Microsoft

Senior Security Researcher

Microsoft • $119K — $234K *
Redmond, WA 98052In-Person
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Today
Be an Early Applicant
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Doctorate or Master's in relevant field with 3+ years experience or Bachelor's with 4+ years experience in specific technical roles.
  • Experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis, or anomaly detection.
  • Ability to pass extensive security screenings and verify U.S. citizenship.
  • 4+ years of experience in security operations, threat intelligence, cyber incident response, or related fields preferred.
  • Familiarity with operating systems, security mechanisms, and cloud service security.

Responsibilities

  • Analyze large data sets to identify emerging attack techniques and trends.
  • Assist customer support during critical investigations and responses.
  • Collaborate with data science and threat research teams to improve cloud detections.
  • Develop hunting tools and automate adversary discovery processes.

Benefits

  • Health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • 401(k) plan with company match.
  • Paid time off and flexible work schedules.
  • Access to professional development and training.
  • Employee stock purchase plan.
Full Job Description
Responsibilities
• Explore and correlate large data sets to uncover novel and sophisticated attack techniques, monitor and catalog changes in activity group tradecraft, and generate custom alerts for enterprise customers.
• Work with customer support teams to support investigation and response during an enterprise's time of need.
• Collaborate with our data science and threat research teams to develop and maintain accurate and durable cloud-based detections.
• Build hunting tools and automations for use in the discovery of human adversaries.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:
  • Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
    • OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 4+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
    • OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements:

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

Microsoft Cloud Background Check:
  • This position will be required to pass the Microsoft background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
  • This position requires verification of U.S. citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local government agency customers and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate's citizenship will be verified via a valid passport.

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
    • OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 6+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
    • OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 8+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
    • OR equivalent experience.
  • 4+ years of experience in a technical role in the areas of Security Operations, Threat Intelligence, Cyber Incident Response, or Penetration Testing/Red Team.
  • Knowledge of operating system internals and security mechanisms.
  • Experience analyzing attacker techniques that leverage email and cloud-service tactics.
  • Skilled working with extremely large data sets, using tools and scripting languages such as: Excel, SQL, Python, Splunk, and PowerBI.
  • Candidates should have knowledge of operating system internals, security mitigations, and security challenges across Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, and iOS platforms. Familiarity with the kill-chain model, the MITRE ATT&CK framework, and modern penetration testing techniques is expected.
  • Cross-group collaboration and communication skills are required, with the ability to clearly articulate the business need for detection improvements.
  • Knowledge of major cloud and productivity platforms, identity systems, and associated security concerns.
  • Experience curating threat intelligence, engaging directly with customers in service delivery roles, and using data to tell a clear story is important.
  • Backgrounds in reverse engineering, DFIR, incident response, or machine learning models are also valuable.
  • Experience with system administration in large enterprise environments-including Windows and Linux systems, network administration, and cloud administration-is preferred.
  • Offensive security experience, including use of tools such as Metasploit, exploit development, OSINT techniques, and designing approaches to test or breach enterprise networks, is beneficial.
  • Advanced technical degrees or cybersecurity certifications such as CISSP, OSCP, CEH, or GIAC are a plus.


Security Research IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $160,200 - $261,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American multinational corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells a range of software products and services. Microsoft’s devices and consumer (D&C) licensing segment licenses the Windows operating system and related software, Microsoft Office for consumers, and the Windows Phone operating system. The company’s computing and gaming hardware segment provides Xbox gaming and entertainment consoles and accessories, second-party and third-party video games, and Xbox Live subscriptions; surface devices and accessories; and Microsoft PC accessories. Its phone hardware segment offers Lumia smartphones and other non-Lumia phones. Its D&C segment provides Windows Store, Xbox Live transactions, and Windows phone store; search advertising; display advertising; Office 365 Home and Office 365 Personal; first-party video games; and other consumer products and services as well as operating retail stores. Microsoft’s commercial licensing segments license server products, including Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Visual Studio, System Center, and related Client Access Licenses (CALs); Windows Embedded; Windows operating system; Microsoft Office for business, including Office, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, and related CALs; Microsoft Dynamics business solutions; and Skype. Its commercial segment offers enterprise services, including premier support services and Microsoft consulting services; commercial cloud comprising Office 365 Commercial, other Microsoft Office online offerings, Dynamics CRM Online, and Microsoft Azure; and other commercial products and online services. The company markets and distributes its products through original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and resellers, as well as online.

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Learn more about Microsoft
Size
181,000 employees
Market Cap
$1,762.4 billion
Industry
Enterprise Technology
Net Income
$51.3 billion
Founded
1975
5 Year Trend
+15.5%
Revenue
$153.2 billion
NASDAQ
MSFT
* Ladders Estimates

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