Digital Forensics Lab Associate Lead

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The Digital Forensics Lab Associate Lead is a hands‑on technical role responsible for maintaining and operating Arete’s digital forensics lab and supporting forensic analysis across active investigations. This role manages lab systems, evidence handling, and data processing workflows while performing forensic collections, imaging, and analysis on digital media.

• Perform forensic imaging, acquisition, and data processing for endpoints, servers, mobile devices, and cloud sources.
• Maintain and operate all lab infrastructure including forensic workstations, storage, and collection platforms.
• Manage intake, tracking, and chain of custody for all evidence (digital and physical).
• Coordinate and execute shipping, receiving, and inventory of data and equipment.
• Develop and document repeatable workflows for evidence handling, imaging, ingestion, and analysis.
• Support active investigations by preparing, decrypting, or converting data sets for analysis.
• Conduct forensic analysis on collected data to identify artifacts, reconstruct timelines, and support investigation findings.
• Prepare concise technical summaries and reports detailing observed activity, indicators, and findings relevant to ransomware, BEC, and other intrusion/investigation types.
• Serve as point of contact for technical troubleshooting related to lab systems and forensic tools.
• Monitor performance and health of lab platforms and work with Operations IT to identify and resolve bottlenecks.
• Build and maintain forensic imaging templates and SOPs.
• Generate technical and summary‑level reports on lab operations, SLA performance, and evidence activity.
• Partner with Operations leadership to identify automation opportunities, improve throughput, and reduce manual effort.
• Maintain compliance with data protection and privacy laws related to evidence and retention.
• Support legal requests by managing and producing data under appropriate authorization.
• Stay current on forensic tools, methodologies, and storage technologies through ongoing training.
• Perform other duties as assigned by management.

• Strong technical foundation in digital forensics and evidence handling.
• Proficiency with tools such as FTK Imager, Cellebrite (Physical Analyzer/Digital Collector), Magnet Axiom, Atola, and related forensic utilities.
• Experience with forensic imaging, data recovery, and analysis of Windows, macOS, and mobile devices.
• Familiarity with cloud acquisition workflows and virtual environments (VMware, Virtual Box).
• Deep understanding of chain of custody, evidence preservation, and documentation standards.
• Competence with encryption, decryption, and data transfer tools (Bitlocker, Vera Crypt, APFS encrypted volumes).
• Strong troubleshooting skills in both hardware and software forensic environments.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills; ability to collaborate cross‑functionally.
• Self‑motivated and comfortable managing technical workloads independently.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, or related field.
• 6–15 years of experience in digital forensics, incident response, or forensic lab operations.
• Relevant certifications preferred (e.g., GCFE, EnCE, CFCE, CHFI, Cellebrite CCME).
• Flexibility to provide occasional weekend and after‑hours support for time‑sensitive evidence handling or analysis.
• Full‑time onsite presence (Monday through Friday) at Arete Headquarters.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.

While performing the responsibilities of this position, the work environment characteristics listed below are representative of the environment the employee will encounter:
Usual office working conditions. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the…