Information Technology Specialist (Security) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 25-DTS-12643897 Department Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Salary $99,200.00 to $185,930.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/17/2024 Close Date 1/7/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located in the Department of Technology Services (DTS), IT Security Office (ITSO), Security Operations Division (SOD), Cyber Threat Hunt Branch. The incumbent of this position supports Defensive Cyber Operations through deliberate and ad hoc missions to search and detect for malicious intruders and indicators of compromise within the Judiciary's IT environment.

Duties

The incumbent is responsible for identifying previously unknown threats that impact the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of judicial data by conducting proactive and iterative hypothesis-based threat hunts across the Federal Judiciary. The incumbent will provide subject matter expertise and operational support to the Security Operation Center's 24/7 continuous monitoring and incident response operations and facilitate the implementation of Defensive Cyber Operations - Internal Defensive Measures (DCO-IDM) as necessary to contain and remove malicious threats, as well as assist impacted organizations with recovery to full operational status.

Duties of the position include but are not limited to:

  1. Developing, articulating, and planning technical iterative threat hunt hypotheses.
  2. Developing and documenting required application level, operating system level, and network level artifacts for each hunt mission.
  3. Conducting iterative hypothesis based TTP hunts and document hunt output to be shared with other teams with minimal direction using a combination of Splunk, CrowdStrike, Microsoft Threat Explorer, Microsoft Sentinel, and Jupyter/Python Notebooks
  4. Performing technical analysis of ELF/PE binaries through controlled execution and/or static analysis of assembly code, overcoming techniques designed to defeat analysis; to ascertain functionality, capability, call-backs, assist with attribution and identification of indicators of compromise.
  5. Supporting escalations from the Incident Response team and re-prioritize efforts for risk reduction, if necessary
  6. Participating in daily scrum standups and effectively communicating technical findings/highlights to the Cyber Threat Hunt Branch Chief.
  7. Communicating proactively any relevant findings outside of the daily scrum standups.
  8. Recommending development of new Sigma detections for monitoring threat activity once identified.
  9. Developing and modifying python scripts or programs necessary for the collection of hunt artifacts on-premises using CrowdStrike and in the cloud infrastructure using Azure PowerShell.
  10. Developing and modifying CrowdStrike RTR scripts necessary for running YARA rules on disk and in memory.
  11. Developing and modifying Splunk (SPL) and Sentinel (KQL) queries to conduct hunt missions.
  12. Developing technical webinars that advance and share technical knowledge exchange with other teams in the Security Operations Division.
  13. Providing monthly input on threat detection efficacy.
  14. Making recommendations for improving threat detection efficacy.
  15. Operating with exceptional customer focus with attention to detail and bias for action.
  16. Managing competing priorities in dynamic, fast-paced enterprise environment.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

  1. All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
  2. Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO. If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens/. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
  3. All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check.
  4. New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  5. All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.
  6. You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment.
  7. If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.

Qualifications

Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience is demonstrated hands-on technical experience in ALL of the following:
  • Planning, executing, and documenting proactive and iterative hypothesis-based hunts with minimal direction;
  • Conducting hunt operations to detect and remove potentially malicious cyber actors from organizational IT environments; and
  • Reviewing unstructured/structured application logs from custom applications.
Desired, but Not Required: Applicants with one or more of the following information technology certifications are highly desired:
  • Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)
  • GIAC Reverse Engineering Malware (GREM)
  • GIAC Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester (GXPN)

Education

This position does not require education to qualify.

Additional information

The AO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job. If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, we will evaluate your application package, to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education as they relate to the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement.

You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume and/or narrative responses, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Failure to submit the mandatory narrative responses will result in not receiving full consideration and/or rating credit. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you, withdrawing an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.

Required Documents

For this job announcement the following documents and/or information are required:

  • Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications.
  • Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume.
  • Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 to verify current or former Federal employment status.
  • Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 01/07/2025 to receive consideration.
To begin, click

  • Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
  • You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
  • You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
  • To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12643897

Agency contact information

Bassin Njie
Address
Department of Technology Services
One Columbus Circle, NE
Washington, DC 20544
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and referral to the hiring official if determined qualified. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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