Title: Senior SOC Engineer (Detection Engineering & Automation)
Location : Rockville, Maryland or McLean, VA
Target Start Date : ASAP
Type: contract
Pay Rate: DOE
We are building a mature, scalable Security Operations Center and are seeking a senior SOC engineer with deep experience in detection engineering and security automation. This role is ideal for someone who has worked in a high-performing SOC and can help define what "good" looks like-technically and operationally.
You will lead efforts to design effective detections, reduce alert fatigue through risk-based approaches, and automate response workflows that enable analysts to work efficiently and at scale. The role is highly hands-on and collaborates closely with threat intelligence, threat hunting, and platform engineering teams.
Key Responsibilities Detection Engineering - Design and implement detection use cases aligned to the MITRE ATT&CK framework
- Assess detection coverage, identify gaps, and drive remediation roadmaps
- Build, tune, and maintain correlation searches and alerts within enterprise SIEM platforms
- Implement risk-based alerting methodologies to improve signal quality
- Develop and maintain detections across on-prem and multi-cloud environments
- Continuously refine detections based on SOC feedback and incident outcomes
Security Automation & Orchestration - Design and implement automated response playbooks using SOAR platforms
- Integrate security tools to support automated investigation and response workflows
- Develop scripts and automations (Python, PowerShell, Bash) to streamline SOC operations
- Create reusable automation frameworks that scale across multiple use cases
- Partner with engineering teams to ensure automation reliability and performance
SOC Architecture & Strategy - Define and contribute to a mature SOC operating model and technical architecture
- Identify shortcomings in existing SOC capabilities and recommend improvements
- Establish standards and best practices for detection engineering and response
- Provide technical mentorship and guidance to SOC and platform engineers
- Contribute to long-term SOC strategy and capability growth
Collaboration & Operations - Partner with threat intelligence and threat hunting teams to operationalize research
- Work closely with SOC analysts to improve detection quality and workflows
- Participate in incident response to validate and enhance detections and automation
- Document detection logic, playbooks, and technical designs
Required Qualifications - 5+ years of experience in a Security Operations Center environment
- Strong hands-on experience with enterprise SIEM platforms (e.g., building detections, alerts, dashboards)
- Proven detection engineering experience, including alert tuning and coverage analysis
- Practical application of the MITRE ATT&CK framework
- Experience building automated response workflows using SOAR platforms
- Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python, PowerShell, or Bash
- Experience monitoring and detecting threats in cloud environments
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to define vision and drive SOC maturity
Preferred Qualifications - Hands-on experience with Splunk SOAR and/or behavioral analytics platforms
- Risk-Based Alerting (RBA) implementation experience
- Threat hunting background with applied detection engineering
- CI/CD or infrastructure automation experience
- Experience mentoring or leading detection engineering efforts
- Relevant security certifications (GIAC, CISSP, or similar)
Role Scope & Growth This is a senior individual contributor role with significant influence over detection strategy, automation, and SOC maturity. The position offers the opportunity to shape security operations, establish engineering standards, and grow into a technical leadership role as the SOC continues to expand.
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