OverviewThe Cyber Defense Investigations – Escalations (CDI-ESC) team is Microsoft's deep-dive investigative arm within Cyber Defense Operations (CDO). We lead the most complex, high-severity, and nation-state security incidents across Microsoft's first-party cloud estate, conducting root cause analysis, blast radius assessment, threat actor attribution, and intelligence-driven hunting. Our work directly disrupts adversaries targeting Microsoft and our customers, and feeds platform-level fixes, detections, and intelligence back into the ecosystem.
Join Microsoft's CDI Escalations team and work at the forefront of cyber defense, investigating the most complex nation-state, supply chain, cloud, and identity-based attacks targeting Microsoft. Our team goes beyond traditional incident response, we combine deep investigations, threat hunting, intelligence operationalization, and cross-organizational collaboration to identify adversaries, drive platform-wide security improvements, and build defenses that prevent future attacks. You'll partner with leaders across MSTIC, GHOST, Detection Engineering, and service teams, leverage AI-powered investigation techniques, and directly influence Microsoft's security posture while solving some of the industry's hardest security challenges.
We are looking for a Senior Security Analyst to join the team!
Starting February, 2026, Microsoft employees are expected to work from a designated Microsoft office at least three days a week if they live within 50 miles (U.S.) or 25 miles (non-U.S., country-specific) of that location. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction.
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Responsibilities- Lead deep-dive investigations into the most complex and high-severity security incidents, including root cause analysis, blast radius assessment, threat actor attribution, and impact/scope determination.
- Proactively hunt across Microsoft's cloud and identity telemetry (e.g., MSTIC, Kusto/ADX, ArmProd, ESTS) to surface emerging threats and operationalize threat intelligence into queries, notebooks, and detection logic.
- Drive cross-team response for nation-state, supply chain (npm, GitHub, OpenVSX), and identity-based compromises - partnering with MSTIC, OpsHub, Detection Engineering, Evictions, and Service teams to contain and remediate at scale.
- Translate investigation findings into durable improvements - new detections, platform fixes, playbooks, and process changes - so the same class of attack does not succeed twice.
- Raise the bar on investigation quality, contributing to documented standards, peer reviews, and measurable rigor across incidents, hunts, and forensics.
- Leverage AI and Copilot technologies to accelerate triage, evidence collection, and analysis, helping the team stay ahead of attackers operating at machine speed.
- Mentor and uplevel peers in advanced investigation techniques, threat actor tradecraft, and reverse engineering, building a strong culture of investigative excellence.
QualificationsRequired Qualifications:
- Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat modeling, cyber security, anomaly detection, Security Operations Center (SOC) detection, threat analytics, security incident and event management (SIEM), information technology (IT), or operations incident response
- OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field AND 4+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat modeling, cyber security, anomaly detection, Security Operations Center (SOC) detection, threat analytics, security incident and event management (SIEM), information technology (IT), or operations incident response
- OR equivalent experience.
Other Requirements:
Candidates must be able to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
- Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, a related technical field, AND 4+ years of experience in cybersecurity, incident response, coordination and presentation with executive level professionals, threat hunting, or security investigations
- OR equivalent experience (6+ years of hands-on security investigation/forensic experience in lieu of degree).
- 3+ years of experience conducting security investigations in large-scale cloud or enterprise environments (Azure, AWS, GCP, or M365).
- Demonstrated experience with log analysis and query languages (KQL/Kusto, SQL, or equivalent) across SIEM, identity, endpoint, or cloud telemetry.
- Working knowledge of modern attacker tradecraft, the MITRE ATT&CK framework, and common cloud/identity attack paths (e.g., token theft, OAuth abuse, supply chain compromise).
- Experience investigating nation-state or financially motivated threat actors and producing attribution-quality analysis.
- Hands-on experience with supply chain compromise investigations (npm, GitHub Actions, OpenVSX, signing/artifact abuse) or identity-plane incidents (Entra ID/AAD, ESTS, federation).
- Familiarity with Microsoft security data sources - MDC, Defender XDR, Sentinel, Azure Resource Graph.
- Experience building or consuming AI/Copilot-assisted investigation tooling, automation, or notebooks to scale analyst workflows.
- Strong written communication - able to produce executive-ready investigation reports, retrospectives, and cross-org technical briefs.
- Industry certifications such as GCFA, GCIH, GCFE, GREM, OSCP, CISSP, or equivalent.
- Prior experience working in CIRT function.
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Security Operations Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $160,200 - $261,000 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.