Digital Forensics
US$155,000 – US$175,000 / yr base salary
Posted 19 Aug 2026
Advertised as “Digital Forensics Lead (CBP)”
BranchFactor Summary
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
- Expected experience
- 7+ yrs
- Management level
- People management
- Employment
- Hybrid
- Contract
- Full-time
| Base salary | US$155,000 – US$175,000 / yr |
|---|---|
| Cash bonus | US$10,000 |
| Total comp | US$165,000 – US$185,000 |
Field of studyComputer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Information Technology, STEM
Study levelBachelor's
CertificationsGCFA, GREM, GFCE, GNFA, GIME, GASF, GX-FA
About Agile Defense At Agile Defense we know that action defines the outcome and new challenges require new solutions. That’s why we always look to the future and embrace change with an unmovable spirit and the courage to build for what comes next. Our vision is to bring adaptive innovation to support our nation's most important missions through the seamless integration of advanced technologies, elite minds, and unparalleled agility—leveraging a foundation of speed, flexibility, and ingenuity to strengthen and protect our nation’s vital interests.
Title: Digital Forensics Lead (CBP) Clearance: Active Top Secret with SCI Eligibility. Ability to obtain and maintain a CBP Background Investigation (CBP BI) and EOD, active BI strongly preferred. We can begin processing for candidates who do not hold one. Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship required Location: Reston, VA - Hybrid 3 to 5 days Salary Range: $155,000-175,000 Signing Bonus: $10,000 for candidates with an active CBP BI. Payable after 90 days; standard terms apply.
The Role
U.S. Customs and Border Protection runs continuous operations across more than 300 land, air, and sea ports of entry, plus Border Patrol stations and the Air and Marine Operations Center. When something happens on a system supporting that mission, whether it is a confirmed intrusion, an insider case, or an incident that is still being scoped, the question everyone eventually asks is the same: what actually happened, and can you prove it. Getting that answer right, in a way that holds up, is what this role exists to do. You lead digital forensics for this program. You will preserve and analyze evidence from compromised or suspect systems, reconstruct what happened, and produce findings the incident response, threat hunt, and insider threat monitoring leads can act on and that can support disciplinary, legal, or law enforcement action when it comes to that. One thing is worth knowing before you apply. A forensic finding that cannot survive scrutiny is worse than no finding at all, because someone will have already acted on it. Chain of custody and defensible process are not paperwork here. They are the difference between a finding that holds and one that does not.
What Success Looks Like
Objective 1: Preserve evidence well enough that findings hold up under scrutiny
- Evidence handling follows chain of custody every time, not only when a case looks like it will matter.
- Your process would survive being challenged by someone whose job is to find the flaw in it.
- Nothing you needed for an analysis is missing because it was not preserved in time.