Senior Exercise Planner - Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC)

Koitecc Solutions; Arlington, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 83,000 - 171,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness programs

Paid leave

Retirement benefits

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Senior Exercise Planner for the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) within the National Cyber Exercise Program. The role involves planning, developing, conducting, and evaluating cyber exercises across regions, aligning with JCDC efforts, threat analysis, and collaboration with intelligence communities.

A TS/SCI clearance is required for this position. The candidate will lead exercise planning teams, create core documentation, and support end-to-end exercise execution,

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance required.
• 8+ years in cybersecurity operations, threat analysis, incident response, or exercise planning.
• Experience with HSEEP exercise design, development, conduct, and evaluation.
• Strong writing and customer-facing presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as main liaison between JCDC members and CISA exercise support teams.
• Lead and coordinate planning meetings, scenario development, and documentation.
• Develop and refine CONOPS, EXPLAN, SITMAN, MSEL, and related artifacts.
• Support end-to-end exercise execution including AAR and post-exercise reporting.

Skills

TS/SCI clearance

Cybersecurity operations

Exercise planning

Written communication

Stakeholder coordination

Risk and threat analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in cybersecurity, IT, CS, homeland security, emergency management, intelligence studies, public policy

Tools

HSEEP

CTEPs

Job description

Salary Range: 82,550.00 - 127,000.00 - 171,450.00 USD Annual

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 SeniorExercise 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.

Are you ready to make an impact? Begin your journey of a flourishing and meaningful career, share your resume with us today!

Senior Exercise Planner - Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) (TS/SCI)

Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Serve as the main point of contact 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.
• Report back to the JCDC, as requested by CISA, findings from exercises forming common threads and themes in cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
• Lead the Mid and Junior Exercise Planner - JCDC positions in working with JCDC and supporting exercises.
• Work with the Regional Exercise Lead and Senior Exercise Planners to determine specific exercise aspects to support.
• Lead all aspects of incorporating JCDC into the CISA exercises.
• Communicate and coordinate regularly across exercise support team, with Regional Exercise Lead, and with exercise stakeholders.
• Participate in initial meetings with Regional Exercise Lead and exercise stakeholders to establish familiarity with the exercise support team, with the stakeholder leads, and to confirm exercise schedules.
• 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.
• Lead or 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 Regional Exercise Lead and across exercise support team according to communications plan.
• Attend and participate in each exercise within assigned region, as required.
• Fill in as Exercise Facilitator if necessary.
• Support development of new CISA Tabletop Exercise Packages (CTEPs) and maintenance of the CTEP scenario library.
• Provide SME input to 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.
• 8+ years experience in supporting cybersecurity operations, cyber threat analysis, incident response, vulnerability management, cyber risk management, or cyber exercise planning.
• Understanding of 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 coordinating with multiple stakeholders across technical, operational, government, and private‑sector environments.
• Ability to analyze complex cyber scenarios and identify technical, operational, procedural, communications, and information‑sharing gaps.
• 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 lead high‑level meetings, exercise facilitation, and give customer‑facing presentations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage time, meet deadlines and milestones, and hold team members accountable to requirements.

Preferred Experience, Skills, and Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in cybersecurity, information technology, computer science, homeland security, emergency management, intelligence studies, public policy, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• FEMA Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP)
• Experience supporting cybersecurity‑focused scenarios and stakeholder engagement across government and private sector partners.
• Experience contributing to strategic plan maintenance and innovation projects in support of leadership requests.
• Cybersecurity Certifications
• CISSP
• CEH
• GIAC
• Experience facilitating cybersecurity or critical infrastructure exercises, tabletop exercises (TTX), or similar preparedness activities.
• Experience contributing to AAR development and communicating findings to technical and non‑technical audiences.

Clearance Required:

• Active TS/SCI clearance.

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.

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.