Cyber Defense Incident Responder

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Responsibilities

Peraton requires a Cyber Defense Incident Responder to support the Special Operation Command Information Technology Enterprise Contract (SITEC) – 3 EOM.  This position is located at MacDill AFB in Florida.

The purpose of the Special Operations Forces Information Technology Enterprise Contract (SITEC) 3 Enterprise Operations and Maintenance (EOM) Task Order (TO) is to provide USSOCOM, its Component Commands, its Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOCs), and its deployed forces with Operations and Maintenance (O&M) services to maintain Network Operations (NetOps); maintain systems and network infrastructure; provide end user and common device support; provide configuration, change, license, and asset management; conduct training, and perform Install, Move, Add, Change (IMACs) services. The responsibilities and tasks associated with each requirement play a pivotal role to USSOCOM, the CIO/J6 organization, and ultimately the end-user who operate around the globe 24x7x365. 

The Cyber Defense Incident Responder serves as a frontline technical responder responsible for the end-to-end containment, investigation, eradication, and recovery phases of the cyber incident response lifecycle. Activated upon alert triage or security anomalies, this position executes rapid tactical containment to halt adversary maneuverability, conducts host and network digital forensics (volatile memory analysis, disk imaging, and live response), performs malware triage, and coordinates enterprise-wide credential purges. The Incident Responder establishes incident command during high-severity crises, interfaces with operational stakeholders and regulatory bodies, and authors formal After-Action Reports (AARs) detailing root causes to permanently remediate exploited weaknesses.

• Conduct immediate assessment and validation of inbound escalations, determining scope, impact, severity, and root cause of live security incidents.
• Execute immediate response actions to isolate compromised endpoints, sever malicious network connections, and halt unauthorized lateral movement across enclaves.
• Conduct host-based and network digital forensics, including volatile memory analysis, disk imaging, and artifact extraction to reconstruct adversary timelines.
• Eliminate adversary persistence mechanisms, purge unauthorized credentials, and validate clean system baselines prior to returning services to normal operations.
• Maintain strict chain-of-custody documentation, produce formal Incident Summaries and After-Action Reports (AARs), and provide root-cause findings to the detection engineering team.
• Perform static and dynamic triage of recovered malicious binaries, scripts, and dropper files to extract hardcoded IOCs, persistence mechanisms, and execution behavior.
• Identify, catalog, and remove all adversary-created persistence artifacts, such as unauthorized scheduled tasks, rogue services, modified registry keys, and hidden backdoor accounts.
• Author comprehensive Incident Summaries and After-Action Reports (AARs) detailing attack vectors, impact timelines, and defensive breakdowns for mission leadership and stakeholders.
• Coordinate with legal counsel, law enforcement, and regulatory compliance authorities to share sanitized forensic evidence and ensure reporting mandates are met within required timelines.
• Design, facilitate, and participate in scenario-based tabletop exercises (TTXs) with leadership, IT operations, and mission stakeholders to test decision-making and operational readiness.
• Author and continuously update operational IR playbooks for specific attack scenarios (e.g., ransomware, supply chain compromise, business email compromise) and maintain readiness of the forensic toolkit (triage scripts, collection images).
• Query and analyze diverse telemetry streams across SIEM, centralized log repositories, and event managers to correlate disparate activities into a cohesive investigative trail.
• Aggregate forensic artifacts, authentication logs, and network connection records to construct precise chronological timelines detailing adversary initial access, execution, and lateral movement.
• Leverage Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) platforms to execute live system queries, inspect active process trees, analyze parent-child relationships, and identify unauthorized execution artifacts.
• Utilize network traffic analyzers, packet capture (PCAP) inspection tools, and NetFlow/IPFIX logs to trace external communication channels, quantify data volume, and inspect malicious payloads.
• Maintain structured investigative notes, evidence logs, and task tracking within Security Orchestration and Incident Case Management systems throughout the entire incident lifecycle.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Min 12 years with HS Diploma, 10 years AS/AA degree, 8 years with BS/BA, 6 years with MS/MA, 3 years with PhD
• A DoW TS/SCI clearance is required
• SECURITY + AND must be DoW 8140 compliant under the Work Role Code 531– Cyber Defense Incident Responder - Intermediate level or higher.  

Target Salary Range

$80,000 - $128,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

Benefits Statement

Peraton offers eligible employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, health savings account, short/long term disability, EAP, parental leave, 401(k), paid time off (PTO) for vacation, and company paid holidays. A full listing of available benefits can be viewed at https://www.careers.peraton.com/benefits.

Application Statements

The application period for the job is estimated to be 30 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in the role and the Company. During the review of your application, you may be required to participate in an on-camera interview, as well as participate in a process to verify your identity. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools of any kind during Peraton interviews is strictly prohibited unless the candidate has obtained prior written authorization. All interview responses must be the candidate’s own.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.