Contract Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Cyber Defense Forensics Analyst

Description: This role is designed for experienced cybersecurity practitioners to participate in a skills assessment pilot aligned to the Cyber Defense Forensics Analyst (Work Role 212 / PD-WRL-002). The purpose of this engagement is assessment validation and standard-setting, not hiring, ranking, or performance evaluation. The Contract SME will complete a structured assessment and a brief survey only. This role does not involve teaching, instructional design, content creation, consulting, facilitation, or advisory responsibilities. Scope of Work • Complete a practitioner-level skills assessment • Complete a short post-assessment survey • No meetings, facilitation, reviews, or follow-up work This is a finite, transactional engagement with clearly defined deliverables. Time Commitment • Estimated assessment length: ~120 items • Estimated completion time: Approximately 1 hour • Assessment window: Must be completed within a defined access period (typically 5 business days once access is granted) • Once started, the assessment must be completed within 24 hours Requirements: Candidates must be current practitioners with applied, real-world experience analyzing digital evidence and supporting cybersecurity investigations. Familiarity should align with one or more of the following areas: • Conducting digital forensic analysis in support of cybersecurity investigations • Collecting, preserving, and analyzing digital evidence from endpoints, servers, or network sources • Applying forensic principles to maintain evidence integrity and chain of custody • Investigating computer security incidents to determine scope, impact, and root cause • Analyzing logs, memory, disk images, and network artifacts • Using forensic and investigative tools to support incident response and vulnerability mitigation • Understanding common attack techniques, malware behaviors, and adversary tradecraft • Supporting incident response teams with forensic findings and technical insights • Documenting investigative processes, findings, and conclusions in clear reports • Understanding legal, policy, and procedural considerations related to forensic investigations Minimum Performance Expectation • Participants must score above 50% on the assessment • This threshold exists only to confirm practitioner-level participation • Results are not used for hiring, ranking, or performance evaluation Ideal Candidate Profile • Active cyber defense, DFIR, or digital forensics practitioner • Hands-on experience performing forensic analysis during real security incidents • Comfortable working with ambiguous or incomplete data • Familiar with forensic tooling, evidence handling, and investigative workflows • Reliable and able to complete work within a short, defined window Deliverables • One completed skills assessment • One completed post-assessment survey Compensation • Flat-fee contract payment • Paid upon successful completion of the assessment and survey Apply tot his job Apply To this Job