Incident Response Engagement-Lead

Cowbell is seeking an experienced Incident Response Case-Lead to join our growing Resiliency Services. In this role, you will serve as a critical liaison among Cowbell’s Claims Team, breach counsel, Incident Response providers, and affected policyholders — guiding organizations through the full lifecycle of a cyber incident with technical depth, legal awareness, and clear communication. You will bring a specialized blend of hands-on forensic expertise, project management discipline, and the consulting acumen required to translate complex findings for diverse stakeholders under high-pressure conditions.

• Lead and manage all phases of the incident response lifecycle — including scoping, containment, eradication, and recovery — across moderately complex, multi-system environments.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for Cowbell Claims Team, breach counsel, Incident Response providers, and policyholders throughout active engagements.
• Oversee the work of digital forensics and incident response providers, ensuring timely and accurate analysis of affected systems and environments.
• Identify and actively manage scope creep across concurrent engagements, maintaining project timelines and stakeholder alignment.
• Schedule, organize, and moderate the briefing of complex forensic findings into clear, actionable reporting tailored to technical, legal, and executive audiences.
• Operate with an understanding of Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product Doctrine, ensuring appropriate handling of sensitive investigation materials in coordination with legal counsel.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with claims adjusters, underwriters, and external partners to support accurate incident documentation and coverage determinations.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of Cowbell Resiliency Service’s incident response methodologies, playbooks, and tooling.

Experience

• 4–6 years of hands-on DFIR experience, with meaningful exposure to the cyber insurance ecosystem — including work with or on behalf of insurance carriers, breach counsel, and/or policyholders.
• Demonstrated experience managing the scoping, containment, eradication, and recovery phases of cyber incidents.
• Proven track record leading moderately complex, multi-system incident investigations, with strong project management skills and an ability to identify and control scope creep.
• Ability to operate effectively within legally sensitive environments, including an understanding of Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine.
• Strong consulting and communication skills, with experience presenting forensic findings to mixed audiences including legal, technical, and executive stakeholders.

Education & Certifications

A bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Security Management, Digital Forensics, Computer Science, or a related field is preferred. In lieu of a degree, equivalent professional experience combined with one or more of the following industry certifications will be considered:

• GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)
• GIAC Network Forensic Analyst (GNFA)
• CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)
• Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

This position requires candidates to be located within the United States. This requirement reflects several important operational and client-facing considerations:

• The majority of Cowbell’s current policyholder base consists of U.S.-domiciled organizations, and incident response engagements are governed primarily by U.S. federal and state law.
• Effective incident response in the U.S. market requires a working knowledge of domestic legal frameworks, privacy regulations, and breach notification requirements across jurisdictions.
• Policyholder organizations frequently express significant concerns regarding non-U.S. personnel accessing sensitive IT infrastructure, proprietary intellectual property, trade secrets, and personally identifiable information (PII). Maintaining a domestic workforce is essential to Cowbell’s ability to deliver trusted, client-ready services.
• Collaboration with U.S.-based breach counsel, regulators, and law enforcement agencies is a routine component of this role.