Senior Detection and Response Engineer

Job Description

Get to know OktaOkta is The Worlds Identity Company. We free everyone to safely use any technologyanywhere, on any device or app. Our Workforce and Customer Identity Clouds enable secure yet flexible access, authentication, and automation that transforms how people move through the digital world, putting Identity at the heart of business security and growth. At Okta, we celebrate a variety of perspectives and experiences. We are not looking for someone who checks every single box - were looking for lifelong learners and people who can make us better with their unique experiences. Join our team! Were building a world where Identity belongs to you.We safeguard Okta from threats and vulnerabilities that have the potential to disrupt our business or degrade our customers trust in us. In addition to driving security in our enterprise environment and Okta service, the Security team is deeply entrenched in the Okta business. The team contributes to product roadmaps, promoting trust, research and other strategic aspects of Oktas operations. We work across multiple functions, business partners and the research community. We are an engineering-focused team that seeks to stay on the cutting edge of security technology and the threat landscape.The RoleOkta is seeking an experienced Senior Engineer, Detection and Response to take on a key role as a senior technical expert within Oktas Cyber Defense team. You will work closely with engineers and cross-functional teams to improve security operations, develop threat detection mechanisms, and drive incident response automation. You will serve as a technical leader, providing hands-on expertise and mentoring for other engineers within the team.Core ResponsibilitiesDetection Engineering

• Develop and refine security detections across Oktas infrastructure and applications ensuring optimal coverage across the organization.
• Create high-fidelity alerts that balance security visibility with operational efficiency.
• Work with detection & response engineers to tune detections, reduce false positives, and enhance response workflows.

Incident Response & Forensics

• Investigate and respond to security incidents, working to quickly contain and remediate threats.
• Take part in the DCO watch roster triaging alerts escalated via automated processes, internal reports, and third-party notifications.
• Perform forensic analysis of security events, logs, and endpoints to determine root causes.
• Develop and improve response playbooks and automation to streamline incident handling.

Security Automation & Engineering

• Build automation to improve detection and response workflows, reducing manual effort.
• Integrate security tools and APIs for enhanced threat detection and data correlation.
• Develop custom scripts and tooling to improve team efficiency and incident response capabilities.

Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing

• Work closely with security engineers, threat intelligence teams, and platform engineering teams to ensure a holistic security approach.
• Mentor and coach other engineers, providing technical guidance and support.
• Stay up to date with the latest attack techniques and security trends to continuously improve Oktas defenses.

What does it takeYoure a team player. You have great communication skills and a thirst for knowledge. Youre curious about systems and how they interact, knowing that to properly defend a system you must first understand how it works. You enjoy automating tasks and if you cant find a tool for the job you create one. Youre calm under pressure and have a good internal compass for taking calculated risks.If you dont have a degree, you have equivalent experience thats given you the foundational knowledge to understand complex computing environments. Youre a leader. People want to work with you. You know what it takes to build a world-class defensive cyber capability and youre passionate about helping make ours stronger.We love to identify individuals who can supplement and enhance the existing skills within our team. Dont be put off by the length of this list - were not looking for unicorns, but we would highly value applicants who have experience in any one - or combination - of the following areas:

• Leading, or contributing to, technology-focused teams large or small.
• Mentoring staff and providing development opportunities to build high performing teams.
• Operating as, or providing support to, the incident commander or technical lead during cyber security incidents.
• Developing advanced detection capabilities, working with detection-as-code, and automating the triage and response of alerts they generate.

Ideally, you also have experience in several of the following areas:

• Researching the tactics, techniques and procedures of sophisticated adversaries and hunting for evidence of them within an enterprise environment.
• Developing detection and response validation techniques and automating tests to enable continuous assurance of defensive cyber capabilities.
• Analyzing critical systems to understand both how to break them and defend them against attack.
• Working collaboratively within product and/or enterprise project teams, assisting to deliver large and complex technology solutions.

#LI-HybridWhat you can look forward to as a Full-Time Okta employee!Amazing Benefits

• Making Social Impact
• Developing Talent and Fostering ConnectionCommunity at Okta

Okta cultivates a dynamic work environment, providing the best tools, technology, and benefits to empower our employees to work productively in a setting that best and uniquely suits their needs. Each organization is unique in the degree of flexibility and mobility in which they work so that all employees are enabled to be their most creative and successful versions of themselves, regardless of where they live. Find your place at Okta today! https://www.okta.com/company/careers/. Some roles may require travel to one of our office locations for in-person onboarding.Okta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, or status as a protected veteran. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records, consistent with applicable laws. If reasonable accommodation is needed to complete any part of the job application, interview process, or onboarding please use this Form to request an accommodation.Okta is committed to complying with applicable data privacy and security laws and regulations. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy at https://www.okta.com/privacy-policy/.LocationsSydney, Australia

Keyskills :
threat detection incident response security automation forensic analysis team collaboration workforce interview