Senior Digital Forensic Analyst

Peraton is currently seeking to hire an experienced Senior Digital Forensic Analyst to support our marquee Federal Strategic Cyber program.

Location: Arlington, VA - full-time, on-site role. 

The Computer Investigations and Forensics Division (CIF) recovers and analyzes digital evidence in support of criminal, cyber, and administrative investigations. CIF’s digital forensics laboratory processes and examines a wide range of digital media using advanced technologies, decryption methods, and forensic tools to support the DSS mission.

Role & Responsibilities:

The Senior Digital Forensic Analyst supports our program. You will use your advanced digital forensics skills to solve complex investigative challenges and ensure digital evidence meets Department of Justice court-admissibility standards.

In this role, you will:

• Conduct forensic examinations of digital data from cellphones, tablets, computers, removable media, cloud sources, and other platforms.
• Apply recognized scientific practices to identify, analyze, interpret, and present digital evidence for criminal, civil, and administrative matters.
• Perform detailed, targeted examinations in line with investigative objectives, legal process, and search warrant limitations.
• Use industry-standard forensic tools—such as Cellebrite (including Inseyets), Oxygen Forensic Detective, Magnet Forensics GrayKey and Axiom, Nuix, X-Ways, and similar for extraction and examination.
• Analyze data from various operating systems and applications, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, cloud services, and common backup formats.
• Produce clear, comprehensive reports that explain findings for investigators, prosecutors, and other stakeholders.
• Provide expert witness testimony, explaining examination procedures and technical findings to non-technical audiences in federal, state, and local proceedings.
• Provide on-site support during search warrant executions by identifying, collecting, packaging, documenting, and preserving digital evidence while maintaining strict chain of custody.
• Work closely with program leadership and peers to maintain forensically sound procedures and best practices for acquisition, analysis, and presentation of digital evidence.
• Conduct peer reviews and quality checks of reports and artifacts to ensure accuracy, completeness, and clarity before customer delivery.
• Mentor new hires on CIF workflows, tools, and best practices to support effective onboarding and team performance.
• Share lessons learned and emerging techniques with colleagues to enhance collective expertise.
• Stay current on developments in digital forensics, cybersecurity, forensic law, mobile devices and applications, social media platforms, and encryption/decryption methods.

#DSCM

Minimum: 

• Bachelor’s degree and 9 years of relevant experience, or 13+ years of relevant experience without a degree.
• At least one of the following certifications (additional certifications from this list preferred), with continued certification required as a condition of employment:
  • GIAC (GCFE or GASF)
  • IACIS (CFCE or ICMDE)
  • NCFI (BCERT or MDE)
  • DC3 (CDFE or CDMC)
  • OpenText (EnCE)
  • Cellebrite (CCO+CCPA or CCME)
  • Oxygen Forensics (OFC)
  • Magnet Forensics (MCFE)
  • X-Ways (X-PERT)
• Demonstrated expertise with mobile and non-mobile forensic software tools such as Magnet Axiom, Cellebrite, and Oxygen, as well as advanced mobile extraction hardware and software.
• Strong knowledge of Windows and MacOS, Apple iOS, Android, and their associated backup technologies.
• Experience writing detailed, technically accurate reports that clearly communicate complex digital forensic findings to non-technical audiences.
• Strong critical thinking, creativity, sound judgment, and awareness to recognize when to seek leadership guidance.
• Ability to collaborate effectively and professionally with leadership, forensic analysts, law enforcement, prosecutors, CIF customers, and other stakeholders at all levels to deliver high‑quality forensic products.
• Willingness and ability to travel for on-scene evidence seizures, training, and/or testimony.
• Experience conducting digital forensic examinations of mobile devices, computer systems, storage media, and cloud data across a broad range of case types.
• Proficiency with industry-standard forensic examination tools—such as Cellebrite, Oxygen, Nuix, Axiom, X-Ways, and similar—to perform in-depth analysis of mobile and computer operating systems, file systems, iOS, and third-party application data.
• Ability to prepare evidentiary exhibits for judicial proceedings, in addition to expert testimony on forensic methods and findings.
• Commitment to staying current on advancements in digital forensics, cybersecurity, forensic law, mobile technologies, social media, applications, and encryption.
• U.S. citizenship required.
• The ability to obtain an interim Secret clearance before starting.
  • The ability to obtain and maintain a final Top Secret clearance.