Cybersecurity Engineer III

New American Funding•Santa Ana, CA

5d•$133,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr. Cybersecurity Engineer leads the design, implementation, continuous management, and optimization of enterprise security platforms to defend against sophisticated threats in cloud-native, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. This senior role drives strategic security initiatives—including innovative product evaluations, PoC testing, and tool enablement—integrates AI/ML for proactive defense, mentors junior engineers, and partners closely with IT, DevOps, development, and procurement teams to embed resilient, scalable security throughout the organization. The position demands deep expertise in platform management, automation, AI security, quantum-readiness, threat mitigation, and emerging technology evaluation to sustain a dynamic, proactive security posture.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent experience.
5–8 years of progressive cybersecurity experience, including at least 2–3 years in a senior security engineering, architecture, or cloud security role with hands-on platform management.
Expert-level knowledge of SIEM (e.g., Splunk, modern SIEM), EDR/XDR (e.g., CrowdStrike, SentinelOne), next-gen firewalls, IAM, multi-cloud security (AWS, Azure, GCP, O365), and platform administration/optimization.
Expert level knowledge of log aggregation and data management pipelines (Tenzir, Cribl, Observo)
Proficiency in scripting/automation (Python, PowerShell, Bash) and IaC tools (Terraform, Ansible).
Deep understanding of secure architecture, network protocols, Windows/Linux systems, container/Kubernetes security, zero-trust principles, and security product evaluation processes.
Demonstrated leadership in incident response, vulnerability management, threat hunting, platform management, or deploying/evaluating security technologies.
Proven experience conducting PoCs, vendor evaluations, or technology enablement initiatives.
Excellent communication, project management, strategic thinking, and stakeholder influence skills.
Deep understanding of attacker tactics, threat intelligence, and the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

Nice To Haves

Advanced certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, CISM, GIAC (GCIA, GCIH), AWS/Azure/GCP Security Specialty, or AI/security-specific credentials.
Hands-on experience with penetration testing tools (Metasploit, Burp Suite, Kali Linux), AI/ML security tools, quantum-safe cryptography concepts, or formal product evaluation frameworks.
Prior experience leading teams, cross-functional projects, AI governance/security initiatives, or security platform procurement/evaluation processes.
Familiarity with supply chain risk management, API security, post-quantum migration planning, and emerging vendor ecosystems.
Strategic and analytical mindset to align security platforms and innovations with business and emerging tech risks.
Advanced problem-solving for enterprise-scale, AI-augmented threats and platform challenges.
Strong leadership, mentorship, evaluation expertise, and ability to thrive in high-pressure environments.
Commitment to continuous learning, including AI, quantum, cloud-native trends, and security product innovation.

Responsibilities

Strategic Security Architecture and Platform Management
Design and implement advanced zero-trust architectures with continuous authentication, verification, micro-segmentation, and identity-centric controls across cloud-native and hybrid environments.
Own the deployment, ongoing management, configuration, optimization, and administration of core security platforms, including next-generation SIEM, EDR/XDR, firewalls, IAM/identity governance, WAF, CSPM, and related tools.
Lead platform lifecycle activities such as performance tuning, policy development, integration enhancements, and capacity planning to ensure reliability, scalability, and alignment with evolving threats.
Develop and maintain multi-year security roadmaps that incorporate emerging threats (e.g., AI-powered attacks, quantum risks, supply chain vulnerabilities) while aligning with business objectives and platform innovation needs.
Advanced Threat Detection and Mitigation
Build and refine AI/ML-enhanced detection rules, automated threat-hunting playbooks, and intelligent response orchestration workflows within managed security platforms.
Lead proactive threat-hunting initiatives to detect and neutralize advanced persistent threats (APTs), AI-generated attacks, insider risks, and supply chain compromises.
Integrate real-time threat intelligence feeds and AI-driven analytics to improve detection accuracy, reduce false positives, and enable predictive risk mitigation across platforms.
Incident Response
Support complex, high-impact incident response efforts, including containment, forensic analysis using platform telemetry, eradication, recovery, and root-cause investigation.
Conduct post-incident reviews, develop preventive strategies, and deliver executive-level briefings and reports.
Coordinate cross-functional response to incidents and emerging attack vectors.
Vulnerability and Risk Management
Oversee enterprise vulnerability management programs, including automated scanning, red team/purple team exercises, and prioritized remediation tracking integrated with security platforms.
Manage risk remediation in collaboration with IT, DevOps, application, and third-party teams, with focus on software supply chain, API security, and platform-specific exposures.
Maintain risk registers, compliance reporting, and quantum-readiness assessments to support evolving regulatory and threat landscapes.
Automation and DevSecOps Integration
Automate security controls, workflows, and platform operations using Python, PowerShell, Bash, Ansible, Terraform, and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) tools.
Embed security-as-code practices into CI/CD pipelines, including automated scans for vulnerabilities, secrets management, AI model security, and platform integrations.
Drive scalability, efficiency, and innovation in security operations through AI-augmented automation, continuous platform monitoring, and enablement of self-service security capabilities for development teams.
Innovative Product Evaluations and Enablement
Lead evaluation, selection, and enablement of new and emerging security products, technologies, and platforms through structured proof-of-concepts (PoCs), vendor assessments, pilot programs, and comparative testing.
Define evaluation criteria, coordinate cross-functional PoC execution, analyze results against enterprise requirements (e.g., integration feasibility, performance, cost, AI compatibility), and recommend adoption or enhancements.
Facilitate enablement activities, including training, documentation, integration roadmaps, and knowledge transfer to operations, DevOps, and end-user teams to accelerate secure adoption of approved platforms and tools.
Stay ahead of vendor innovations by monitoring market developments and conducting regular technology refresh assessments.
Strategic Contributions:
Ensure alignment with NIST, CIS, PCI DSS, SOC 2, HIPAA, CCPA, GDPR, and emerging AI/quantum-related frameworks.
Develop, update, and enforce security policies, standards, and procedures, including AI governance, post-quantum cryptography migration plans, and platform management guidelines.
Lead audit preparation, readiness activities, and responses to internal/external audits.
Mentor cybersecurity analysts, engineers, and cross-functional teams on advanced practices, platform management, AI security, threat trends, and innovative evaluation methodologies.
Partner with IT, DevOps, development, procurement, and business units to integrate security by design across systems, applications, AI initiatives, and new platform deployments.
Contribute to organization-wide cybersecurity awareness, training, and AI ethics programs.