Cyber Security Specialist

Canadian Inclusion; Ottawa; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extended health care

Pension plan

Paid holidays

Job summary

Thales Canada Inc. in Ottawa/Hybrid is seeking a Cyber Security Specialist (Detection Engineer) to prevent cybersecurity incidents through real-time monitoring, detection, and analysis of potential intrusions.

You will tune security tools, create use cases, and support remediation across Azure environments. The role requires expertise in cloud security, security operations, and incident response, with hands-on scripting and experience with Defender for Cloud, Sentinel, and QRadar/XSOAR.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information security, or related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.

Responsibilities

• Monitor alerts from Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel.
• Investigate incidents and perform root cause analysis.
• Validate Azure resource configurations against hardening standards.
• Develop automation for recurring security checks and remediation tasks.

Skills

Cloud security

Security operations

Detection engineering

Incident response

PowerShell/Python scripting

Azure Defender for Cloud

Microsoft Sentinel

Azure AD Entra ID

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field

Tools

IBM QRadar

Palo Alto XSOAR

Azure DevOps / GitHub

Job description

Thales Canada Inc., Defence and Security

Cyber Security Specialist (Information Technology)

Location: Fredericton - Knowledge Park, CanadaIn fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

Ottawa, ON. (CAN.), Hybrid

Position Summary

Thales has a vacancy for a Cyber Security Specialist (Detection Engineer) is responsible for the prevention of Cybersecurity incidents by real-time monitoring, detection, and analysis of potential intrusions. This includes using troubleshooting tools to analyze and respond to cyber threats, writing scripts to aid in quick analysis and response, and responding to security events. The position operates and tunes security tools, provides requirements for new security capabilities and creates use cases for monitoring.

Regulatory Compliance Requirement

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List and/or the US the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access.

Key Areas of Responsibility

As a Cyber Security Specialist (Intermediate), you will operate independently across cloud security operations and DevSecOps, working alongside the CSOC and DevOps teams to detect, investigate, and remediate security risks in a Microsoft Azure environment. You will contribute to measurable improvements in detection coverage, vulnerability remediation, detection engineering, pipeline security, and compliance posture.

Security Monitoring & Incident Response

• Monitor and triage alerts from Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel, working in partnership with the CSOC.
• Investigate suspicious activity and security incidents, perform root cause analysis, and elevate to senior staff or engineering partners when required.
• Maintain accurate incident tracking and documentation throughout the investigation and remediation lifecycle.

Vulnerability & Configuration Management

• Conduct and review vulnerability scan results and platform security recommendations, prioritizing remediation by risk.
• Validate Azure resource configurations (e.g., NSGs, Key Vault, Storage) against hardening standards and best practices.
• Coordinate remediation efforts with DevOps teams and track items through to closure.

Identity & Access Management

• Review Azure AD (Entra ID) roles and enforce least-privilege access.
• Monitor Privileged Identity Management (PIM) activity and audit service principals and managed identities.
• Verify MFA and conditional access compliance across the environment.

Compliance & Governance

• Support alignment with applicable security frameworks and internal policies (e.g., CPCSC, ISO 27001, NIST 800, ITSG).
• Review Azure Policy and compliance scores, and flag deviations for remediation.
• Support audit requests and maintain accurate supporting documentation and evidence.

Security Automation

• Develop automation for recurring security checks and remediation tasks.
• Enhance monitoring, detection, and alerting processes over time.

Additional Responsibilities

• Dashboards Creation / Update
• Detection rules Creation / Regular review / Update
• QA
• Log Parsing
• Preparation and participation to steering committee
• Admin of QRadar
• Monitoring of the SIEM and surrounding environment (firewall, proxy, jump servers, etc.)
• Compliance of the SIEM and surrounding environment (firewall, proxy, jump servers, etc.)
• Security best practices application
• Incident response / Crisis management

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Computer/Software Engineering, Information Security, or a related technical discipline; or an equivalent combination of post-secondary education and relevant hands-on experience.

Experience

• 3-5 years of hands-on experience in cloud security, security operations, detection engineering, or incident response
• Demonstrated experience working independently on day-to-day security operations, with the judgment to recognize when to elevate complex or high-impact decisions.
• Experience working within a structured incident response process and collaborating with a SOC/CSOC.

Technical / Specialized Skills

• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure security tooling, specifically Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel (alert triage, investigation, and detection tuning).
• Experience with Azure cloud security configuration and hardening (NSGs, Key Vault, Storage, Azure Policy, compliance scoring).
• Experience with IBM QRadar, and Palo Alto XSOAR.
• Experience securing CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps and/or GitHub, including SAST, dependency, and container image scanning.
• Working knowledge of Azure AD (Entra ID) identity and access management — RBAC, least privilege, PIM, service principals, managed identities, MFA, and conditional access.
• Experience writing and tuning detections using query languages (e.g., KQL).
• Scripting and automation experience (e.g., PowerShell, Python) to support security checks, and remediation.
• Familiarity with vulnerability management concepts and security hardening baselines.
• Working knowledge of common attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK).

Eligibility / Clearance

• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the role, and to meet Controlled Goods Program and applicable export-control requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications that cover the principles of Cybersecurity such as the GSEC, Security+, or CISSP
• Advanced or specialized certifications such as:
  • SC-200
  • GIAC GCFA/GCIH/GCIA
  • Offsec OSCP

Pay Transparency

The anticipated Total Target Compensation (TTC), inclusive of annual salary and bonus eligibility, for this role is $120,000 to 140,000 CAD Annual. The Company reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant's status protected by local, provincial, and federal laws.

AI

We use artificial intelligence-enabled tools as part of our recruitment process to support activities such as candidate discovery, résumé matching, and interview scheduling. These tools may help screen and assess applications and recommend potential matches based on the requirements within the job description. All hiring decisions, including candidate evaluation, selection, and disposition, are made by human recruiters. Artificial intelligence does not make hiring decisions on our behalf.

What We Offer

• Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:
• Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&DD, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.
• Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.
• Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.
• Voluntary Life, AD&DD, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.
• Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.

Why Join Us?

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