About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, IT.

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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Responsibilities

Confidential Client is hiring a Tier 1 SOC / Info Security Analyst to monitor, investigate, and respond to security events in a 24/7 Security Operations Center environment. This is a contract-to-hire, full-time role based onsite in Santa Ana, CA.

• Proactively monitor security events for networks and systems using SIEM tools (MS Sentinel preferred).
• Identify, investigate, and report potential security incidents.
• Triage alerts from email security (O365, Proofpoint) and EDR (CrowdStrike).
• Support vulnerability assessments and remediation tracking across network, system, and application layers.
• Contribute to cyber metrics, threat intelligence reporting, and security automation tasks.
• Assist in implementing security controls, NIST-aligned processes, and operational risk mitigations.
• Use COTS/GOTS and custom tools to scan, contain, mitigate, and remediate vulnerabilities and intrusions.
• Participate in periodic audit reviews and monitor corrective actions to closure.
• Provide clear briefings and status updates to SOC leads and senior staff as needed.

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Required Skills & Qualifications

• Active, verifiable experience with SIEM technologies; hands-on experience with Microsoft Sentinel is highly preferred.
• Familiarity with IDS/IPS, firewalls, antivirus/anti-malware tools, and EDR solutions (CrowdStrike experience preferred).
• Practical understanding of the full incident response lifecycle: Identification, Protection, Detection, Response, Recovery.
• Experience with timely handling of O365 and Proofpoint email alerts.
• Basic scripting/programming skills (Python preferred; C++ or JavaScript also acceptable).
• Knowledge of vulnerability management processes and security operations SOPs.
• Certifications required: Security+, GSEC, or equivalent industry certification.
• Education/experience: Bachelor's degree in a related field OR equivalent experience; 2 years related experience preferred but entry-level candidates with strong skills will be considered.
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to multitask, and attention to detail in a fast-paced SOC environment.

Clearances / Background checks: Candidates must be able to complete required background checks, including Live Scan, Child Support Services (CSS) background clearance, and Probation (PROB) background checks where applicable. Candidates will be informed of the specific requirements prior to submittal.

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Work Schedule, Location & Compensation

• Workplace type: 100% onsite at the client data center in Santa Ana, CA.
• Shifts: Initial training/boot camp — day shift (approx. 8 AM–5 PM). After training, typical assignment is swing shift (4 PM–1 AM). Weekend work and holiday coverage required per SOC schedule; shift rotations may occur with reasonable notice.
• Employment type: Contract (contract-to-hire); full-time hours. This is a straight-time contract role (no overtime).
• Pay range: $24.00 – $30.00 per hour. Targeted conversion salary (if converted to FTE) is approximately $65,000 – $75,000 annually.
  • Individual compensation will depend on qualifications, skills, relevant experience, geographic location, and other job-related factors.

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Interview & Hiring Process

• Initial interview: Remote via Microsoft Teams with hiring manager and SOC team leads.
• Final interview: Onsite at the client's data center.
• Period of performance: Initial contract end date approx. 6 months from start; contract-to-hire conversion may be possible but is not guaranteed.
• Note: Careertakes may use AI tools to assist with resume screening; final hiring decisions are made by humans.

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Preferred / Nice-to-have

• Previous experience in a government or county SOC environment.
• Familiarity with NIST security frameworks and government security policy implementations.
• Experience contributing to automation for SOC tasks (playbooks, scripts, SOAR, etc.).

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

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