Job Description & Details
This is a hands-on Security Analyst role embedded within the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Office of Cybersecurity. You will be right on the front lines defending state health systems, actively responding to threats, and helping guide junior analysts through complex compliance frameworks. Expect to work fully onsite in Columbia, SC, dedicating your days to bolstering state-level infrastructure against evolving cyber threats.
What You'll Actually Be Doing
Your day-to-day will be a mix of tactical defense and cross-functional collaboration. You'll spend time monitoring security tools, conducting threat hunts for unauthorized compromises, and analyzing network anomalies using packet-level tools like Wireshark and tcpdump. Beyond individual technical execution, you'll also act as a technical advisor for security solutions, helping align agency operations with stringent federal and state compliance mandates like NIST and CMS frameworks without grinding engineering velocity to a halt.
The Core Tech Stack
You need a strong foundation in operating systems like Linux and Windows, alongside core networking principles and TCP/IP telemetry. Hands-on exposure to SIEM systems, firewall technologies, IDS/IPS, and vulnerability scanning tools is non-negotiable since you'll be actively triaging alerts. Knowing your way around compliance controls (such as NIST or CMS ARC-AMPE) and having some background in a SOC environment will make you infinitely more effective here from day one.
Interview Expectations
The interview panel will likely probe your practical troubleshooting mindset by asking how you would investigate an anomalous outbound connection spotted during a routine log review. They want to hear your step-by-step methodology for containment, log extraction, and cross-team communication. Another common angle will be testing your ability to balance rigid security compliance requirements like NIST with the practical, fast-paced delivery needs of public sector business units.
Application Advice
To get past the automated ATS and land an interview for this contract, ensure your resume explicitly highlights your hands-on experience with incident response, vulnerability assessments, and log analysis tools. Don't just list compliance frameworks; mention specific instances where you implemented NIST or CMS controls or participated in a SOC environment. Weave keywords like SIEM, Wireshark, threat hunting, and network security monitoring naturally into your professional experience section.