Senior Threat Detection Engineer

Valiant Solutions, LLC•Bethesda, MD

20d•$155,000 - $180,000•Remote

About The Position

Valiant Solutions is seeking a Senior Threat Detection Engineer to join our rapidly growing and innovative cybersecurity team! The Senior Threat Detection Engineer strengthens the client’s cybersecurity posture by developing, deploying, and continuously improving automated threat detection capabilities. This role ensures all detection engineering activities align with federal cybersecurity standards, compulsory directives, and industry best practices. The engineer integrates diverse telemetry sources, performs ongoing detection gap analyses, and applies threat intelligence to ensure coverage against evolving adversary tactics. The position supports enhanced incident response effectiveness through accurate, timely, and comprehensive detection logic across SIEM, EDR, and cloud environments. Named one of the Best Places to Work in the Washington DC area for 11 consecutive years, Valiant is proud of our employee-centric culture and commitment to excellence. If you are interested in learning more about Valiant and this opportunity, we invite you to apply now! This position is based in the Washington DC Metro area and allows for primarily 100% remote work. There could be occasional onsite reporting in Bethesda, MD. Remote work requires a high level of trust in our employees, and we strictly adhere to the details outlined in our Remote Work Policy below.

Requirements

10 years of cybersecurity experience.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related field; or an additional two years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
Deep knowledge of automated detection engineering concepts, SIEM correlation, EDR alerting, and cloud-native detection.
Experience applying the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST SP 800-61, NIST SP 800-53, and CISA guidance.
Strong understanding of adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures as defined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
Experience integrating multiple telemetry sources and performing detection gap analyses.
Proficiency with behavioral analytics, anomaly detection techniques, UBA models, and machine learning–supported detection.
Ability to collaborate with incident response, threat hunting, and red team functions to improve detection coverage.
Strong analytical and communication skills to support cross-team detection refinement and operational improvements.

Responsibilities

Design, build, and maintain SOAR playbooks to automate Tier 1/2 incident response workflows and improve speed and accuracy.
Develop and update phishing automation, including YARA rules integrated into email security, SIEM, and SOAR pipelines.
Provide engineering support for security tools, including documentation, architectural diagrams, FISMA artifacts, and secure configuration management.
Create and maintain SOPs and knowledge base content for incident response capabilities and tooling.
Coordinate with stakeholders and vendors as Cyber SME to support integrating emerging technologies (Zero Trust, TIC 3.0, EDR, IDS/IPS, SASE, forensics, etc.) into existing security operations.
Track and report IR automation metrics, response time reductions, and workflow efficiencies.
Conduct and support annual maturity assessments focusing on automation and develop the Incident Response Engineering maturity roadmap with planned improvements.
Provide SME support to design, deploy, and maintain automated detection rules across SIEM, EDR, and cloud platforms aligned with threat intelligence and adversary TTPs.
Continuously update detection logic based on inputs from threat intelligence, threat hunting, and red team activities.
Monitor and optimize SIEM search performance to ensure detections run consistently without skips or missed executions.
Enrich detections with contextual data (assets, identity, threat intel, geolocation) to improve analyst decision-making.
Apply behavioral analytics and anomaly-detection techniques, including UBA models, to identify non-signature-based and persistent threats.
Conduct quarterly model performance reviews and adjust thresholds, features, or training data to improve detection accuracy.
Perform quarterly tuning of anomaly-based detections based on feedback from analysts, threat hunting teams, and red team assessments.
Identify and remediate visibility gaps that limit the effectiveness of detection capabilities.
Define and track metrics that evaluate detection effectiveness, false positive and false negative rates, and alignment with evolving threat landscapes.

Benefits

Valiant pays 99% of the Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage for Full-time Employees
Valiant contributes 25% towards Health Coverage for Family and Dependents
100% Paid Short Term Disability and Life Insurance Policy for Full-time Employees
100% Paid Certifications
401K Matching up to 4%
Paid Time Off
Paid Federal Holidays
Paid Time On – 40 hours to pursue innovation
Wellness & Fitness Program
Valiant University – Online Education and Training Portal
Reimbursement for Public Transit and Parking
FSA programs for: Medical Costs, Dependent Care, Transit, and Parking
Referral Bonuses