Cybersecurity Engineer - Incident Response

AeroVironment•Huntsville, AL

About The Position

The Cybersecurity Engineer investigates and responds to cybersecurity incidents while engineering improvements to the organization's incident response capabilities. The role combines hands-on technical investigation with development of detections, response workflows, and security platform configurations to help identify, contain, and recover from threats. It requires a strong background in Microsoft security technologies, experience supporting security operations, sound technical judgment, clear communication, and close collaboration with security analysts, IT teams, and business stakeholders. The engineer investigates incidents across endpoints, identities, email, cloud services, and enterprise infrastructure; performs scoping, timeline reconstruction, root cause analysis, and impact assessments; and coordinates containment, eradication, and recovery with system owners. The role uses Microsoft security platforms and telemetry, develops and tunes KQL queries and detections, improves logging and integrations, and maintains response plans and procedures. It also supports post-incident reviews, automation, reporting, exercises, evidence preservation, response metrics, and an established on-call rotation as required. Success is demonstrated through effective incident handling, clear and actionable reporting, stronger Microsoft security detections, and sustained improvements to response processes. The engineer helps the organization contain threats faster, reduce recurring incidents, and maintain consistent, repeatable response practices. The position requires Secret clearance and access to ITAR- and/or EAR-controlled information; applicants must meet applicable U.S.-person or export-license requirements, and some positions require current U.S. citizenship due to contract requirements.

Requirements

Three or more years of experience in cybersecurity engineering, incident response, security operations, or a related technical role.
Hands-on experience investigating and responding to incidents in Microsoft-based enterprise environments.
Experience with Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and Microsoft Defender XDR.
Proficiency with KQL for log analysis, threat hunting, and detection development.
Working knowledge of Windows security, Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365, and Azure.
Understanding of incident response frameworks and ability to apply structured investigation, containment, eradication, and recovery practices.
Experience analyzing endpoint, identity, email, and network telemetry to identify malicious activity and determine incident scope.
Familiarity with PowerShell or Python for investigation support, data analysis, and repetitive task automation.
Demonstrated ability to improve incident response procedures, detection coverage, or security platform configurations.
Strong technical writing and communication skills, including the ability to explain incident findings to technical and nontechnical audiences.
Ability to remain organized, exercise sound judgment, and coordinate response activities under pressure.
Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, computer science, information technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Secret clearance level.
Must meet applicable ITAR/EAR U.S.-person or export-license requirements; some positions require current U.S. citizenship due to contract requirements.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Defender for Identity, Defender for Cloud Apps, Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Intune, or Microsoft Purview.
Experience supporting Azure Government, Microsoft GCC High, or other regulated environments.
Familiarity with MITRE ATT&CK and using adversary techniques to guide investigations and improve detections.
Experience with digital forensics, malware triage, or business email compromise investigations.
Experience building response workflows using Azure Logic Apps, Azure Functions, or comparable orchestration tools.
Familiarity with CMMC and NIST SP 800-171 incident response and audit evidence requirements.
Relevant Microsoft security certifications, such as Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate, or comparable demonstrated expertise.

Responsibilities

Investigate and respond to security incidents involving endpoints, identities, email, cloud services, and enterprise infrastructure.
Perform incident scoping, timeline reconstruction, root cause analysis, and impact assessments using available telemetry and forensic evidence.
Coordinate containment, eradication, and recovery activities with system owners while minimizing business disruption.
Use Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender XDR, Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Office 365, and Microsoft Entra ID to investigate threats and support response actions.
Develop and tune KQL queries, analytics rules, detections, and hunting queries to improve threat visibility and reduce false positives.
Improve security logging, data collection, and platform integrations to address gaps identified during investigations.
Develop and maintain incident response plans, playbooks, runbooks, escalation procedures, and incident classification criteria.
Lead or support post-incident reviews, document lessons learned, and track corrective actions through completion.
Identify recurring incident patterns and implement engineering changes that address underlying weaknesses.
Partner with automation engineers to streamline alert enrichment, evidence collection, case management, and approved containment actions.
Produce incident reports documenting findings, business impact, response actions, and recommended improvements.
Conduct tabletop exercises and technical response drills to validate procedures and strengthen team readiness.
Preserve investigation evidence and maintain accurate records in accordance with organizational requirements.
Measure incident response effectiveness through detection and containment times, repeat incidents, playbook coverage, and corrective action completion.
Support incident response coverage, including participation in an established on-call rotation as required.