Sr. Cyber Defense Specialist (Hybrid)

Selective Insurance Company of America•Hartford, CT

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The ITS Cyber Defense Senior Specialist is a senior individual contributor and subject matter expert who strengthens Selective’s cyber defense posture through security operations, incident response, and security engineering expertise. The role protects enterprise information systems and data from intentional or accidental destruction, disruption, or modification while minimizing impacts on legitimate access to systems, files, networks, and data. This position independently leads and executes complex cybersecurity initiatives from planning through implementation, improves defensive controls and processes, drives detection and response activities for advanced threats, and serves as a technical resource across IT, business teams, and external partners. The specialist identifies security gaps, defines requirements, recommends solutions, and communicates risks, status, and recommendations to technical and business stakeholders. The role provides expert consulting, leadership, and escalation support for identifying, analyzing, mitigating, and escalating security risks, anomalies, vulnerabilities, events, and incidents to the Manager, ITS Cyber Defense, in accordance with established procedures. It is accountable for timely incident handling, detailed case documentation, advanced analysis of security alerts and threat intelligence, processing mitigations, and escalating confirmed or suspected threat activity. The position participates in the IT Security on-call rotation and supports high-priority events and incidents as required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, Risk Management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 7 years of progressive experience in information technology, information security, or risk-related roles.
At least 5 years of direct cybersecurity experience in areas such as security operations, incident response, cyber defense, detection engineering, or related security disciplines.
Experience independently managing complex technical work, coordinating across teams, and driving security initiatives from assessment through implementation.
Working knowledge of applicable cybersecurity and privacy frameworks, standards, and regulations, including NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF), SOX, HIPAA, and NYDFS 23 NYCRR 500.
Availability to support after-hours or on-call activities when needed for incident response, security events, or critical business requirements.

Nice To Haves

Industry certifications such as CISSP, GIAC, GCIH, GCIA, GCFA, or equivalent.

Responsibilities

Serve as a senior subject matter expert and escalation point for Cyber Defense, providing technical leadership and mentorship to team members.
Monitor, analyze, investigate, and respond to security alerts and events across endpoint, network, identity, email, and cloud environments using enterprise security tools.
Perform alert triage and case management, validating events, distinguishing false positives from threats, documenting findings, assessing impact, and escalating in accordance with established procedures.
Support and lead incident response activities, including scoping, evidence review, forensic support, documentation, containment actions, and escalation into formal incident response processes.
Administer and improve Cyber Defense technologies, including EDR, SIEM, NAC, vulnerability management tools, and other monitoring and control platforms through tuning, troubleshooting, upgrades, and optimization.
Lead detection and response improvements by tuning alerts, reducing false positives, identifying visibility gaps, and implementing enhancements to tools, processes, and workflows.
Independently manage technical and operational improvement initiatives, including tool enhancements, process optimization, and reporting improvements, while communicating progress to stakeholders.
Partner with internal teams and external vendors to support troubleshooting, remediation, tool effectiveness, and implementation of Cyber Defense capabilities.
Contribute to the development and enhancement of Cyber Defense policies, standards, and procedures, and support alignment with regulatory and audit requirements.
Participate in the IT Security on-call rotation and respond to high-priority events and incidents as required.