Cyber Defense Response Analyst II

Primary Responsibilities

• Drive the full incident response lifecycle from initial triage to remediation, confidently applying specialty skills like endpoint forensics and malware analysis.
• Operate in a multi-cloud environment.
• Conduct regular threat hunts to identify misconfigurations, detection gaps, and other anomalies.
• Use AI, Python, and REST APIs to build/integrate security tools for incident response needs, while working with automation engineers to develop heavy-duty solutions for advanced use-cases.
• Lead regular tabletop exercises to improve team readiness.
• Contribute continuously to our internal knowledge base of incident response runbooks and playbooks, keeping it exhaustive, accurate, and reflective of the latest workflows.

Ideal Candidate Attributes

• Innate Curiosity: An exceptional level of curiosity and a track record of self-teaching advanced technical concepts.
• Highly Innovative: You have a consistent record of taking unorthodox approaches to challenges and a demonstrated ability to innovate within information technology domains.
• "Researcher" Mindset: A passion for collecting facts, debating details, and diving into "rabbit holes" to solve complex problems.
• Adept at High-Pressure Communication: Ability to deal effectively at all levels of the organization and translate technical research into clear, actionable intelligence for leadership.
• Highly Detail Oriented: Very strong attention to detail; you notice things others often don’t.
• Impactfully Collaborative: You excel at technical collaboration and helping teams deliver high-impact.

Preferred Technical Qualifications

• DFIR Background: 2+ years of practical experience with Digital Forensics, Incident Handling, and/or Malware Analysis.
• SIEM/Data Analysis: 2+ years of experience with Q Radar, Sentinel, Splunk, Chronicle, ArcSight, or similar log management technologies.
• Experience using leading forensics tools: 2+ years of experience using tools such as KAPE, EnCase, Cellebrite, FTK, Magnet Axiom, and Autopsy, plus comfort with malware analysis tools like Ghidra, Ida Pro, PEStudio, and x64dbg.
• Strong IT Fundamentals: Strong understanding of computer networking, operating systems, and their intersection with Cybersecurity.
• Programming Skills: Development experience with Python, specifically for data manipulation (Pandas) and interacting with REST APIs.
• Cloud Experience: Practical experience with AWS, GCP, or Azure.

Education & Certifications

• Education: BA/BS in Engineering, Computer Science, or Information Security (non-tech degrees acceptable with appropriate levels of Information Security job experience and/or certifications).
• Certifications: GCIH, GCFE, GCFA, OSCP, Sec+, and similar cyber-oriented certifications are desired.

Pay Range

The pay range for this role is $93,900-$156,500. Actual salary offered will be dependent on a wide array of factors including but not limited to: relevant experience, skills, education and comparison to internal employees (where relevant).

Benefits

• Comprehensive health coverage
• Active pension plan
• Educational reimbursement provisions
• Paid time off
• Mental health benefit

About the Role

The Cyber Defense Response Analyst II is a mid-level technical role focused on responding to and remediating cyber incidents at CME Group, a major player in global financial markets. We are looking for someone who finds joy in the inner workings of technology, with the occasional tendency to get lost in deep research. In this role, you will use industry leading tools while responding to medium-severity incidents in collaboration with teammates around the globe. We provide autonomy, and great learning environment with access to top tier technology, opportunities to align project work with your individual interests, and access to our extensive training programs, including annual SANS training.

Qualifications

Importantly, this is a second shift role (12p-8p US Central Time) that's anticipated to be convertible into a first shift role (8a-4p/9a-5p) within approximately 6 months of hire date.

Skills

Through our benefits program, we strive to offer flexibility, value and choice. From comprehensive health coverage, to a retirement package that includes both a 401(k) and an active pension plan, to highly competitive education reimbursement provisions, paid time off and a mental health benefit, CME Group offers a holistic benefits package for our team and their dependents.