Incident Response Lead Specialist

Job Title: Incident Response Lead Specialist
Location: Minot, North Dakota
Experience: 12+ Years
Employment Type: Contract
Interview Type: In-Person or Webcam

We are seeking an experienced Incident Response Lead Specialist to oversee the management, coordination, and execution of cybersecurity incident response activities. This role involves guiding technical teams during security incidents, developing response strategies, improving detection capabilities, and maintaining response readiness across the organization. The ideal candidate has deep experience handling complex cyber incidents, working with security tools, conducting forensic analysis, and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders.

The Incident Response Lead Specialist will work closely with Security Operations, Threat Intelligence, IT Operations, and executive leadership to minimize risk exposure and ensure rapid and effective response to threats. This position requires excellent communication, analytical, and leadership skills, with the ability to guide response actions under pressure.

• Lead end-to-end incident response activities including triage, containment, eradication, and recovery.

• Develop, maintain, and improve incident response plans, runbooks, and procedures.

• Conduct forensic investigations to identify attack vectors, root causes, and potential data exposure.

• Manage communication with internal teams, leadership, and external partners during and after incidents.

• Coordinate threat analysis and collaborate with SOC analysts, security engineers, and IT operations.

• Perform after-action reviews and implement lessons learned to strengthen security posture.

• Build and maintain incident response readiness, including training and tabletop exercises.

• Monitor emerging cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and indicators of compromise.

• Support deployment and tuning of security technologies such as SIEM, EDR, SOAR, and forensics tools.

• Ensure compliance with regulatory, audit, and reporting requirements.

• Provide thought leadership and mentor junior cybersecurity staff.

• 12+ years of experience in cybersecurity, incident response, digital forensics, or security operations.

• Proven leadership experience managing complex cybersecurity incidents.

• Strong knowledge of security frameworks such as NIST, MITRE ATT&CK, ISO 27001, and CIS Controls.

• Hands-on experience with SIEM, EDR, threat intelligence platforms, and forensic tools.

• Strong understanding of network security, operating systems, cloud security, and malware analysis.

• Ability to produce clear and actionable incident documentation and reports.

• Strong problem-solving abilities and capability to act decisively during high-pressure situations.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

• Experience with regulatory environments such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOX, or DoD frameworks.

• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CEH, GCIA, GCFA, GCIH, or CCSP are preferred.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or related field (or equivalent experience).