Sr. IR Specialist

Nightwing; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 99,000 - 206,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Vision Insurance

Dental Insurance

401k Plan

Paid Time Off

Holidays

Job summary

Nightwing is seeking a Senior JCDC Cyber Triage Analyst to serve as a technical SME, handling complex threat intelligence and mentoring junior analysts. You will communicate with interagency partners and lead triage efforts to support federal cyber defense priorities.

The role requires Top Secret with SCI eligibility, DHS suitability, and 5-7 years in threat intel/SOC operations or incident response. Strong writing and cross-location collaboration are essential.

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Active Top Secret with SCI Eligibility is required.
• Must be able to obtain DHS Suitability.
• 5-7 years of progressive experience in threat intelligence, SOC operations, or cyber incident response.
• Demonstrated malware analysis, threat actor attribution, and cyber campaign analysis.
• Advanced proficiency with threat intelligence platforms, SIEM tools, and analytical frameworks.
• Deep knowledge of MITRE ATT&CK and intelligence-driven cyber defense concepts.
• Proven track record coordinating with federal agencies and managing complex stakeholder relationships.
• Strong understanding of critical infrastructure threats and cross-agency collaboration.
• Exceptional analytical writing and briefing skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct advanced triage and analysis of high-severity threat intelligence and IOC packages.
• Serve as technical escalation point for challenging threat assessments.
• Perform IOC enrichment using classified and unclassified sources.
• Coordinate with FBI, NSA, USCYBERCOM and other partners on joint threat assessments.
• Provide mentorship to mid-level and junior analysts.
• Develop triage playbooks and decision matrices.
• Lead projects to enhance triage processes and threat detection.
• Author detailed threat assessments for leadership and partners.
• Represent triage in interagency forums and information-sharing events.
• Identify patterns across threat reports to detect campaigns.
• Review analyst outputs and provide constructive feedback.
• Support after-hours on-call rotation for critical incidents.
• Contribute to strategic planning for JCDC capabilities.
• Interface with critical infrastructure partners to tailor analyses.

Skills

Citizenship

Top Secret SCI

DHS Suitability

Threat intelligence

SOC operations

Cyber incident response

Malware analysis

Threat actor attribution

MITRE ATT&CK

Threat intel platforms

SIEM

Stakeholder coordination

Analytical writing

Tools

MITRE ATT&CK

Threat intel platforms

SIEM

Job description

Nightwing provides technically advanced full-spectrum cyber, data operations, systems integration and intelligence mission support services to meet our customers’ most demanding challenges.

Nightwing is supporting a U.S. Government customer to provide rapid deployment and management of secure cloud-based engagement kits for cyber incident response and threat hunting operations. As part of the Engagement Support Services (ESS) contract, this program enables analysts to quickly access the tools and environments they need to investigate cyber threats affecting federal agencies, state and local governments, and critical infrastructure. Working on this team means directly supporting the nation’s cybersecurity defenders by ensuring they have reliable, scalable, and secure cloud infrastructure available within hours of a cyber incident—helping protect America’s digital infrastructure when it matters most.

The Senior JCDC Cyber Triage Analyst serves as a technical subject matter expert within the JCDC triage function, handling complex threat intelligence assessments while mentoring junior analysts and serving as a technical liaison to interagency partners. This role combines advanced technical analysis capabilities with strategic thinking and partnership coordination, ensuring high-quality threat assessments inform national cyber defense priorities.

Responsibilities

• Conduct advanced triage and analysis of complex, high-severity cyber threat intelligence, and IOC packages
• Serve as technical escalation point for challenging or ambiguous threat assessments requiring deep expertise
• Perform sophisticated IOC enrichment using classified and unclassified intelligence sources
• Coordinate directly with FBI, NSA, USCYBERCOM, and other interagency partners on joint threat assessments
• Provide technical mentorship and training to mid-level and junior triage analysts
• Develop and refine analytical tradecraft, triage playbooks, and decision matrices
• Lead special projects to enhance triage processes, automation, and threat detection capabilities
• Author detailed threat assessments and intelligence briefs for JCDC leadership and partner organizations
• Represent the triage team in interagency working groups and information-sharing forums
• Identify patterns across multiple threat reports to detect emerging campaigns or threat actor activity
• Conduct quality review of analyst products and provide constructive feedback
• Support after-hours on-call rotation for critical incidents requiring senior-level triage assessment
• Contribute to strategic planning for JCDC operational capability development
• Interface with critical infrastructure sector partners to understand threat concerns and provide tailored analysis

Required Skills

• U.S. Citizenship
• Must have an active Top Secret with SCI Eligibility
• Must be able to obtain DHS Suitability
• 5-7 years of progressive experience in threat intelligence, SOC operations, or cyber incident response
• Demonstrated expertise in malware analysis, threat actor attribution, and cyber campaign analysis
• Advanced proficiency with threat intelligence platforms, SIEM tools, and analytical frameworks
• Deep knowledge of MITRE ATT&CK framework and intelligence-driven cyber defense concepts
• Proven track record coordinating with federal agencies and managing complex stakeholder relationships
• Strong understanding of critical infrastructure interdependencies and sector-specific threats
• Exceptional analytical writing skills with ability to communicate complex technical findings to diverse audiences
• Experience briefing technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership
• Must be able to work collaboratively across physical locations

Desired Skills

• Prior experience in federal government cybersecurity roles (CISA, FBI, NSA, DoD)
• Experience the CISA NCISS National Cyber Incident Scoring System to be able to prioritize triaging of incident
• Knowledge of general attack stages (e.g., foot printing and scanning, enumeration, gaining access, escalation of privileges, maintaining access, network exploitation, covering tracks, etc.)
• Demonstrated experience with recognizing and categorizing types of vulnerabilities and associated attacks- Knowledge of Computer Network Defense policies, procedures, and regulations
• Knowledge of different operational threat environments (e.g., first generation [script kiddies], second generation [non nation-state sponsored], and third generation [nation-state sponsored])
• Knowledge of system and application security threats and vulnerabilities (e.g., buffer overflow, mobile code, cross-site scripting, PL/SQL and injections, race conditions, covert channel, replay, return- oriented attacks, and malicious code)
• Published threat intelligence research or contributions to open-source security community
• Experience with threat hunting and proactive threat detection methodologies
• Knowledge of foreign adversary cyber capabilities and geopolitical threat landscape
• Familiarity with Privacy Act and information handling requirements for government operations

Desired Certifications

• CISSP, GCTI, GCFA, GREM, or similar advanced certifications

Syndeo: ESS-3643, ESS-3644, ESS-3645, ESS-3646, ESS-3647

Salary & Benefits

The salary associated with this position ($99,000-$206,000) is commensurate with the selected candidate’s qualifications, years of relevant experience, and demonstrated level of expertise. Compensation will be determined based on these factors to ensure alignment with skills, responsibilities, and market standards.

Nightwingoffers medical, vision and dental insurance coverage in addition to a 401k plan, PTO, Holidays, and additional insurances.

Nightwing is An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age or any other federally protected class.