Associate Principal/Digital Forensics (Forensic Services practice)

Charles River Associates

Oakland, CA

Onsite · Lead/Principal · $140,000 - $170,000 a year

The Role

This position leads digital forensic investigations, primarily involving trade secret theft matters. Day-to-day work includes onsite data collection, forensic analysis of macOS and mobile device artifacts, data remediation across multiple file systems, and guiding investigation teams. Expert witness testimony may also be required on a case-by-case basis.

Skills & Experience

Candidates should bring hands-on experience with macOS artifacts such as plists, unified logs, FSEvents, and Spotlight metadata, alongside proficiency in mobile extractions on iOS and Android. Familiarity with file systems including APFS, HFS+, NTFS, and FAT, plus use of open-source and commercial forensic tools, is essential.

Who It Suits

This role suits an experienced forensic professional comfortable leading teams and managing complex, multi-platform investigations in a consulting environment. Someone who thrives working across legal and technical disciplines, communicates clearly with counsel and clients, and can step confidently into an expert-facing capacity will find this a strong fit.

Typical advertised salary for Digital Forensics roles in United States: $90,000–$154,000 (median $120,000 — from 170 recent listings analysed by Forensic Focus).

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