Sr. Specialist, Cybersecurity

NextDecade•Houston, TX

44d

About The Position

The Senior Cybersecurity Specialist safeguards NextDecade’s information assets, systems, cloud environments, and sensitive business data by administering and continuously improving cybersecurity technologies, processes, and controls. The role serves as a subject matter expert for Microsoft security and compliance technologies, particularly Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Entra ID, data protection, and information governance. The position combines cybersecurity operations, incident response, vulnerability management, data governance, compliance support, and employee awareness initiatives. It collaborates with Information Technology, Legal, Human Resources, Compliance, and business stakeholders to protect company information while supporting effective business operations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
Minimum of five years of progressively responsible cybersecurity or information-security experience.
Hands-on experience administering Microsoft 365 security and compliance technologies, including Microsoft Purview.
Experience with Data Loss Prevention, data classification, sensitivity labels, information protection, records management, or eDiscovery.
Experience with incident response, security investigations, identity and access management, and vulnerability management.
Working knowledge of SIEM, EDR/XDR, cloud security, and security monitoring technologies.
Experience supporting risk assessments, compliance programs, audits, and security control documentation.
Strong analytical, investigative, problem-solving, documentation, and communication skills.
Ability to appropriately handle confidential and sensitive information and exercise sound judgment.

Nice To Haves

Microsoft Certified: Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate (SC-400).
Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200) or Identity and Access Administrator Associate (SC-300).
CISSP, CISM, CompTIA Security+, CompTIA CySA+, or a comparable security certification.
Experience with Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, Azure security, security automation, and SOAR capabilities.
Experience in an energy, critical infrastructure, engineering, construction, or other regulated environment.

Responsibilities

Monitor, investigate, and respond to cybersecurity incidents, alerts, and threats.
Lead incident response activities, including detection, containment, eradication, recovery, post-incident analysis, and reporting.
Perform threat hunting, root cause analysis, and forensic data collection for security events.
Coordinate vulnerability assessments, remediation tracking, and patch-management follow-up.
Monitor SIEM, EDR/XDR, and threat intelligence platforms to identify and respond to emerging risks.
Support cybersecurity aspects of business continuity, disaster recovery, and tabletop exercises.
Administer and optimize Microsoft Purview solutions across the enterprise.
Develop and maintain data classification, sensitivity labeling, retention, and data lifecycle policies.
Configure and manage Data Loss Prevention policies across Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, email, and endpoints.
Administer Information Protection, Records Management, eDiscovery, Audit, Insider Risk Management, and Communication Compliance capabilities, as assigned.
Support investigations involving sensitive data, insider risk, policy violations, litigation holds, and eDiscovery requests in coordination with Legal and Human Resources.
Develop, document, and promote secure data-handling and information-governance standards.
Administer Microsoft Entra ID security controls, Conditional Access, multifactor authentication, access reviews, and privileged access capabilities.
Administer Microsoft Defender technologies, including Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Office 365, and Defender for Cloud Apps.
Support endpoint security, email security, cloud application security, and identity protection technologies.
Evaluate and recommend improvements to cybersecurity tools, configurations, integrations, and processes.
Support cybersecurity risk assessments, compliance reviews, internal audits, and external audits.
Maintain cybersecurity policies, standards, procedures, technical documentation, and control evidence.
Assist with alignment and monitoring of security controls against applicable frameworks and requirements, including NIST Cybersecurity Framework, CIS Controls, ISO 27001, SOX, GDPR, and other applicable privacy or regulatory obligations.
Track identified risks, findings, corrective actions, and remediation commitments through closure.
Develop and deliver cybersecurity awareness, phishing simulation, and secure data-handling initiatives.
Provide practical cybersecurity guidance to employees, leadership, and project teams.
Partner with infrastructure, applications, cloud, operational technology, and business teams to implement secure solutions.
Participate in technology projects and digital transformation initiatives to embed security and privacy requirements.
Mentor junior team members and support knowledge sharing across Information Technology.
Maintain current knowledge of emerging threats, Microsoft security capabilities, industry trends, and regulatory developments.