Senior Manager, Detection and Response

Lambda•Bellevue, WA

4d•$324,000 - $480,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Lambda Security protects some of the world's most valuable digital assets: invaluable training data, model weights representing immense computational investments, and the sensitive inputs required to leverage best of breed AI models. We're responsible for securing every byte that powers breakthrough artificial intelligence. Reporting to the CISO, you'll lead the Detection & Response team that acts as an intelligent backstop—ensuring Lambda is the safest place to build with AI by catching security issues in real-time while enabling our business to move at hypergrowth velocity. Your team will transform reactive security operations into a proactive threat management engine, dedicating the majority of their effort to automation, threat hunting, and capability building rather than constant firefighting. Your team will directly affect customers’ trust in the safety of their data by implementing enterprise-grade detection capabilities, automating incident response workflows, and hardening our multi-cloud and bare metal infrastructure while you are building sustainable programs where senior engineers thrive solving novel security challenges. With unique access to LLMs hosted on our own infrastructure, your team will pioneer AI-powered security solutions that wouldn't be possible anywhere else. Key priorities include 24/7 operational coverage, maintaining customer trust through rapid incident response, and delivering a comprehensive D&R strategy within your first 6 months. If you're excited about building security operations so efficient that they're "almost boring," where automation handles the routine so your team can focus on the novel, we want to talk. We value diverse backgrounds, experiences, and skills, and we are excited to hear from candidates who can bring unique perspectives to our team. If you do not exactly meet this description but believe you may be a good fit, please still apply and help us understand your readiness for a Senior Manager role. Your application is not a waste of our time.

Requirements

10+ years of security experience with 5+ years leading technical teams, demonstrating ability to build and manage independently
Proven ability to define and build security programs from the ground up that accelerate business initiatives, with demonstrated experience establishing team processes, technical frameworks, and cross-functional partnerships
Excellence at building automation-first security programs where technology eliminates toil and teams never do the same thing twice
Clear understanding of the unique requirements of securing a cloud infrastructure provider
Proven ability to create sustainable team cultures where senior engineers thrive long-term rather than burning out on repetitive tasks
Strong judgment in security response, understanding real business impact and calibrating actions proportionally
Track record of translating technical security work into executive communications and business-aligned metrics
Thrives in high-ambiguity environments where you must build structure while executing at startup pace

Nice To Haves

Excitement about leveraging our direct access to state-of-the-art LLMs to revolutionize security operations—imagine AI-powered threat hunting, automated security report generation, and intelligent vulnerability prioritization at a scale only possible when you host the AI infrastructure yourself.
Experience building D&R programs at AI/ML companies
Track record using AI/ML for security operations automation (yes, we know it’s all brand new)
Background scaling security during hypergrowth (10x growth phases)
Deep technical background allowing hands-on contribution when needed
Experience with both build and buy decisions for security tooling
Experience driving or providing significant evidence for compliance audits, such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, HIPAA/HITECH, or FedRAMP.

Responsibilities

Build, hire, and lead a high-performing Detection & Response team that can scale with Lambda's hypergrowth while maintaining 24/7 operational excellence
Define team processes, culture, and operating rhythms that balance startup agility with security discipline, creating an environment where senior engineers thrive on automation and novel challenges
Conduct regular one-on-ones, provide constructive feedback, and create clear career development paths that help security engineers advance their technical and leadership skills
Drive outcomes by managing project priorities, deadlines, and deliverables while establishing our blameless post-incident culture focused on systemic improvements rather than individual accountability
Define and implement threat management frameworks that transform reactive security operations into proactive threat hunting and detection, establishing automation standards that eliminate repetitive work and enable your team to focus on novel challenges
Architect incident response processes, escalation frameworks, and triage protocols that protect Lambda from impact while scaling with the company’s growth
Guide technology choices and evangelize new security tools, including pioneering AI-powered detection capabilities using our direct access to state-of-the-art LLMs
Create data-driven insights showing where we are reacting most frequently to guide investments in preventative controls
Partner with Product and Platform engineering teams to evolve our detection and response capabilities as Lambda’s infrastructure grows
Lead cross-functional collaboration during critical events and establish executive reporting that translates technical incidents into business impact while driving blameless post-incident reviews to continuously strengthen security posture
Drive weekly operations reviews that ensure nothing falls through the cracks while building institutional knowledge and defining repeatable processes from every incident
Define sustainable on-call rotations and operational procedures that maintain 24/7 coverage without burning out senior engineers
Establish the team's 6-month strategic roadmap for comprehensive D&R capabilities while defining success criteria and measurable outcomes