Security Operations Center (SOC) Junior QA (100% Remote)

Our customer is a large United States insurance company that is backed by more than 100 years of experience and provides insurance products and services for businesses and professionals in the United States., Canada and Europe. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, they have more than 20 US locations.

We are seeking a contract SOC Junior QA to support our Customer's business needs. This role is 100% remote.

The SOC Junior QA Analyst (L2) will focus primarily on quality assurance (QA) within Security Operations, emphasizing KPIs, metrics, and reporting rather than active incident response. This role supports consistent evaluation and reporting of SOC activities across shifts to strengthen visibility, coaching, and process improvements.

As part of the global IT security team, the analyst will collaborate closely with U.S. SOC teams, incident response, intelligence, and enterprise security groups.

Shift: 1st Shift – Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:45 PM CT

Responsibilities:

• Provide QA support across all SOC shifts to ensure timely reporting and issue tracking for management review
• Administer SOC queues, including execution, oversight, and delegation of case work
• Conduct case reviews and quality assurance for SOC incidents and investigations
• Review SOC metrics, SLA adherence, and KPI tracking; produce detailed reports for leadership
• Maintain scheduled QA meetings (weekly/bi-monthly/monthly) with L2 and L3 analysts
• Coordinate and support training efforts, including roundtable topics and lunch-and-learn sessions
• Mentor junior SOC staff, conduct quality control reviews, and provide coaching for skill development
• Collaborate with SOC, intelligence, incident response, and enterprise security teams on investigations and hunts when applicable
• Identify visibility gaps in security monitoring and recommend remediation solutions
• Develop, maintain, and update SOC playbooks, processes, and detection capabilities based on investigation feedback
• Prepare a clear and concise incident analysis and communicate findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Assist in case work as needed and support management with daily updates and reporting

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Minimum of 3 years of technical experience in IT security across multiple platforms, operating systems, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Industry certifications preferred: CISSP, GCFA, GCIH, GCFE, or similar
• Familiarity with SOC operations, scheduling, and tools such as SIEM, SOAR, and DFIR products
• Strong understanding of the incident response lifecycle and cybersecurity best practices
• Hands-on experience with SLA calculations and KPI tracking
• Solid knowledge of security policy construction and publication
• Strong grasp of IT regulations and controls (e.g., SOX, privacy regulations)
• Proven experience in technical writing, documentation, and knowledge base management
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills; ability to influence change and explain complex issues to stakeholders
• Experience mentoring or coaching team members and presenting QA findings
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel expertise required) and other business-related systems
• Ability to manage technical projects independently to completion

Preferred:

• Insurance industry knowledge
• Experience with process improvement in SOC operations
• ITIL certification (a plus)

We offer a competitive salary range for this position. Most candidates who join our team are hired at the median of this range, ensuring fair and equitable compensation based on experience and qualifications.

Contractor benefits are available through our 3rd Party Employer of Record (Available upon completion of waiting period for eligible engagements)

Benefits include: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k.

An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.