Demo

Defensive Cyber Operations Lead

Invictus International Consulting
Chantilly, VA Full Time
POSTED ON 10/24/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 11/23/2026
Title: Defensive Cyber Operations Lead

Location: Chantilly, VA

ship Required: Yes

Clearance: Active TS/SCI with CI polygraph

Status: Full-time; contingent upon contract award

Description:

Invictus, a Red River company, delivers technology and services supporting government and national security missions. We combine cleared mission expertise with enterprise engineering, technology partnerships and large-program execution in support of advanced modernization, cybersecurity, intelligence and systems integration. Our teams support complex operational environments across the U.S. and around the world, helping customers strengthen resilience, accelerate mission outcomes and deploy capabilities that meet demanding mission requirements. Learn more at

Job Details:

Invictus is seeking a Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) Lead to manage daily cyber defense tasking and operational tempo for an enterprise cybersecurity program supporting the NRO. The DCO Lead is the primary liaison between contractor personnel and their military counterparts, keeping coordination seamless and the mission aligned. As a senior technical authority, this role matches personnel skills and certifications to operational requirements and mission priorities, and keeps the team ready for a dynamic threat environment.

Responsibilities:
  • Manage daily cyber defense tasking across cyber operations, integrated mission defense, cyber readiness, cyber data platform and identity and credentialing functions
  • Serve as the primary liaison with military and government counterparts; align contractor work with operational priorities
  • Maintain a skills matrix of cyber tasking staff mapped to DoD 8140 work roles and certifications; assign staff to tasks based on it
  • Oversee 24/7 cyber analysis, incident response and validation, and intelligence-driven threat hunting
  • Guide detection content, SIEM/SOAR use and MITRE ATT&CK technique coverage; identify detection gaps and recommend fixes
  • Keep the team trained and ready through exercises, training plans and cross-training
  • Brief leadership on operational status, significant incidents and emerging protection, detection and response trends

Requirements:
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, IT or a related STEM field and one of the following: CISSP, CISM, CCISO, GCDA, Security CE, CySA or equivalent
  • 5 years of cybersecurity, SOC or cyber incident response experience
  • 5 years of detection engineering and automation experience
  • Qualified for a DoD 8140 Category E role (Cyber Workforce Developer 751, Manager or Executive Cyber Leader 901, or IAM Level III)
  • Active TS/SCI with CI polygraph

Desired Qualifications:
  • Experience within the NRO and its mission partner community
  • Demonstrated leadership, management or training experience
  • Experience leading combined contractor and military cyber defense teams
  • GIAC incident response or hunting certifications (e.g., GCIH, GCFA, GREM)
  • Experience with Splunk, SOAR platforms and MITRE ATT&CK-based threat hunting

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veteran/Disabled

Salary.com Estimation for Defensive Cyber Operations Lead in Chantilly, VA
$171,023 to $208,612
If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Defensive Cyber Operations Lead?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Defensive Cyber Operations Lead career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$186,685 - $265,377
Income Estimation: 
$217,783 - $309,543
Income Estimation: 
$163,631 - $209,073
Income Estimation: 
$192,911 - $256,346
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Invictus International Consulting

  • Invictus International Consulting Alexandria, VA
  • Title: Network Support/Installation Technician IIILocation: Alexandria, VA Clearance: TS/SCI with the ability to obtain and maintain a CI polygraph Job Det... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Invictus International Consulting Reston, VA
  • Title: Data Engineer - Software Prototyping Location: Reston, VA Clearance: TS/SCI with the ability to obtain and maintain a CI polygraph Description: Invi... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Invictus International Consulting Hawaii, HI
  • Title: Network Administrator Location: Pearl Harbor, HI Clearance: TS/SCI with the ability to obtain and maintain a CI polygraph Job Details: Responsible f... more
  • 2 Days Ago

  • Invictus International Consulting Washington, DC
  • Title: Software Programmer - Senior Location: Washington, DC Clearance: TS/SCI with ability to obtain and maintain CI polygraph Responsibilities: Organize ... more
  • 2 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Defensive Cyber Operations Lead jobs in the Chantilly, VA area that may be a better fit.

  • Nightwing Sterling, VA
  • Nightwing provides technically advanced full-spectrum cyber, data operations, systems integration and intelligence mission support services to meet our cus... more
  • 9 Days Ago

  • The MITRE Corporation Mc Lean, VA
  • At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health... more
  • 1 Day Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!