Associate SOC Engineer

Pakistan Digital Authority is seeking a motivated Associate SOC Engineer to join its Security Operations Center (SOC) team in Islamabad. The successful candidate will play a vital role in supporting daily security monitoring, threat detection, and incident response activities. This position involves analyzing security events, triaging alerts, escalating incidents, and assisting in investigations to ensure the protection of PDA’s digital infrastructure. The role also requires maintaining SOC tool health, supporting vulnerability and threat intelligence efforts, and contributing to continuous improvements in SOC operations.

Key Responsibilities
- Monitor security alerts and events using SIEM, EDR/XDR, IDS/IPS, firewalls, FIM, and other security platforms. Conduct initial analysis of malware alerts, failed authentications, suspicious network activity, privilege escalations, unauthorized access, and abnormal user behavior.
- Perform basic incident investigations by analyzing logs from servers, endpoints, firewalls, network devices, applications, and authentication systems. Escalate incidents according to SOC procedures and assist with containment, evidence gathering, and post-incident reviews under supervision.
- Conduct routine checks on SOC dashboards, SIEM correlation rules, monitoring agents, and log sources to ensure comprehensive security monitoring coverage. Identify and report any missing or abnormal log sources, coordinating with IT teams for resolution.
- Support threat intelligence monitoring by identifying indicators of compromise (IOCs) across endpoints, networks, and logs. Assist with vulnerability assessments and other security evaluations as needed.
- Adhere to SOC governance by following approved playbooks, standard operating procedures (SOPs), escalation protocols, and incident response processes. Maintain accurate and auditable records of alerts, incidents, investigations, and case management.
- Prepare regular SOC monitoring reports (daily, weekly, monthly) and engage in continuous learning to stay updated on cybersecurity tools, attack techniques, and emerging threats.

Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Security, Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or a related field from an HEC-recognized institution.
- Minimum of 2 years’ relevant experience in cybersecurity, SOC operations, IT security, network security, or a related discipline. Fresh graduates with strong cybersecurity knowledge, internships, practical labs, projects, or certifications will also be considered.
- Hands-on experience or exposure to SIEM platforms such as FortiSIEM, LogRhythm, Splunk, or Microsoft Sentinel is preferred. Familiarity with FortiGate or enterprise firewalls, EDR/XDR solutions, Nessus, FIM, threat intelligence platforms, Active Directory, and Windows/Linux environments is advantageous.

Preferred Qualifications and Benefits
- Certifications such as Security+, CEH, SC-200, Splunk/SIEM, Fortinet, Microsoft Security, or other SOC/incident response credentials are highly desirable.
- The role offers an opportunity to work in a dynamic SOC environment, with exposure to cutting-edge cybersecurity tools and frameworks including the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
- Candidates should demonstrate strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, effective communication skills, confidentiality, and the ability to follow established procedures. Flexibility to work in shifts or SOC operational hours is required.

Applications will be accepted for 15 days from the date of publication, but submissions may continue until the position is filled. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply promptly through the official Pakistan Digital Authority careers portal by referencing the job code PDA-J163.

Skills

Threat Intelligence & IOC Analysis Ability to Work in a Shift/SOC Environment where Confidentiality & Ability to Follow Procedures Communication Analytical Thinking & Attention to Detail Security Documentation & Ticketing MITRE ATT&CK framework Incident Detection & Response Vulnerability Management SIEM & Security Event Monitoring Malware & Phishing Indicators VPN & Network Security Fundamentals TCP/IP Windows/Linux & Active Directory Log Analysis Firewall & FIM Monitoring IDS/IPS EDR/XDR Alert Triage & Incident Escalation

Job Details

Total Positions:

1 Post

Job Shift:

Full Time

Job Type:

First Shift (Day)

Job Location:

Islamabad, Pakistan

Gender:

No Preference

Age:

18 - 65 Years

Minimum Education:

Bachelors

Degree Title:

Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Security, Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline from an HEC-recognized institution. Certifications such as Security+, CEH, SC-200, Splunk/SIEM, Fortinet

Career Level:

Entry Level

Maximum Experience:

2 Years

Apply Before:

Oct 14, 2026

Posting Date:

Oct 08, 2026