Senior Lead Cyber Defense Engineer

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Date: Feb 10, 2026

Location: Remote, US

Company: Lumen Technologies

About Lumen

Lumen connects the world. We are igniting business growth by connecting people, data and applications – quickly, securely, and effortlessly. Together, we are building a culture and company from the people up – committed to teamwork, trust and transparency. People power progress.

 

We’re looking for top-tier talent and offer the flexibility you need to thrive and deliver lasting impact. Join us as we digitally connect the world and shape the future.

The Role

The Senior Lead Cyber Defense Engineer drives rapid tooling and infrastructure development to support Lumen’s incident response mission. You’ll build custom automation, integrate diverse security data sources, and deploy on‑demand environments that accelerate investigations and threat hunting. This role blends engineering and IR expertise — turning urgent investigative needs into practical solutions without waiting for detailed requirements. You’ll work closely with Cyber Defense, Threat Intelligence, and Cloud teams to deliver high‑velocity, high‑impact capabilities that strengthen Lumen’s security posture.

Location

This is a remote position open to candidates based anywhere in the U.S.

The Main Responsibilities

  • Develop custom tooling to support active incident response engagements
  • Build and maintain infrastructure for log analysis, forensics, and threat hunting
  • Create automation for evidence collection, parsing, and correlation
  • Write scripts to process large datasets (logs, network captures, memory dumps)
  • Stand up ad-hoc environments (VMs, containers, cloud resources) as investigations require
  • Integrate with SIEMs, EDR platforms, and threat intelligence feeds
  • Document tools sufficiently for team use while maintaining development velocity

What We Look For in a Candidate

  • 3+ years development experience (Python, Go, Bash, Rust, or similar)
  • 2+ years in incident response, SOC, or security operations
  • Comfortable building solutions without detailed requirements

Experience with: 

  • Log analysis and parsing (ELK, Splunk, or custom)
  • Cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP/Azure) - IaC a plus
  • Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes basics)
  • Forensic artifacts (Windows/Linux/Mac)
  • Network traffic analysis
  • Ability to context-switch rapidly between projects
  • Strong debugging and troubleshooting instincts

Nice to Have

  • DFIR certifications (GCIH, GCFA, GNFA)
  • Experience with memory forensics (Volatility)
  • Malware analysis or reverse engineering exposure
  • Familiarity with MITRE ATT&CK framework
  • Prior MSSP, consulting, or in-house IR team experience

This Role Is For You If...

  • You've built a tool at 2 AM during an active incident because nothing else did what you needed
  • You can pick up a new API or data format in hours, not days
  • You find IR investigations genuinely interesting, not just the coding part

Compensation

This information reflects the anticipated base salary range for this position based on current national data. Minimums and maximums may vary based on location. Individual pay is based on skills, experience and other relevant factors.

 

Location Based Pay Ranges:

$129,639 - $172,852 in these states: AL, AR, AZ, FL, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NM, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, WI, WV, and WY.
$136,121 - $181,494 in these states: CO, HI, MI, MN, NC, NH, NV, OR, and RI.
$142,603 - $190,137 in these states: AK, CA, CT, DC, DE, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, TX, VA, and WA.

 

Lumen offers a comprehensive package featuring a broad range of Health, Life, Voluntary Lifestyle benefits and other perks that enhance your physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing. We're able to answer any additional questions you may have about our bonus structure (short-term incentives, long-term incentives and/or sales compensation) as you move through the selection process.

 

Learn more about Lumen's:

#LI-Remote

Requisition #: 341186

 

Background Screening

If you are selected for a position, there will be a background screen, which may include checks for criminal records and/or motor vehicle reports and/or drug screening, depending on the position requirements. For more information on these checks, please refer to the Post Offer section of our FAQ page. Job-related concerns identified during the background screening may disqualify you from the new position or your current role. Background results will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.


Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

This position is part of a bargaining unit and represented by a union. Depending upon the applicable collective bargaining agreement under which you may be hired, you may be: (a) required to join the union and pay union dues as a condition of employment; or, (b) required to pay union dues, but not join the union as a condition of employment; or (c) free to chose whether or not to join the union, but if you do join the union you would be obligated to pay union dues.

 

Equal Employment Opportunities

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, ancestry, citizenship, national origin, religion, veteran status, disability, genetic characteristic or information, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family status, pregnancy, or other legally protected status (collectively, “protected statuses”). We do not tolerate unlawful discrimination in any employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, benefits, discipline, termination, job assignments or training.

 

Disclaimer

The job responsibilities described above indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not intended to include a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities for this job. Job duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on evolving business needs and conditions.

 

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

 

Please be advised that Lumen does not require any form of payment from job applicants during the recruitment process. All legitimate job openings will be posted on our official website or communicated through official company email addresses. If you encounter any job offers that request payment in exchange for employment at Lumen, they are not for employment with us, but may relate to another company with a similar name.

 

Note: For union-represented postings, wage rates and ranges are governed by applicable collective bargaining agreement provisions.


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