrade the hardware, software, and network infrastructure of the digital forensics laboratory. Ensure go-kits and remote acquisition equipment is prepared for response scenarios.

Skills

Data analytics

Scripting

Cloud platforms

Forensics & incident response

Education

Bachelor's/Master's degree in cybersecurity or CS

GCIH/GCIA/GCFE/GCFA certification

Tools

Disassemblers

Debuggers

Job description

Responsibilities

About the Team

The USDS JV Threat Detection and Response team is responsible for protecting TikTok’s people, data, and systems from threats that originate within the organization. We partner across Security, Legal, HR, IT, and Engineering to detect, investigate, and mitigate insider risks ranging from data exfiltration and policy violations to fraud and unauthorized access.

About the Role

As a Senior Analyst on the USJV Forensics & Response team, you will be at the forefront of our organization's digital investigations and incident response (DFIR) efforts. In this critical position, you will lead complex forensic investigations across a diverse technical landscape, including enterprise endpoints, servers, mobile devices, data platforms, and cloud infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Incident Investigations & Response: Perform digital forensic investigations of endpoints, servers, mobile devices, data platforms, internal systems, and cloud infrastructure.
• Evidence Acquisition & Preservation: Identify, collect, image, and preserve physical and digital evidence in strict adherence to chain-of-custody protocols and legal standards.
• Data Analytics: Analyze complex data queries, trace data lineage, and assess outputs for data residency and compliance issues.
• Artifact & Malware Analysis: Analyze endpoints, file system artifacts, memory dumps, and network traffic to identify root cause, scope of incident, and TTPs.
• Reporting & Documentation: Author detailed forensic reports outlining technical findings, timeline of events, root cause analysis, and remediation recommendations.
• Legal & Compliance Support: Assist with internal investigations, eDiscovery requests, and coordinate with legal teams or law enforcement when necessary.
• Lab & Equipment Management: Maintain, configure, and upgrade the hardware, software, and network infrastructure of the digital forensics laboratory. Ensure go-kits and remote acquisition equipment is prepared for response scenarios.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in digital forensics & incident response, cybersecurity engineering, or data analytics experience.
• Strong understanding of Windows, Linux, and macOS file systems (NTFS, EXT4, APFS) and forensic artifacts.
• Strong report writing skills, detailing analysis, procedures performed, and findings, capable of being consumed by executive-level stakeholders.
• Strong hands‑on experience with evidence handling, chain-of-custody, and contemporaneous notetaking.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong data analytics capabilities, analyzing complex SQL queries, data tasks, data lineage, and outputs. Moderate scripting proficiency in Python, Bash, or PowerShell for automation and log parsing.
• Moderate exposure working with cloud platforms (OCI, AWS, Azure, or GCP). Experience analyzing varying data structures, including Apache Hive, ClickHouse, RDS, and Redis.
• Strong hands‑on technical experience investigating, responding to high‑stakes incidents, including the ability to work effectively with engineers and technical operators.
• Experience operating in regulated environments, with strict compliance requirements, supporting audits and evidence requests.Experience performing static and dynamic analysis of suspicious binaries using disassemblers and debuggers.
• Bachelor's or masters degree in cybersecurity engineering, computer science, or digital forensics; OR have equivalent industry experience. Relevant Certifications: GCIH, GCIA, GIME, GCFE, GCFA, GREM, or equivalent.

About USDS

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is dedicated to the safety and security of millions of Americans who create, discover, and connect with what they love on the apps we operate. The Joint Venture has been established in compliance with the Executive Order signed by President Trump on September 25, 2025. Our foundation is a comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program we operate under defined safeguards to protect national security and secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm. We safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem, holding decision‑making authority for trust and safety policies and moderation. USDS Joint Venture helps ensure Americans can continue to express their creativity, discover new hobbies and interests, and build thriving communities and businesses on a global scale.

On‑site presence across teams allows the company to operate with greater speed, alignment, and agility — especially in areas like real‑time decision‑making, team development, and integrated execution. As such, the company is shifting from a hybrid work model to a fully in‑person schedule up to 5 days a week.

Why Join Us

Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we work towards every day.

We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.

Diversity & Inclusion

TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.

USDS Reasonable Accommodation

USDS is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/USDS-RA

Job Information

【For Pay Transparency】 Compensation Description (Annually) - Washington, DC

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $ 88920 - $ 176400 annually.

Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short‑term and long‑term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).

The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.