Sr. Security Data Scientist

Illumio • Sunnyvale, CA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Illumio is seeking a talented Security Data Scientist to join their Threat Research Team. This role will serve as a long-term subject matter expert (SME) for the Illumio Insights product team, providing guidance on threats, threat intelligence, assessment models, and risk modeling. The Security Data Scientist will detect threats within data ecosystems, build robust models, and collaborate with product teams to shape features, designs, and strategic direction. This position bridges data science, machine learning, threat research, and product development, offering a unique opportunity to impact how global organizations defend against advanced cyber threats.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in data science, detection engineering, threat intelligence, or security analytics, ideally in dynamic environments like cloud or network security.
• Proficiency in Python for data handling and modeling (e.g., Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow/PyTorch), complemented by solid SQL skills for large dataset queries.
• Hands-on experience developing and deploying ML or statistical models for security applications, such as anomaly detection or risk assessment.
• Familiarity with Threat detection principles and frameworks (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK).
• Familiarity with Security telemetry sources (e.g., EDR, NDR, AWS or Azure flow logs, AWS GuardDuty, Azure Defender data, etc).
• Familiarity with Network security fundamentals, including zero-trust and segmentation concepts.
• Proven ability to evaluate models, tune parameters, and manage challenges like imbalanced data in security scenarios.
• Skill in communicating technical insights to diverse audiences, from engineers to product leaders.
• Experience with large-scale telemetry datasets from varied sources.

Nice To Haves

• 7-10+ years in the field, with a track record in high-impact security roles.
• Knowledge of graph databases and analytics (e.g., Neo4j, graph algorithms applied to security).
• Experience productionizing ML models in cloud environments (e.g., AWS, GCP, Kubernetes).
• Background at a cybersecurity product company (e.g., in endpoint, SIEM, or network security).
• Expertise in identity threats or integrating threat intel APIs.
• Publications, open-source contributions, or certifications (e.g., CISSP, GIAC, advanced ML certs).
• Familiarity with Bay Area cybersecurity ecosystems or prior work in tech hubs.

Responsibilities

• Examine large-scale security datasets to identify threat patterns, attacker TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures), and emerging risks.
• Construct and iterate on threat risk models using statistical and machine learning methods to evaluate breach likelihoods and segmentation efficacy.
• Utilize security graphs to model attack paths, recommend segmentation strategies to reduce the risk of lateral movement, and suggest mitigation strategies.
• Create ML models for anomaly detection, behavioral profiling, and breach identification across multi-cloud, hybrid, and on-premises setups.
• Work with threat researchers and engineers to enhance datasets, test hypotheses, and develop detection algorithms based on real-world threats.
• Assess and refine model performance to deliver reliable detections with low false positives.
• Team up with product managers, engineers, and designers to integrate threat insights into roadmaps, user interfaces, and analytics tools.
• Advise on threat assessment frameworks, data needs, and incorporating external intelligence sources.
• Deploy and monitor models in production, ensuring scalability and reliability.
• Investigate cutting-edge techniques for graph-based threat detection, like graph neural networks or AI-optimized policies.
• Contribute to internal research, patents, and potential publications to position Illumio as an industry leader.
• Track adversary trends, regulatory shifts, and innovations to influence detection and risk strategies.

Benefits

• Illumio believes that an environment of unique backgrounds, experiences, viewpoints, and individual contributions creates a culture of belonging, drives our future, and makes us stronger together in support of our customers and their success.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed