Digital Forensics Analyst

Guardian Forensics is seeking a detail-oriented and technically proficient Digital Forensics Analyst to join our team at the Junior, Intermediate, or Senior level. This role is a step above the Technician position and is designed for an examiner who can move beyond evidence handling into investigative forensics, defensible analysis, timeline development, investigative reporting, and direct support to attorneys, corporate clients, and internal leadership.

The Analyst will work with computers, mobile devices, cloud data, removable media, and related digital evidence both in the laboratory and, when needed, in the field. Case assignments span criminal, civil, corporate investigation, incident response, eDiscovery, insider threat, intellectual property, and white-collar matters. As the Analyst advances in level, they assume increasing autonomy, report ownership, and responsibility for mentoring junior staff.

Role Emphasis:
Approximately 50% evidence processing " quality documentation | 50% analysis, reporting & case support

• Junior Analyst
• Intermediate Analyst
• Senior Analyst

Compensation ~$22–$28/hr. ~$28–$36/hr. ~$36–$40+/hr.

Experience 0–2 years 2–4 years 6+ years

Case Autonomy Supervised; guided workflow Independent; peer-reviewed reports Leads cases; mentors team

Processing / Analysis 60% Processing / 40% Analysis 50% Processing / 50% Analysis 40% Processing / 60% Analysis

Testimony Observes / assists Supports and provide expert testimony Provides expert testimony

Field Role Assists senior staff Participates independently Leads field deployments and investigations

• Dimension
• Analyst
• Responsibility Split 70% Processing / 30% Analysis 50% Processing / 50% Analysis
• Case Ownership Works under direct supervision Manages own case workflow independently
• Report Authorship Draft reports — senior-reviewed Primary author — peer-reviewed
• Tool Proficiency Training phase / working knowledge Advanced; trains and guides Technicians
• Expert Testimony Observes / assists Supports or provides testimony (by level)
• Field Deployments Assists senior staff Participates or leads (by level)
• eDiscovery Learns fundamentals Executes full eDiscovery workflows
• Research & Writing Independent study projects Authors white papers, How-To’s, SOPs
• Incident Response Intro-level support Active IR team participant

Collect, preserve, image, process, and document digital evidence from computers, mobile devices, removable media, cloud platforms, and related sources using legally defensible methods.

Maintain accurate chain-of-custody records, evidence logs, intake documentation, processing notes, and case activity records throughout the evidence lifecycle.

Ensure forensic integrity through verified acquisition using hardware write-blockers (Tableau TX1 and equivalent) and validated imaging workflows.

Oversee evidence storage, lab organization, and deployment kit readiness; assist in maintaining forensic workstation and hardware currency.

Conduct forensic examinations to identify user activity, file access, timeline events, communications, application usage, external device activity, cloud synchronization, and other artifacts relevant to the scope of work.

Use forensic tools including Cellebrite, Magnet AXIOM, FTK, EnCase, Tableau hardware, Meta Spike, and Intella to acquire, parse, validate, and review data across computer, mobile, and cloud environments.

Perform advanced analysis including timeline reconstruction, artifact correlation, deleted/encrypted data recovery, and mobile application artifact interpretation.

Support incident response engagements including endpoint triage, log analysis, and breach scoping.

Execute eDiscovery workflows including data processing, culling, tagging, and production in coordination with legal teams.

Assist with trade secret and intellectual property matters, insider threat investigations, business email compromise, and white-collar engagements.

Prepare clear, written reports, examiner notes, case summaries, and supporting exhibits suitable for attorney review, corporate stakeholders, and potential court…