Watch Officer (Shift Lead)

Watch Officer (Shift Lead)
Position Summary
The Watch Officer serves as the senior authority on the watch floor for an assigned shift in a 24x7x365 cyber command center supporting national cyber defense across Critical Infrastructure, SLTT, and Federal Civilian partners. This role directs monitoring, triage, escalation, and coordination activities throughout the shift and is accountable for maintaining an accurate operational picture for turnover. The Watch Officer determines escalation thresholds, approves actions within established authorities, guides analysts, and acts as the first response when operational tempo increases.

Key Responsibilities

Shift Command & Floor Authority

• Lead watch-floor operations and direct analyst activity.
• Maintain the operational picture of active watch items, incidents, and escalations.
• Exercise approval authority within defined thresholds and identify when higher-level approval is required.
• Make timely escalation decisions based on established criteria.
• Ensure tools, systems, and displays support real‑time decision making.

Review of Analytic Output

• Review assessments and recommended actions before presentation to leadership.
• Hold or return products that do not meet standards.
• Distinguish between immediate operational needs and items requiring longer-term analysis.

Incident Triage, Escalation & Coordination

• Direct initial triage and ensure response actions begin within required timelines.
• Determine escalation pathways for incidents involving Critical Infrastructure, SLTT, and Federal partners.
• Identify appropriate authorities for recommended actions and distinguish those executable on shift from those requiring external approval.
• Coordinate with federal law enforcement, National Guard, state response teams, and reachback support.
• Ensure incident records are complete, accurate, and properly scored using NCISS.

Situational Awareness & Reporting

• Maintain shared situational awareness across the floor and with mission partners.
• Oversee shift contributions to daily, weekly, and monthly reporting.
• Ensure decisions are documented with rationale and aligned to required formats and timelines.

Shift Turnover & Battle Rhythm

• Execute structured shift turnover with a complete and accurate picture of open incidents and outstanding actions.
• Maintain reporting cycles, required checks, and coordination points.
• Document shift activity for continuity, review, and compliance.
• Apply classification requirements and identify content requiring downgrade requests.

Team Direction, Training & Readiness

• Guide analysts through tasking, feedback, and on‑the‑job development.
• Ensure personnel maintain required certifications and training.
• Support onboarding and qualification of new analysts.

Surge & Crisis Response

• Coordinate expanded coverage during elevated operational tempo.
• Support crisis action teams and ensure sustained response capability.
• Maintain readiness to extend or backfill coverage during surge periods.

Required Qualifications

• Experience as a watch officer or shift lead in a 24x7 SOC, fusion center, or incident command environment.
• Strong knowledge of incident triage, escalation, and lifecycle management.
• Proven ability to make time‑sensitive operational decisions under pressure.
• Experience exercising operational approval authority.
• Experience with shift turnover and operational reporting.
• Familiarity with NCISS or similar incident scoring frameworks.
• Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of cybersecurity experience, including team leadership.
• Active Top Secret clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting national‑level cyber operations centers.
• Experience establishing or maturing watch‑floor processes.
• Experience reviewing analytic or tooling output prior to leadership consumption.
• Experience coordinating with federal, SLTT, and private‑sector partners during incidents.
• Awareness of ICS/OT environments.
• Certifications such as CISSP, GCIH, GCIA, GCTI, or similar.