Cyber Defense Cloud Incident Responder

ASRC Federal is seeking a Cyber Defense Incident Responder with cloud experience to support a mission-critical DCSA cybersecurity program. This role is responsible for detecting, analyzing, and responding to security incidents affecting cloud-hosted and hybrid environments supporting national security systems.  Remote flexibility available! Telework offered with a requirement to be onsite up to one (1) day a week at Ft. Meade, MD. Position Description: As the Cyber Defense Analyst, your primary duty is to safeguard our national security systems through proactive threat hunting and advanced threat detection activities. You will continuously monitor and analyze threat intelligence sources to stay informed about emerging threats, searching for signs of malicious activity across our network infrastructure, endpoints, and systems that evade traditional security solutions. A key part of your role involves developing and implementing new and innovative threat detection techniques and strategies, analyzing large datasets to identify patterns and anomalies indicative of malicious activities, and mapping adversary tactics to the MITRE ATT&CK framework. You will collaborate with other CSOC team members and stakeholders to respond to and investigate security incidents, perform in-depth forensic analysis to understand the nature and impact of threats, and provide detailed reports and briefings on threat hunting activities and findings to senior management. Minimum Requirements:  Five (5) years’ hands-on cybersecurity experience in one or more of the following:  Incident Response or Threat Hunting within a mid-to-large enterprise  SOC operations supporting cloud or hybrid environments  Enterprise vulnerability management or endpoint/cloud security operations  Active Top Secret (TS) Clearance REQUIRED, eligible to be upgraded to TS/SCI DoD 8570 Information Assurance (IA) Program / DoD 8140 Cyber Workforce Qualification Program (CWQP): Must meet DoD 8570.01-M / IAT Level II or IAM Level II requirements at a minimum. At least one active qualifying certification required, including but not limited to:  CompTIA Security+ CE, CompTIA CySA+, CompTIA SecX  CE, SSCP, GCIH, GCED, GCIA, GSEC, CEH, Pentest+, Cloud+, GICSP, CISSP (or Associate) Bachelor’s Degree, in Cybersecurity, and/or Information Systems Management or equivalent combination of education, experience and military service   Key Responsibilities:  Cloud Security Operations & Monitoring  Monitor AWS, Azure, and/or Google Cloud environments for malicious or anomalous activity using SIEM, SOAR, and cloud-native security tooling.  Analyze logs, telemetry, alerts, and cloud audit data to identify indicators of compromise (IOCs) and attack patterns.  Tune detection logic and alerting to reduce false positives and improve response fidelity.  Incident Response  Lead and support incident response activities across the full lifecycle: identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned.  Perform root cause analysis and impact assessments for cloud-related security incidents.  Coordinate response actions with SOC analysts, engineering teams, system owners, and government stakeholders.  Document incidents, response actions, and remediation recommendations in accordance with government reporting requirements.  Threat Intelligence & Analysis  Leverage threat intelligence sources to identify emerging threats targeting cloud platforms and federal environments.  Map adversary activity to MITRE ATT&CK and cloud-specific threat models.  Recommend defensive improvements based on observed tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).  Vulnerability & Risk Management  Identify cloud misconfigurations, exposed services, and security gaps.  Support vulnerability assessments and remediation prioritization for cloud-hosted systems.  Advise on security controls aligned to NIST and DoD requirements.  Compliance & Audit Support  Support compliance activities aligned to NIST 800-53, RMF, and DoD cybersecurity requirements.  Assist with security documentation, evidence collection, and audit response.  Validate cloud security configurations against established baselines and policies.    Required Technical Skills:  Cloud Platform experience: Practical experience securing AWS, Azure, and/or Google Cloud environments  Security Tooling: Experience with SIEM/SOAR platforms such as Splunk, Elastic, Swimlane, or equivalent  Incident Response: Proven experience executing IR playbooks and responding to real-world security incidents  Networking & Systems: Strong understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, authentication mechanisms, operating systems, log analysis, and cloud architecture  Frameworks & Standards: Familiarity with NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST 800-53, and RMF concepts  Analysis & Reporting: Ability to clearly document findings, response actions, and technical recommendations  Desired (Nice-to-Have) Qualifications:  Experience supporting classified or DoD environments  Familiarity with cloud-native security services (e.g., AWS Guard Duty, AWS Security Hub, Defender for Cloud, Security Command Center)  Experience with automation, scripting, or SOAR workflows  Exposure to threat hunting or advanced adversary analysis    Work Environment and Physical Demands:  This is primarily a Telework position with a requirement to be onsite up to one (1) day a week. Full-time onsite presence at Fort Meade may be required in the future at the government’s discretion   If alternate worksite is other than DCSA facilities or corporate office space, must have the reliable ability to communicate over voice (cell phone preferred) and stable, capable internet connection Must be able to communicate complex technical ideas to a diverse customer base both verbally and in written form   We invest in the lives of our employees, both in and out of the workplace, by providing competitive pay and benefit packages. This position is offering a pay range of $106,015.00 - $159,890.00 depending on experience, seniority, geographic locations, and factors permitted by law. Benefits offered may include health care, dental, vision, life insurance; 401k; education assistance; paid time off including Paid Time Off, holidays and any other paid leave required by law.