Lead Splunk Engineer - Secret Clearance Required

* Description
* This position will lead the Splunk administration team, consisting of you plus two subordinates. Formal leadership titles are not required, but leadership qualities are essential-including independence, strong time management, the ability to seek answers proactively, and the ability to delegate work
effectively. The organization is currently migrating from Splunk to Elastic, with full transition targeted for end of 2026. Elastic experience is not required, but
familiarity is a plus; the team will receive rampup training. There are still active Splunk projects underway, including Splunk onprem to Splunk Cloud migrations, so the role requires someone who is handson technical and able to contribute directly while also leading the team. The role requires the ability to brief government personnel clearly, taking complex projects, narrowing them to key points, and communicating progress, risks, and roadblocks effectively.
*
* Responsibilities:
Work with government counterparts, contractors, and internal team members to deploy and manage policies, rules, and signature sets on cybersecurity capabilities
Manage high-priority tasks and outages
Maintain, develop, and improve Security Infrastructure standard operating procedures and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs)
Maintain complete and current network and elevation diagrams for all managed security equipment
Coordinate and comply with applicable change control boards and corresponding processes
Advise and strategize with government and program leadership on ways to improve the security infrastructure, requiring multi-dimensional problem solving and
ingenuity with impact on multiple aspects of the mission
Provide briefings to program/project leadership, government leadership, and other internal stakeholders on security infrastructure status, updates/patches,
issues, and/or upgrades
Operate and maintain cybersecurity capabilities to include:
IDS/IPS/Netflow/SIEM/Snort/Linux/Virtualization etc.
Ensure Compliance standards
Serve as a people leader for the SIMs team:
Conduct annual performance assessments to include periodic check ins.
Validate/approve time charging for both Leidos and vendor personnel.
Provide coaching/mentoring to personnel.
Develop and Execute Continual Service Improvement technical strategies to modify and enhance operational processes and impact strategic project/program
goals and business results.
Required Clearance and

Certifications:

Active Secret security clearance is required prior to start.
Must have DoD 8570 IAT II or higher certification (Security+ CE or equivalent) prior to start
Must obtain a DOD-8570 CSSP Infrastructure Support certification within 6 months of start

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree and 4+ years of prior relevant experience. Additional experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
Demonstrated experience with configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting cybersecurity infrastructure and capabilities.
Demonstrated knowledge of network traffic and communications, including known ports and services.
Hands-on experience with the Windows and Linux operating system and their respective command line interfaces and scripting shells

* Experience Level
* Intermediate Level

* Job Type & Location
* This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Alexandria, VA.

* Pay and Benefits
* The pay range for this position is $60.00 - $70.00/hr.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job
classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be
subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits
available for this temporary role may include the following:

* Medical, dental & vision

* Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital

* 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available

* Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)

* Short and long-term disability

* Health Spending Account (HSA)

* Transportation benefits

* Employee Assistance Program

* Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

* Workplace Type
* This is a hybrid position in Alexandria,VA.

* Final date to receive applications
* This position is…