POSITION DESCRIPTION

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Forensics and Malware Analyst to join our elite cybersecurity operations team. This role offers the opportunity to work on the front lines of national cybersecurity defense, performing deep forensic investigations and advanced malware analysis across both cloud and on-premises environments to uncover, understand, and neutralize sophisticated threats. You will operate in a mission-critical setting, supporting high-profile federal systems, and must be prepared to go on-site to client locations during significant security incidents when rapid response and hands-on expertise are essential. In this position, you will apply cutting-edge forensic techniques, reverse engineering skills, and threat intelligence insights to investigate incidents, identify threat actor tactics, and strengthen detection capabilities. Your work will directly support operational security teams, drive faster incident resolution, and contribute to the advancement of threat detection across hybrid infrastructures.
Named one of the Best Places to Work in the Washington DC area for 11 consecutive years, Valiant is proud of our employee-centric culture and commitment to excellence. If you are interested in learning more about Valiant and this opportunity, we invite you to apply now!

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

• Active Secret or Top Secret Clearance.
• 10+ years of IT experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, Digital Forensics, or related field, or four (4) additional years of professional experience.
• Proven experience in digital forensics, including forensic imaging, evidence handling, and chain-of-custody procedures for both cloud and on-premises environments.
• Proficiency with leading forensic tools (e.g., EnCase, FTK, X-Ways, Cellebrite) and malware analysis toolsets (e.g., IDA Pro, Ghidra, OllyDbg, Cuckoo Sandbox).
• Experience conducting both static and dynamic malware analysis, reverse engineering, and identifying obfuscation techniques.
• Familiarity with threat actor tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and applying them to forensic and malware analysis.
• Understanding of secure handling and analysis of dangerous malware in controlled environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience producing detailed forensic and malware analysis reports for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to stay current with emerging malware trends, zero-day threats, and advanced evasion techniques.

• Perform digital forensic analysis of systems, drives, and media across both cloud and on-premises environments, ensuring proper evidence preservation and chain-of-custody.
• Conduct advanced static and dynamic analysis of malicious code and files, documenting findings for inclusion in incident reports and intelligence products.
• Respond to major security incidents, including on-site investigation and evidence collection at client facilities when required.
• Maintain and operate forensic toolkits, ensuring readiness for rapid deployment during incident investigations.
• Correlate forensic and malware findings with known threat intelligence to identify threat actor TTPs and potential attack paths.
• Provide recommendations to enhance detection of zero-day exploits and advanced malware, supporting the mission of the enterprise SOC.
• Collaborate with SOC, incident response, and engineering teams to integrate forensic and malware analysis results into broader threat detection and defense strategies.
• Mentor junior analysts in proper evidence handling, forensic techniques, and malware analysis methods.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of forensic procedures, tools used, findings, and recommendations.
• Recommend additional forensic or malware analysis tools to improve capabilities and efficiency.
• Participate in cross-agency collaboration efforts, sharing findings and insights to strengthen collective cybersecurity defenses.