Get to know Okta

Okta is The World’s Identity Company. We free everyone to safely use any technology—anywhere, on any device or app. Our Workforce and Customer Identity Clouds enable secure yet flexible access, authentication, and automation that transforms how people move through the digital world, putting Identity at the heart of business security and growth. 

At Okta, we celebrate a variety of perspectives and experiences. We are not looking for someone who checks every single box - we’re looking for lifelong learners and people who can make us better with their unique experiences. 

Join our team! We’re building a world where Identity belongs to you.

 

Senior Manager, Defensive Cyber Operations

 

We safeguard Okta from threats and vulnerabilities that have the potential to disrupt our business or degrade our customers’ trust in us.

In addition to driving security in our enterprise environment and Okta service, the Security team is deeply entrenched in the Okta business. The team contributes to product roadmaps, promoting trust, research and other strategic aspects of Okta’s operations. We work across multiple functions, business partners and the research community. We are an engineering-focused team that seeks to stay on the cutting edge of security technology and the threat landscape.

The Role

Okta is seeking an experienced Senior Manager of Defensive Cyber Operations (Americas) to play a key role in Okta’s global cyber defense strategy, reporting to the Senior Director, Defensive Cyber Operations. You will lead the regional Americas team responsible for detecting, investigating, and responding to security threats and incidents. Your leadership will help shape Okta’s security posture, ensuring swift and effective responses to emerging cyber threats.

Core Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of detection engineers, and incident responders.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and operational excellence.
• Ensure team members have clear goals, growth opportunities, and the tools they need to succeed.

Threat Detection & Incident Response

• Oversee the identification, investigation, and response to security threats across Okta’s global operations during the Americas shift.
• Ensure rapid response and containment of cyber incidents, coordinating cross-functional efforts when needed.
• Lead post-incident reviews and drive improvements to detection and response capabilities.

Threat Hunting

• Develop and oversee the execution of proactive threat hunting programs to identify and mitigate advanced persistent threats (APTs) and sophisticated adversaries targeting Okta’s infrastructure.
• Collaborate with the Threat Analysis & Research team to integrate threat intelligence and adversarial engineering into detection and response efforts, staying ahead of new and emerging cyber threats.

Process & Technology Enhancement

• Continuously improve detection and response processes, integrating automation and ensuring quality in all aspects of the team's work.
• Optimize the use of security tools, such as SIEM, EDR, and case management platforms.
• Partner with engineering and IT teams to enhance security visibility and response capabilities.

Collaboration & Communication

• Work closely with security leadership, IT, and engineering teams to strengthen Okta’s security posture.
• Communicate key security risks, incidents, and trends to senior leadership.
• Contribute to Okta’s broader security strategy and advocate for cyber resilience across the company.

What does it take?

 

You’re a team player. You have great communications skills and a thirst for knowledge. You’re curious about systems and how they interact, knowing that to properly defend a system you must first understand how it works. You enjoy automating tasks and if you can’t find a tool for the job you create one. You’re calm under pressure and have a good internal compass for taking calculated risks.

 

If you don’t have a degree, you have equivalent experience that’s given you the foundational knowledge to understand complex computing environments.

 

You’re a leader. People want to work with you. You know what it takes to build a world-class defensive cyber capability and you’re passionate about helping make ours stronger. Your experience probably includes:

• Leading, or contributing to, technology focused teams large or small.
• Mentoring staff and providing development opportunities t