Information Security Analyst/Engineer

About the role

The University at Albany is a Carnegie-classified Research 1 institution driven by academic excellence, pioneering research and scientific discovery, and service to community. UAlbany's world-class faculty experts and approximately 17,500 students are creating new knowledge in fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductor engineering, atmospheric and environmental sciences, cybersecurity, public health, public administration and social welfare while deepening our understanding of our world through scholarship and creative activity in the social sciences and humanities. As one of the most diverse public research institutions in the nation, the University is a national leader in public engagement, educational equity and social mobility. For over 180 years, UAlbany has molded bright, curious and engaged students and launched them toward success. Located in Albany, New York, New York State's capital, the University is convenient to Boston, New York City, and the Adirondacks.

Join the University at Albany's Information Technology Services (ITS) as an Information Security Analyst/Engineer and help protect critical infrastructure, institutional data, and research assets in a fast-moving, research-intensive environment at a Carnegie R1 research institution. We're looking for someone to join a small, senior team that operates with real ownership. You'll work directly with the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and partner with network, systems, and application teams. You'll handle modern incident response and network security on a stack that includes Microsoft Defender extended detection and response (XDR), Palo Alto and Cloudflare. You'll investigate and respond to incidents end-to-end, build automation playbooks that make the next response faster, and manage firewall policy for an institution that takes security seriously. You'll also handle day-to-day triage and ticket work - but the expectation is that you're building systems that reduce that burden over time, not just clearing the queue. This is an excellent opportunity if you want breadth - incident response (IR), network defense, automation, and engineering - without being siloed into one function.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and triage security alerts across endpoints, identity, and cloud workloads using tools such as Microsoft Defender and Sentinel.
• Investigate and respond to incidents end-to-end (scope, contain, eradicate, recover); document actions and escalate as needed.
• Build and improve incident response workflows, including cloud automation playbooks (security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) and scripts that reduce time-to-detect and time-to-respond.
• Partner with network, systems, and application teams to contain threats, remediate root causes, and improve detections and preventive controls.
• Design, review, and maintain next-generation firewall policies and exceptions (Palo Alto) and web application protections (Cloudflare), including change control and documentation.
• Analyze network telemetry for anomalies; build detections and workflows that correlate network, endpoint, identity, and cloud signals.
• Run regular vulnerability scans using Tenable (and similar tools).
• Automate vulnerability tracking and reporting.
• Coordinate remediation with system owners and technical teams.
• Support risk assessments, audits, and policy updates.
• Promote security awareness and best practices across campus.
• Develop and maintain scripts and automation workflows supporting incident response and network security.
• Integrate security tools and data sources (firewall, cloud, endpoint detection and response (EDR)) to improve correlation and response automation.
• Evaluate emerging capabilities to enhance detection, response, and network controls; prioritize solutions that can be operationalized and automated.

Requirements

• Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree from a college or university accredited by a U.S. Department of Education (DOE) or an internationally recognized accrediting organization; at least 3 years of professional experience in modern incident response, including investigation, containment, remediation, and use of enterprise security tooling such as Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Sentinel, or comparable platforms; at least 3 years of professional experience in network security, including hands-on work with technologies and practices such as next-generation firewalls, intrusion detection system/intrusion prevention system (IDS/IPS), segmentation, traffic analysis, or related controls; demonstrated experience collaborating with infrastructure, systems, or application teams to implement security controls, support remediation efforts, or improve operational processes in an enterprise environment; experience using scripting (such as Python or PowerShell), Artificial Intelligence, automation, or security workflows to improve detection, response, or efficiency.
• Preferred Qualifications: Relevant security certifications (e.g., Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), or GIAC Certified Detection Analyst (GCDA)); experience securing cloud and web application environments, including platforms and tools such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, Cloudflare, Burp Suite, or Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP)-based practices; experience with enterprise detection and response platforms, such as SIEM, XDR, or AI-assisted security operations tools; experience working in higher education or similarly complex environments, including support for institutional AI use, risk management, or compliance initiatives.

Pay

Senior Programmer/Analyst, SL4, $90,000-95,000

Schedule

On-site in Albany Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (and as needed). Telecommuting on Tuesdays and Thursdays may be available after a probationary period, with supervisor approval. Available for scheduled after-hours support, including occasional evenings, weekends, or holidays.