Incident Responder

We are seeking an Incident Responder to join a mission focused cybersecurity team supporting the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) at the Hopper Global Communications Center (HGCC) in Suitland, MD.

In this role, you will serve as a digital first responder, helping defend the Navy's critical maritime intelligence networks against cyber threats. You will respond to and investigate cybersecurity incidents, contain affected systems, limit operational impact, and collect and analyze digital artifacts to support effective response and recovery. Working across the incident response lifecycle, you will collaborate with cybersecurity, intelligence, and investigative partners to help protect highly sensitive TS/SCI environments.

Primary Responsibilities

• Perform all phases of the incident response lifecycle, including detection, analysis, containment, eradication, and recovery.


• Receive and act on escalations from Tier 1 analysts, conduct spillage response and cleanup activities, and support incident response for TS/SCI networks, including JWICS, ATLAS, and other networks for which HGCC is responsible.


• Receive and respond to incident notifications from customers via telephone and email.


• Prepare and submit Electronic Spillage Assessment Forms (ESAFs) to the NNWC Electronic Spillage Center.


• Monitor Data Loss Prevention (DLP) outputs for classified code words and potential spillage indicators.


• Coordinate and communicate with internal and external stakeholders, including Special Security Officers (SSOs), Judge Advocate General (JAG), ONI ISSM, Hopper ISSM, CNI, NAVNETWARCOM, IC SCC, NCDOC, NCIS, and other IC and DoD SOC/DCO teams.


• Maintain detailed and accurate incident documentation and timelines throughout the response process.


• Participate in incident response meetings, briefings, and after action reviews.


• Support the execution and evaluation of annual security exercises.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Information Assurance, or a related area of study desired; Master's degree preferred.


• 15+ years of relevant professional experience without a degree.


• Active TS/SCI security clearance.


• 10 years of concentrated experience in the CND discipline.


• 5+ years of professional experience monitoring and investigating alerts from cybersecurity tools.


• Experience with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems such as Splunk and Elastic.


• Experience with Network Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (NIDPS), such as Cisco FirePower and Palo Alto NGFW, as well as host based tools such as Trellix ePO, Microsoft Defender, and Tanium.


• Knowledge of scripting and coding languages such as Python, Perl, Ruby, JavaScript, PowerShell, C, C++, and Java.


• Knowledge of penetration testing and red team tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as tools such as Kali, SamuraiWTF, Nmap, Burp Suite, sqlmap, and Metasploit.


• Knowledge of ticketing systems, report writing, and intelligence gathering, analysis, and dissemination techniques specific to cybersecurity.

Required Certifications

• Must possess one of the following certifications: Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), CyberSec First Responder (CFR), CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+), GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA), GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH), EC Council Certified Incident Handler (ECIH), or Cisco Cybersecurity Specialist (SCYBER).