There are a variety of Mitigation and Response opportunities across the Department, including supporting several specialized programs at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).

Depending on your career level and role, DHS Cybersecurity Service employees in the Technical Career Track, with a technical capability in Mitigation and Response, will generally apply their expertise to perform a range of tasks, including:

• Supporting a team or program in monitoring, analysis, incident response, and handling for DHS or its constituents
• Proactively analyzing network traffic patterns to identify possible threats - includes analyzing log files from a variety of sources (e.g., individual host logs, network traffic logs, firewall logs, and intrusion detection system [IDS] logs) and using other analytic tools and data science methodologies
• Actively monitoring DHS environments for potential threats or vulnerabilities, providing DHS or external agency/private industry leadership with situational visibility across the enterprise
• Creating threat assessments for vulnerabilities on networks, systems software, and hardware and recommending appropriate mitigation
• Ensuring incidents are managed in accordance with NIST stages of incident handling guidelines and assisting others who are less seasoned in properly applying these standards
• Customizing communications for different levels of leadership and audiences to provide strategic direction and support to DHS, Component leadership and/or their SOCs, or external constituents to enable mission capabilities
• Collaborating with internal and external DHS stakeholders in performing critical security operations and incident handling
• Working with HQ and/or Component NOC/SOCs to block or deny access by hostile sites or restrict access by specific ports/protocols
• Actively engaging processes to implement, configure, monitor, and maintain Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools to monitor, detect and respond to threats on DHS or federal/national partner networks and enclaves
• Applying techniques for gathering, recovering, analyzing, interpreting, preserving, and presenting information and digital evidence (from computers, mobile devices, websites, network packets, et al.) to support legal prosecution or other departmental requirements
• Integrating stakeholder feedback when recommending recovery action plans for repairs, including mitigation strategies for interim system vulnerabilities/deficiencies
• Customizing communications (e.g., incident updates and after-action reports) to emphasize the most critical information and address anticipated follow-up concerns of specific target audiences
• Proposing and maintaining, a suite of cybersecurity tools, to include SIEM and Endpoint Security Tools
• Working with designated managers, cyber incident responders, and cybersecurity service provider team members in handling suspected cyber incidents articulating the event's history, status, and potential impact for further action in accordance with the organization's cyber incident response plan.
• Collaborating with team members to collect intrusion artifacts (e.g., source code, malware, trojans) and using discovered data to enable mitigation of potential cyber defense incidents within the enterprise in accordance with recovery action plans.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or national.
• You must be 18 years of age.
• Must be registered for the Selective Service (if you are a male).
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a security clearance. Security clearance levels may vary.
• Must be able to submit to a drug test and receive a negative result.
• Must be able to comply with ethics and standards of conduct requirements, including completing any applicable financial disclosure.
• May be required to serve a 3 year probationary period.
• Remote work may be available for some positions.
• While many these positions are considered telework, some individuals must live within 2 hours driving distance to a DHS SCIF in either Chandler, AZ; Stennis, MS; Idaho Falls; Arlington, VA; Pensacola, FL; or Washington, D.C.

Qualifications

This position is in the Technical Track across a range of career levels. Employees in this career track generally:

• Have between 5-15 years of cybersecurity work experience.
• Range from experienced cybersecurity professionals who apply technical expertise and independent judgement to perform cybersecurity work - to - recognized Federal cybersecurity technical authorities with uncommon technical expertise who advise on cybersecurity challenges impacting DHS and the Nation.

DHS Cybersecurity Service employees with a technical capability in Mitigation and Response will generally:

• Track and respond to prioritized urgent IT and cyber events and indicators of compromise (IOCs) to mitigate threats to networks, systems, and applications.
• Investigate and analyze response activities and employs various advanced response and recovery approaches as appropriate.
• Apply understanding of tactics, techniques, and procedures for investigative processes, including identifying adversaries' TTPs and applying corresponding defense or security controls.
• Conduct root cause analysis and response coordination, providing recommendations for mitigation.
• Execute recovery action plans and adapts plans to handle new developments.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

All DHS Cybersecurity Service applicants participate in a multi-phase assessment process, which varies by career track. For the Technical Career Track, applicants participate in a two-phase assessment process:

• You must successfully complete each phase to advance to the next phase.
• The total time commitment for the two phases is approximately 3 hours (many applicants require less time!).
• Before each phase, DHS will e-mail you instructions and information to help you prepare.
• Assessments are time sensitive, so monitor your e-mail to ensure you have plenty of time to complete them prior to any deadlines.

• Unproctored - you choose the time and location.
• Includes two assessments: (1) a work styles inventory that will take about 30 minutes to complete; (2) a work simulation that you will have up to 2 hours to complete.
• The two assessments take about 90 minutes (on average) to complete.
• Requires a computer with audio (speakers or headphones) and a reliable internet connection.
• No knowledge of DHS or cybersecurity is required for these assessments, which measure non-technical capabilities that are important for professional success in the DHS Cybersecurity Service. This includes how you communicate, analyze information, and collaborate with others:
  • The work styles inventory presents you with questions about your work-related interests and preferences.
  • The work simulation presents you with realistic, work-related scenarios and asks you to respond to them.

PHASE II: TECHNICAL CAPABILITY ASSESSMENT

• Proctored - must be scheduled in advance and completed at a designated assessment center.
• There is a different assessment for each DHS Cybersecurity Service technical capability (visit Jobs to learn more about the technical capabilities).
• Most individuals only have a primary technical capability and complete only one Technical Capability Assessment, but in limited circumstances, you may complete a second Technical Capability Assessment.
• You will have up to 2.5 hours to complete each Technical Capability Assessment; each takes about 90 minutes (on average) to complete
• Assessments present realistic, work-related cybersecurity scenarios and questions to assess technical skills.
• Cybersecurity knowledge is assessed, but no knowledge of DHS is required.