Staff Detection Security Operations Engineer

About Us

At Arkenstone Defense, we empower defense tech startups with the tools, infrastructure, and compliance solutions they need to become successful prime contractors. Our mission is to remove barriers and help innovators grow - from day one to becoming a trusted prime for the U.S. Government.

Overview

We are seeking a Staff Detection Security Operations Engineer (Remote, US) to focus on leading the design and implementation of operational excellence across our multi-cloud environments for threat monitoring, detection, and security data analytics supporting our federal and commercial customer base.

What You’ll Do

• Design and review security architectures, reference implementations, and control patterns for FedRAMP/CMMC-aligned environments.
• Lead complex security assessments and technical deep-dives; identify root causes and drive sustainable remediation across the customer portfolio.
• Guide the configuration and evolution of core security tooling — including SIEM, EDR, vulnerability management, logging pipelines, and data ingestion architectures.
• Develop advanced automation, reusable modules, and infrastructure-as-code patterns that engineering teams adopt across programs.
• Lead cross-functional technical initiatives spanning security, IT, compliance, and product engineering teams.
• Drive observability improvements across the security stack — metrics, alerting, and dashboards for operational health.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and tooling; make build-vs-buy recommendations to MAC leadership.
• Provide technical mentorship and code/design review for engineers; influence standards, runbooks, and best practices across the team.
• Design, implement, and own the infrastructure reliability strategy across AWS, Azure, and GCP.
• Champion observability by developing and maintaining effective logging, monitoring, and alerting systems.
• Lead efforts in performance tuning, system hardening, capacity planning, and disaster recovery.
• Automate deployment, scaling, and recovery workflows to reduce manual toil.
• Act as a mentor and technical leader to junior engineers and cross-functional partners.
• Perform any other related duties as required or assigned.

Threat Monitoring & Detection

• Own the incident management lifecycle: from detection to postmortem and root cause analysis.
• Maintain and improve runbooks, knowledge base articles, and repetitive task automations.
• Work closely with internal engineering, development, and compliance teams to implement security measures and address compliance requirements.
• Stay current on industry trends, emerging threats, and changes in compliance standards to ensure ongoing effectiveness.

Requirements

• 5-8 years of experience in Security Engineering and/or Detection engineering roles.
• Hands-on exposure to AWS Athena.
• Profi ciency in detection engineering: alert creation and tuning - writing SQL, KQL, Sigma, or YARA rules for threat detection.
• Proven track record of operating large-scale systems in multi-cloud environments.
• Strong knowledge of cloud-native architecture, container orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes), and CI/CD pipelines.
• Proficient in scripting (Python, Bash, etc.) and infrastructure automation tools.
• Experience with monitoring/observability platforms (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, etc.).
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a bias toward ownership and action.
• Familiarity with SIEM platforms.
• Working knowledge of incident response processes, procedures, and documentation standards.
• Comfortable making decisions under pressure and leading through incidents.
• Working knowledge of FedRAMP or NIST 800-53 controls preferred.
• Familiarity with industry trends, emerging threats, and changes in compliance standards.

Who You Are

• Drive a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Thrive on building meaningful relationships and helping others succeed.
• Understand the unique challenges that defense tech startups face, and can speak their language.
• Mission Alignment: Embrace our commitment to operational excellence, compliance rigor, and a world-class employee experience.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• May require occasional travel to office locations or client sites.
• Ability to communicate effectively in written and verbal form.

Benefits for Working with Us!

• Competitive Salary: Recognizing your hard work with attractive compensation and rewarding excellence.
• Health and Wellness Programs: Including medical, dental, & vision insurance options, along with mental health support & wellness initiatives.
• Retail Retirement Planning: Secure your future with our flexible 401(k) plan and matching company contributions.
• Paid Time Off & Holidays: Generous PTO, sick leave, and holiday pay to help you recharge and enjoy life outside of work.
• Employee Assistance Program: Confidential resources for personal and professional support.
• Professional Development: Access to training, certifications, and continuing education to foster your career growth.