Principal Cybersecurity Analyst

Job Title: Principal Cybersecurity Analyst
Location: Greensboro, NC
Zip Code: 27409
Start Date: Right Away
Job Type: Contract
Pay Rate: Up to $98/hr. (DoE)
Keywords: #cybersecurityopportunities #ITjobs #NCJobs
Shift: 2nd Shift (2PM - 10:30PM)

As a Principal Cybersecurity Analyst (L4), you will be a senior technical leader within the Global Cybersecurity Operations Center (CSOC). This role combines expert-level hands-on incident response, advanced threat hunting, and digital forensics with strategic cybersecurity leadership. You will play a critical role in shaping CSOC strategy, working alongside the Head of CSOC to refine detection, response, and intelligence capabilities to proactively defend against emerging threats. As a recognized subject matter expert (SME), you are expected to stay ahead of cyber threat trends, attack methodologies, and adversary tactics, ensuring the CSOC is future-ready and resilient against evolving cyber threats.

Responsibilities:
Strategic Threat Defense & Security Roadmap
- Work closely with the Head of CSOC to define and refine CSOC strategy to address emerging cybersecurity threats.
- Continuously evaluate and enhance detection and response frameworks, aligning with business risk and threat landscape evolution.
- Lead SOC maturity initiatives, driving automation, advanced analytics, and intelligence-driven security operations.
- Develop KPIs and CSOC performance metrics to measure effectiveness and resilience against modern cyber threats.
- Act as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, Enterprise IT Security (EITS) teams, and business stakeholders on cyber risk and response strategies.

Advanced Incident Response & Threat Hunting
- Serve as the highest-level escalation point for complex cybersecurity incidents, including nation-state APTs, ransomware, and insider threats.
- Conduct proactive threat hunting using behavioral analytics, anomaly detection, and adversary tracking.
- Perform deep forensic investigations into network intrusions, malware infections, and cloud-based threats.
- Develop custom SIEM detection logic, EDR rules, and network security signatures to enhance threat visibility.
- Correlate threat intelligence (TI), security logs, and endpoint telemetry to identify persistent threats and attack patterns.

Cyber Threat Intelligence & Emerging Threat Research
- Stay up to date with the latest cybersecurity news, APT activities, vulnerabilities, and exploit trends.
- Drive threat modeling exercises to anticipate and counter evolving adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
- Lead adversary tracking initiatives, mapping threats to MITRE ATT&CK, Cyber Kill Chain, and TIBER-EU frameworks.
- Collaborate with global threat intelligence teams to curate and integrate high-value threat intelligence into CSOC operations.
- Evaluate new attack vectors, malware strains, and exploit techniques, ensuring defensive capabilities remain ahead of adversary innovation.

Security Engineering & SOC Enhancement
- Partner with cybersecurity engineers, architects, and IT teams to improve enterprise security posture.
- Lead security automation (SOAR) initiatives, developing playbooks and automated response workflows.
- Recommend and implement advanced detection technologies, including UEBA, deception technologies, and AI-driven threat analytics.
- Assist in red team/blue team exercises, purple teaming engagements, and cyber resilience stress tests.

Leadership, Mentorship & Expert Advisory
- Act as a mentor and technical coach to CSOC analysts (L1-L3), fostering continuous skill development.
- Design and conduct advanced training programs and tabletop exercises to prepare SOC teams for high-impact incidents.
- Represent the CSOC in executive briefings, security conferences, and cybersecurity think tanks.
- Assist in developing and enforcing cybersecurity policies, standards, and compliance frameworks.

Minimum Qualifications:
Education & Experience
- Bachelor"s or Master"s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or a related field.
- 10+ years of hands-on cybersecurity experience, with deep expertise in SOC operations, incident response, and cyber threat intelligence.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex investigations into APTs, cybercrime operations, and enterprise-wide security incidents.

Technical Skills & Expertise
- Advanced Incident Response & Forensics:
- Expert-level proficiency in digital forensics, memory analysis, network forensics, and endpoint telemetry analysis
- Ability to track adversary TTPs across enterprise environments using advanced threat intelligence correlation.

Security Tools & Technologies:
- Hands-on experience with industry-leading SIEM, EDR, IDS/IPS, forensic tools, and threat intelligence platforms.
- Proficiency in YARA rule development, Sigma rules, and custom detection engineering.

Cyber Threat Intelligence & Adversary Tracking:
- Expert understanding of nation-state cyber threats, APT campaigns, and cybercriminal ecosystems.
- Strong working knowledge of MITRE ATT&CK, Diamond Model, Cyber Kill Chain, and TIBER-EU methodologies.
- Ability to reverse engineer malware and extract indicators of compromise (IOCs) and tactics of adversaries.

Scripting & Security Automation:
- Proficiency in Python, PowerShell, or Bash for security automation, log parsing, and threat hunting.
- Experience building custom SOAR playbooks to automate incident response and threat containment.

Cloud & Network Security:
- Strong understanding of cloud security monitoring (AWS, Azure, GCP) and zero-trust architecture principles.
- Deep knowledge of network security protocols, firewall technologies, and modern identity-based threats.

Preferred Qualifications:
- Advanced Certifications: CISSP, GCIH, GCFA, GCFE, GNFA, OSCP, CCTHP, CTIA, or CISM.
- Deep Cybersecurity Expertise in:
- Cyber Threat Hunting & Intelligence-Driven Defense
- Advanced Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
- Security Automation & Orchestration (SOAR)
- Network & Endpoint Forensics
- Cloud Security & Identity Threat Detection
- Leadership & Strategic Impact:
- Experience defining SOC strategy, cyber defense roadmaps, and risk mitigation frameworks.
- Ability to bridge technical findings with executive-level security strategy and risk management

If you are interested in this role, please apply via the apply now link provided. Our overriding goal is to provide quality staffing solutions that help people, organizations, and communities succeed. Belcan is a leading provider of qualified personnel to many of the world's most respected enterprises. We offer excellent opportunities for contract, temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct assignments. We are the employer of choice for thousands worldwide. For more information, please visit our website at Belcan.com. EOE/F/M/Disability/Veterans