Cyber Defense Threat Hunter

This announcement is issued under the Direct Hire Authority (DHA) to recruit for positions for which there is a critical hiring need. Selectee(s) will receive a career or career-conditional appointment in the competitive service and may be required to serve a one year probationary period. The official title of this position is Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist (INFOSEC) GS-22/13.Typical work assignments at the full performance level include, but are not limited to: Threat Hunting Support: Assisting in the execution of threat hunting activities across IT and Operational Technology (OT) environments. Helping identify and investigate basic anomalous activity and indicators of compromise (IOCs) using established procedures and tools. Behavior-Based and Heuristic Analysis: Applying behavioral analytics to detect deviations from normal activity, using predefined methods and guidance from senior staff. Supporting the use of heuristic techniques to identify potential threats through pattern recognition and anomaly detection. Incident Response Assistance: Providing basic support during security incidents, helping to document findings and assist with containment and remediation efforts. Collaboration: Working as part of a team with SOC, OT engineering, and IT staff to share information and support threat intelligence activities. Participating in meetings and projects related to cybersecurity. Reporting and Communication: Preparing draft reports summarizing threat hunting findings and recommendations. Communicating results to team members and contribute to briefings for technical and non-technical audiences. Network Signature Implementation: Deploying and testing network signatures as directed to detect common threats and attack techniques. Assisting in tuning signatures to improve detection accuracy under supervision. Continuous Learning: Staying informed about common threats and vulnerabilities relevant to critical infrastructure. Participating in training and research to improve threat hunting skills and knowledge.