SOC Manager

Second Front; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 205,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

100% employer-paid medical, dental, &

401(k) with company match

Home office stipend

Equity incentives

Professional development stipend

Flexible PTO & federal holidays

Parental leave

Flexible remote work opportunities

Job summary

Second Front Systems is seeking a technically fluent SOC Manager to own our security operations, architect modern defenses, and scale maturity across cloud-native infrastructure. The role focuses on SIEM/EDR, threat hunting, and incident response with a strong leadership component.

You will partner across engineering and product to embed security into platform DNA, ensuring mission-critical software remains secure and defenders operate in a monitored environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in cyber operations, incident response and threat intelligence with leadership experience.
• Deep technical mastery building modern SOC functions: SIEM, EDR, incident response frameworks.
• Fluent in cloud-native environments (AWS), container security and logging pipelines.
• Experience engineering detection logic and automated playbooks at scale.
• Strong mentoring, leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to translate risk into actionable leadership recommendations.
• Knowledge of FedRAMP, DoD SRG and CMMC compliance in regulated environments.
• Hands-on scripting/automation: Python, Terraform, SOAR.

Responsibilities

• Architect the SOC strategy and roadmap with threat intel operations.
• Build and tune detection logic across cloud stacks and endpoints.
• Own incident command and post-mortems to drive engineering change.
• Govern SIEM, EDR and automated playbooks at scale.
• Establish proactive threat hunting and ingestion of external intelligence.
• Collaborate with engineering and product to embed security controls.
• Mentor security teams and scale operations while maintaining high craft.

Skills

Cyber operations leadership

Security operations

Cloud-native security

Threat intelligence

Mentoring

Communication

FedRAMP/DoD compliance

Python/Terraform/SOAR

Tools

SIEM architecture

EDR deployment

Threat hunting

Playbooks automation

AWS

Kubernetes security

Logging pipelines

Job description

Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC

Second Front Systems is looking for a technically fluent, high-ownership, metrics-driven Security Operations Center (SOC) Manager to strengthen our security operations function, architecting modern defensive capabilities across cloud-native infrastructure.

Operating at the high-stakes intersection of defense tech and national security, you will be responsible for monitoring, detecting, and responding to threats in cloud-native ecosystems and scaling defensive maturity across the organization.

You will own the SOC strategy and execution, partner across engineering and product to embed security controls into platform DNA, ensuring that mission-critical software for the free world remains secure and our defenders operate in a resilient, monitored environment.

We need someone capable of architecting and governing modern SOC functions—SIEM, EDR, automated playbooks, and threat intelligence operations; leading incident response and post-mortems that drive engineering change from containment through recovery; and scaling and mentoring security teams while building detection logic and hunt programs that intercept emerging threats.

As a key partner to engineering, product, and IT leadership, you will translate technical risk and blast radius into clear, unsentimental recommendations that move defensive maturity forward, serving as the operational authority ensuring our security infrastructure scales as fast as the missions we support.

Note: Candidates must reside in one of our approved hiring hubs:

• DC/Maryland/Virginia
• Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC
• Denver/Colorado Springs, CO
• Dallas/Fort Worth, TX

What You\'ll Do

• Architect the SOC strategy and roadmap, defining threat intelligence operations, detection frameworks, and defensive maturity metrics.
• Build and tune detection logic across cloud stacks, identity layers, and endpoints, rejecting noise to accelerate incident response velocity.
• Own incident command, leading containment and recovery operations while driving engineering change through rigorous post-mortems.
• Govern the defensive stack—SIEM, EDR, and automated playbooks—ensuring engineering delivers lean, high-fidelity operations at scale.
• Establish proactive threat hunting programs, synthesizing external intelligence to intercept emerging threats before they reach mission-critical systems.
• Synchronize security controls with engineering and product squads, embedding rigorous automated defenses into platform architecture.
• Mentor and scale a high-performing security operations squad, anchoring a culture built on accountability and technical craft.
• Optimize vendor and MDR relationships, ensuring third-party partnerships deliver the technical execution the mission demands.

What You Bring

• 8+ years in cyber operations, incident response, and threat intelligence with minimum 3 years leading high-agency security operations teams.
• Deep technical mastery building modern SOC functions: SIEM architecture, EDR stack deployment, high-fidelity incident response frameworks.
• Fluency in cloud-native environments: AWS, Kubernetes security, containerized workload defense, logging pipeline engineering.
• Track record engineering detection logic and automated playbooks that scale defensive operations and reduce alert noise.
• Ability to mentor technical talent and lead complex security initiatives through ambiguity in high-growth startup environments.
• Clear communication translating technical blast radius and complex risk into unsentimental recommendations for leadership.
• Expertise navigating FedRAMP, DoD SRG, and CMMC compliance in regulated government and defense environments.
• Hands-on scripting and automation engineering: Python, Terraform, SOAR playbooks for detection and response tooling development.

Preferred

The base salary for this position will fall between $205,000 and $215,000. Your ultimate compensation will be determined by professional background, technical proficiency, seniority, and regional cost factors. Furthermore, this opportunity includes potential eligibility for equity awards and discretionary bonuses, rounding out a comprehensive total rewards offering.

Success at 2F Looks Like:

• A proactive and solutions oriented mindset
• Viewing obstacles as opportunities for growth
• Having a bias toward action and tangible, measurable results
• Being team-oriented with a focus on personal responsibility and autonomy

Perks & Benefits:

This role is a full time position. As a public benefit corporation, we’re a team of purpose-driven trailblazers transforming the future of U.S. national security. We hire the best to do their best and, as such, we are committed to providing the perks and benefits you need to be successful—both in- and outside the workplace.

Perks of Joining Our Team:

• Competitive salary
• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
• 401(k) with a 3% company contribution
• Comprehensive wellness benefits, including a One Medical membership, mental health resources, family planning support, and more
• Equity incentive plan
• New hire technology and home office stipend
• Annual professional development stipend
• Flexible paid time off, plus all federal holidays
• Generous parental leave
• Flexible remote work opportunities
• Employee referral bonus program

Who We Are:
Second Front Systems (2F) is a public-benefit software company powering software for the free world. We eliminate the friction that slows innovation, enabling faster, more secure development and deployment of software across government and regulated networks. Built by national security veterans and backed by top-tier venture capital, our platform is trusted by the world’s leading organizations to cut deployment timelines from years to weeks. We move fast, solve hard problems, and deliver trusted capabilities where they’re needed most. Our work strengthens global security and gives the United States and its allies a lasting competitive advantage. Learn more at secondfront.com.

Note: We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.