What are the responsibilities and job description for the Managing Director - Digital Forensics & Incident Response DFIR position at Lawson Chase?
A leading global risk management and intelligence services firm is looking to appoint a Managing Director to join its Chicago or New York offices.
The firm is seeking a dynamic, experienced new team member to lead and help grow the Digital Forensics & Incident Response (DFIR) services. The firm has built a world class DFIR capability over the past several years, and is looking to hire a Managing Director with extensive experience from the public and / or private sector to build on success and help innovate into the future.
Key Responsibilities
- Managing the firm’s DFIR practice, including overseeing all digital forensics and incident response projects and ensuring projects are completed efficiently, within scope, and to the highest standards of quality.
- Providing technical expertise on complex cases, guiding teams through investigation, collection, analysis, and reporting of digital evidence.
- Innovating and staying at the forefront of industry trends, tools, and methodologies.
- Leading and mentoring the team of skilled DFIR professionals, including oversight of hiring, training, and fostering a collaborative, entrepreneurial culture.
- Developing and executing strategies to expand the DFIR practice, including through business development, client nurturing, conference attendance, speaking engagements, and proposal creation.
- Collaborating with senior leadership to shape the strategic direction of the firm’s DFIR practice.
- Managing response efforts during cybersecurity incidents, working with clients to develop effective strategies for containment, mitigation, and recovery.
- Ensuring the timely and thorough documentation of findings, maintaining chain of custody and delivering comprehensive, actionable reports to clients.
- Working closely with other teams (e.g., legal, compliance, cybersecurity) to provide integrated investigative services.
Skills, Knowledge & Experience
Experience : Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in digital forensics, incident response, or a related field, with at least three (3) years in a leadership or management capacity. Proven track record of leading successful
DFIR engagements from start to finish.
Technical Skills : Strong technical background in digital forensics tools (e.g., EnCase, FTK, Cellebrite, XWays, etc.) and incident response, EDR, cybersecurity platforms, as well as cloud-based environments (M365, G-Suite, AWS, etc.) is required. Proficiency in handling a variety of operating systems (e.g., Linux, Windows, Mac, iOS, virtual machines, etc.) and file systems (e.g., FAT, NTFS, EXT, etc.). Must be familiar with digital evidence collection from a variety of sources. Expert-level proficiency in data and log file analysis and analytics tools such as SQL, Python, Tableau, Splunk, Excel, etc. is necessary.
Leadership Abilities : Exceptional leadership, communication, analytical, and interpersonal skills. Ability to lead teams, build client trust, and provide strategic direction for the practice.
Certifications (preferred) :
Education : Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer
Science, or a related field (Master’s or advanced certifications are a plus).
