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Cyber Defense Incident Responder - Senior

Company:
Z FEDERAL
Location:
Washington, DC, 20005
Posted:
August 22, 2025
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Description:

Job Description

Cyber Defense Incident Responder - Senior

Z FEDERAL is seeking a Cyber Defense Incident Responder – Senior to work in our Washington, DC office.

Lead, facilitate and advise via the Incident Response lifecycle across the Bureau of the Census within the Department of Commerce against 24/7 threats/vulnerabilities/events.

Provide leadership w/ security and cybersecurity intelligence, posture/capabilities status, ways-forward, trend analysis and personnel readiness to enhance cyber security and incident response.

Advise leadership through multi-vector threat remediation and capabilities enhancement.

Leverage multi-source Cyber Intelligence to bolster cybersecurity posture.

Effectively lead and advise Security Operations and Infrastructure teams regarding threats and vulnerabilities mitigation procedures and system(s) enhancement(s).

Meet/exceed/expand customer mission requirements, goals, and vision.

Coordinate and communicate with multi-partner teams/services regarding 24/7 security posture and national regulatory requirements.

Learn and foster knowledge and skills training to adhere to and expand security, cybersecurity, and contingency requirements.

Manage/mentor SOC team members regarding procedures, schedules, training, event & tools management, and performance requirements.

Develop and implement best-practice network security, backup, and recovery procedures.

Diagnose network connectivity and performance issues during events and incidents.

Integrate new systems into existing network and security architecture.

Monitor network capacity, performance and

Advise during network patching, expansion, and capability growth to ensure safeguarding of data/information against threats and vulnerabilities.

Obtain and retain clearance requirements set by the Dept. of Commerce

Provide feedback on network requirements, including network architecture and infrastructure.

Test and maintain network infrastructure including software and hardware devices.

Salary Range: $107,000 - $124,000, dependent upon qualifications and experience

Required Skills

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Lead the Cybersecurity Incident Response lifecycle as an Incident Commander during high-demand events/incidents.

Advise leadership and assist management of SOC personnel, personnel readiness, team cohesion and training.

Understand and implement international, federal, state, and local regulation standards of cybersecurity.

Organize cyber operations, exercises, and inspections.

In-depth knowledge of network encryption, secure network topology and operating network equipment including hubs, routers, switches, bridges, servers, transmission media, and related logical & physical domains.

Knowledge of cloud-based networking, security, and best practices

Implement network threat detection and prevention rules and data control methods.

Operate common network tools (e.g., ping, traceroute, nslookup, ipconfig, nbstat).

Interpret Operating Systems command line (e.g., Windows, Linux).

Navigate and operate within the organization's LAN/WAN pathways.

Monitor and perform trend analysis of network performance, availability, and incidents.

Experience/knowledge monitoring networks for Indicators of Compromise

Operate different electronic communication systems and methods (e.g., e-mail, VOIP, IM, web forums, Direct Video Broadcasts).

Interpret the information collected by network tools (e.g., Microsoft Defender, FireEye, Akamai and packet capture).

Knowledge of network protocols such as TCP/IP, Dynamic Host Configuration, Domain Name System (DNS), bandwidth/utilization management and directory services.

Measure, analyze and tune network performance, confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Experience with network data structures and models (e.g., Open System Interconnection Model [OSI], Information Technology Infrastructure Library, current version [ITIL]).

Certifications/Licenses:

Bachelor's degree or higher.

7+ years' experience in network management and experience directly performing configurations and security implementation on LAN and WAN equipment.

Certifications addressing system security, network infrastructure, access control, cryptography, assessments and audits, and organizational security.

Active Top Secret clearance.

Desired Skills

Experience holding a leadership position.

Implementing, maintaining, and improving established network security practices.

Applying ITIL or equivalent Change Management

Installing, configuring, and troubleshooting LAN and WAN components such as routers, hubs, switches. Establishing a routing scheme.

Skill in securing network communications and protecting a network against malware. (e.g., NIPS, anti-malware, restrict/prevent external devices, spam filters).

Configuring and utilizing network protection components (e.g., Firewalls, VPNs, network intrusion detection systems).

Implementing and testing network infrastructure contingency and recovery plans.

Applying various subnet techniques (e.g., CIDR)

Configuring and utilizing computer protection components (e.g., hardware firewalls, servers, routers, as appropriate).

Packet Analysis.

Z FEDERAL offers:

Self-directed 401K and annual company match

Up to four weeks of paid time off (PTO)

11 paid federal holidays

Other forms of leave such as bereavement, jury duty, military leave

Full Health Benefits: Medical and Vision, Dental (employee-paid)

Life Insurance

Short and Long Term Disability, AD&D Insurance

Flexible Spending Account (Medical and Dependent Care)

Performance-based bonuses

Tuition Reimbursement

Incentive and referral bonuses

Commuter benefits

Professional Development and Training

Years of Service Reward and Recognition Program

Z FEDERAL's commitment to employee growth and development is proven and valued by our staff. We want our employees to excel, grow professionally, and take on increasingly responsible roles.

Full-time

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