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Sr. Detection Engineer | Remote, USA

Optiv
Maryland, United States, United StatesRemotefull_timeVerifiedPosted 13 Aug 2025

About the role

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Sr. Detection Engineer to play a pivotal role in advancing our threat detection capabilities. You will be instrumental in designing, developing, and implementing sophisticated detection logic to identify and respond to evolving cyber threats across our enterprise environment. This role demands a deep understanding of attacker methodologies, a passion for proactive security, and the ability to translate complex security concepts into effective, actionable detections. If you thrive on building robust defenses and hunting down the most elusive threats, this is the opportunity for you.

How you'll make an impact:

  • Develop and Deploy Advanced Detections:

    • Design, implement, and maintain high-fidelity detection rules, analytics, and signatures for our Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform and other security technologies.

    • Leverage threat intelligence, kill chains, and attacker TTPs to craft proactive detection strategies.

    • Develop and implement detections using a "Detection-as-Code" approach, ensuring version control, testing, and automated deployment.

    • Utilize and optimize SIEM query languages (e.g., Splunk SPL, KQL, Elastic DSL) for effective log analysis and threat correlation.

    • Write and refine complex regular expressions for precise data parsing and pattern matching.

  • Proactive Threat Hunting:

    • Conduct hypothesis-driven threat hunts to uncover advanced threats that may evade automated detection.

    • Analyze vast amounts of security telemetry from diverse sources (endpoints, networks, cloud environments, applications) to identify anomalous or malicious activity.

    • Utilize Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and threat intelligence feeds to inform threat hunting hypotheses and develop new detection logic.

  • Security Tooling and Automation:

    • Administer, tune, and optimize SIEM and EDR platforms, ensuring optimal performance and data quality.

    • Automate manual security processes through scripting and integration with various tools and APIs.

    • Evaluate, test, and integrate new security technologies and automation tools to enhance detection and response capabilities.

  • Incident Support and Mentorship:

    • Provide expert-level support during security incidents, assisting with investigation, analysis, and containment.

    • Contribute to the development and refinement of incident response playbooks and workflows.

    • Mentor and guide junior SOC analysts and detection engineers, sharing knowledge and best practices.

  • Collaboration and Communication:

    • Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including SOC analysts, incident responders, threat intelligence analysts, and IT operations.

    • Clearly and concisely communicate technical findings, detection logic, and risk assessments to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

    • Contribute to the continuous improvement of the SOC's detection and response processes.

  • Knowledge Management and Research:

    • Stay abreast of the latest cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, attack vectors, and defensive technologies.

    • Research and implement new detection techniques and methodologies.

    • Document detection logic, processes, and findings for knowledge sharing and operational efficiency.

What we're looking for:

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

  • 5+ years of experience in a dedicated detection engineering, threat hunting, or advanced SOC analysis role.

  • Proven expertise in developing and deploying high-fidelity detections within SIEM environments.

  • Strong proficiency in SIEM query languages (e.g., Splunk SPL, KQL, Elasticsearch DSL) and experience with SIEM administration and tuning.

  • Demonstrated experience with log analysis from a wide range of sources (e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS, network devices, cloud services, applications).

  • Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python, PowerShell, or Bash for automation and data manipulation.

  • Solid understanding of security concepts and frameworks (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK, Cyber Kill Chain, NIST CSF).

  • Experience with cloud security principles and detection strategies within cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP).

  • Hands-on experience with endpoint security solutions (EDR, AV) and their detection capabilities.

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Company

Optiv

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