Engagement Lead, Canada

Arete IR Advisors Canada ULC; Canada; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Arete IR Advisors Canada ULC seeks a seasoned engagement lead to direct client conversations and drive incident response engagements. You will educate clients on cost-benefit analyses, manage internal and external teams, and ensure timely deliverables and budgets are adhered to. Strong leadership across global teams is essential.

You will guide security implementations, coordinate recovery planning, and maintain clear communication with clients to align with SLAs and project milestones.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a computer science related discipline and 8+ years related experience or Master's Degree and 6+ years related experience or J.D. and 4+ years related experience
• Minimum of 1 industry certifications: GCFA, GCFE, GCIH, GISP, CISSP, Security+, MCSC, Network+, or equivalent
• Fluent in Canadian French

Responsibilities

• Respond to Client, Counsel, Carrier (CCC) following KPIs and request urgency
• Lead the technical conversation and set engagement direction
• Educate Client on cost–benefit analyses and decision impact
• Guide Client on cost-benefit considerations and SLA alignment
• Maintain accountability for timely password changes within 24 hours
• Monitor engagement budgets and time entries
• Provide routine updates to Client regarding action items and SLA
• Coach and mentor junior team members
• Identify add-on opportunities and drive governance of engagement

Skills

Digital investigations

Incident response

Client engagement

Leadership

Training & mentorship

Budget management

Education

Bachelor's in CS or related

Master's in CS or related

J.D. in related field

Tools

EDR tools

IAM/Zero Trust

SIEM

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Networking concepts

Job description

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Responds to Client, Counsel, Carrier (CCC) in accordance with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and urgency of requests Is solely responsible for the success, failure, and management of all team members’ activities and communications during the engagement Engagement Management (External): Leads the technical conversation and drive the direction and strategy of the engagement Educates the Client on how to make an informed decision Guides the Client on the importance of conducting a cost vs. benefit analysis Maintains accountability for accurate and timely password changes within 24 hours Builds the strategy for success and deliver it Assists client with developing and executing their recovery plans Establishes priorities for their IT and Arete engagement personnel Is the subject matter expert on various technologies, infrastructure, and engagement-specific items Tracks progress to completion Engagement Management (Internal): Communicates clearly and manages priorities by role ensuring each team member understands their tasks, values, and time to deliver Ensures project workstreams are being delivered on-time Monitors budget and team hours against allocated hours within the statement of work (SOW) Ensures daily time entry is complete within Project management tool for the team Ensures project workstreams are being delivered on-time Ensures project budget is correct. Identifies potential overages and requests amendments when workstream budgets reach 75%, if necessary Ensures the engagement team is utilized to a blended 70% Easily identifies opportunities for add-on services to continue assisting Clients with Arete resources Ensures teams execute tasks successfully and validates work product quality Provides routine updates to CCC regarding overall engagement and action items Delivers to the Client on-time based on agreed upon service level agreement (SLA) and/or as needed Coaches and mentors junior team members Proposes tactics and strategies that impact overall processes May perform other duties as assigned by management

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Excellent time management and organizational skills Widely recognized technical abilities Ability to teach others Proficiency with reading the room and adjusting conversational style accordingly. Ability to navigate difficult conversations effortlessly Expert at managing client expectations Ability to independently train, mentor, coach and lead team members globally and take ownership over their wins and losses Ability to lead projects with security implementations Thorough background or knowledge of network enterprise systems administration Thorough knowledge and understanding of operating systems and hardware architectures: Linux/Unix, Mainframe, Windows, Cloud, etc. Thorough knowledge and experience with core set of standard Industry technology and platforms and familiarity with cybersecurity tools. Hands-on not required but a plus Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions E-mail platforms: Microsoft Office (M365), On-premises Exchange, Google Workspace Anti-virus (AV) vendors Identity Access Management (IAM)/Zero Trust systems Disaster Recover Plans Firewall and Virtual Private Network (VPN) platforms Remote access tools Knowledge of Enterprise architecture Network segmentation Cloud Provider Platforms: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) On-premises technologies, Physical and Virtual Servers, Firewalls, routers, storage, Security Information Event Management (SIEM), Multi-factor authentication DMZ configurations Thorough knowledge of containment, preservation, and acquisition of data within compromised IT environments Thorough knowledge of email servers: on-premises, cloud hosted, and third-party hosted Demonstrates deep understanding of configurations Understands how email servers connect to or authenticate with Active Directory (AD) Understands how to collect relevant logs from popular email services (Exchange, Exchange Online, Google Workspace, and M365) Familiarity with or knowledge of how to familiarize oneself with additional platforms as required Comfortable directing IT personnel to perform collection of required log information Knowledgeable with securing email platforms and directing IT administrators on proper configuration techniquesAbility to establish priorities, work independently and proceed with objectives with minimal supervision

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Minimum of 7 years conducting digital investigations or leading full-cycle incident response investigations for a major consulting firm or global IR company Bachelor's degree in a computer science related discipline and 8+ years related experience or Master's Degree and 6+ years related experience or J.D. and 4+ years related experience Minimum of 1 industry certifications: GCFA, GCFE, GCIH, GISP, CISSP, Security+, MCSC, Network+, or equivalent Fluent in Canadian French

DISCLAIMER

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required personnel so classified.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

While performing the responsibilities of this position, the work environment characteristics listed below are representative of the environment the employee will encounter: Usual office working conditions. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

No physical exertion required Travel within or outside of the state Light work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force as frequently as needed to move objects

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

Salary and benefits shall be paid consistent with Arete salary and benefit policy.

FLSA OVERTIME CATEGORY

Job is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

DECLARATION

The Arete Incident Response Human Resources Department retains the sole right and discretion to make changes to this job description.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer- and celebrate our employees’ differences, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or Veteran status. Different makes us better. Arete Incident Response is an outstanding (and growing) company with a very dedicated, fun team. We offer competitive salaries, fully paid benefits including Medical/Dental, Life/Disability Insurance, 401(k) and the opportunity to work with some of the latest and greatest in the fast-growing cyber security industry. When you join Arete... You’ll be doing work that matters alongside other talented people, transforming the way people, businesses, and things connect with each other. Of course, we will offer you great pay and benefits, but we’re about more than that. Arete is a place where you can craft your own path to greatness. Whether you think in code, words, pictures or numbers, find your future at Arete, where experience matters.

• fully paid benefits including Medical/Dental, Life/Disability Insurance, 401(k)

Equal Employment Opportunity We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer- and celebrate our employees’ differences, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or Veteran status. Different makes us better. Arete Incident Response is an elite team of the world’s leading cybersecurity and digital forensics experts who combat today’s sophisticated cyberattacks. We work tirelessly to provide unparalleled capabilities and solutions throughout the entire cyber incident life cycle. These include incident response readiness assessments and penetration tests as well as post-incident response, remediation, containment, and eradication services. We work in close collaboration with industry leaders and government agencies along with leading cybersecurity technology platforms to deliver an innovative, intelligence-based approach to solving our client’s toughest challenges. If you want to work with the most talented and experienced people in the industry with the desire to be a cyber hunter and industry expert, we want you to be a part of our team.