SOC Analyst, Level 3 (Senior)

Location: Irving, TX (Onsite) | Contract

Hands-on Splunk coding experience (SPL detection rules, correlation searches, and alert scripting) is required for this role.

Overview

Our client's Cyber Defense Operations team is seeking a senior Level 3 SOC Analyst to lead complex investigations and build detections in Splunk. What sets this role apart from Level 2 is required coding experience in Splunk, including detection rules, alert scripting, and detection engineering. You'll work a regular US daytime shift alongside the US SOC team, including Level 2 analysts, and an offshore global support team.

Responsibilities

• Design, write, and maintain Splunk detection rules and correlation searches (SPL) based on threat intelligence and attack techniques.
• Script, configure, and tune Splunk alerts to raise detection fidelity and reduce false positives.
• Lead investigation and response for complex and high-severity incidents escalated from Level 2 analysts.
• Perform threat hunting across Splunk data to find activity that existing alerts miss.
• Integrate new log sources and security tools into Splunk, and validate data quality for detection use.
• Mentor Level 2 analysts and review their incident handling, and own runbooks and detection documentation.
• Coordinate with the offshore global support team on handoffs, escalations, and detection changes.

Required Qualifications

• 5-8 years of experience in SOC, incident response, or detection engineering roles, including senior-level incident handling
• Coding experience in Splunk: writing detection rules and correlation searches in SPL, and Splunk alert scripting
• Hands-on detection engineering: building, testing, and tuning alerts end to end
• Deep knowledge of attack techniques (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK), networking, and Windows and Linux internals
• Proven ability to lead incidents and explain findings to technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to work onsite in Irving, TX on a regular US daytime schedule

Preferred Qualifications

• Splunk Enterprise Security experience; Splunk Core Certified Power User or Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Analyst
• General scripting (Python, PowerShell) for automation and enrichment
• Advanced certifications such as GCIH, GCIA, or GCDA
• Experience with SOAR, EDR, and cloud security tooling integrated into Splunk
• Retail or large multi-site enterprise experience

Pay rate: $60-65/hr (W2). This is a 6-month contract position, onsite in Irving, TX. Candidates must be US Citizens, Green Card holders, or authorized to work on H4 EAD, L2 EAD, OPT, or TN visa.

About Us

Peterson Technology Partners (PTP) is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating a transparent, inclusive, and human-centered hiring experience.

For more than 28 years, PTP has operated as one of the top IT staffing and recruiting firms in the USA—built on trust, long-term partnerships, and technical excellence.

Based in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, IL, our team of more than 500 employees and consultants is dedicated to:

• Helping every client make the best hiring decisions possible
• Matching professionals with the right IT jobs and career opportunities

As part of that commitment, we believe in providing clear information about how our hiring technologies work and how your data is used. The following section outlines our AI-assisted interview process and your rights as a candidate.

AI-Assisted Interview Experience (Pete & Gabi – Rebecca):

To provide a consistent, fair, and flexible experience for all candidates, we use AI-assisted tools to support parts of the interview process. This includes our proprietary AI platform Pete & Gabi, which includes AI recruiter Rebecca.

These AI hiring tools help us:

• Conduct recorded video interviews
• Transcribe interviews
• Summarize candidate responses
• Generate job-related insights
• Streamline communication and scheduling

Please note that:

• The AI does NOT make hiring decisions; all decisions are made by our human recruiters, hiring managers, or client partners.
• The AI does not evaluate facial expressions, emotions, or physical traits; it is used only to support fairness, consistency, and efficiency.

If you prefer a non-AI interview format, we will gladly provide an alternative.