Operations Lead - Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM)

Defend Ltd.; Wellington; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

3.5% KiwiSaver on top of base salary

Health Insurance - Southern Cross

Mobile & Broadband discounts

Flexible, hybrid work environment

Home office setup allowance

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Job summary

DEFEND is seeking an experienced CTEM Operations Lead to coordinate and optimise continuous threat exposure management for client environments. You will drive risk-based prioritisation, vulnerability remediation, and support executive reporting to improve cyber resilience.

You will collaborate with detection engineering, security operations, GRC, and client teams to articulate risk, lead process improvements, and ensure effective exposure reduction across engagements.

Qualifications

• Experience leading CTEM operations across customer environments.
• Experience with vulnerability management, attack surface management and exposure reduction activities.
• Ability to translate complex technical risk into actionable business insights.
• Ability to develop and implement operational processes and reporting frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the operational delivery of CTEM services across customer environments.
• Coordinate vulnerability management, attack surface management, security validation, and exposure reduction activities.
• Monitor trends and exposure data to identify priority risks and remediation needs.
• Collaborate with customers to prioritise remediation based on business risk and threat intel.
• Coordinate validation activities to ensure controls operate effectively.
• Produce operational and executive reports showing risk trends and improvements.
• Drive continuous CTEM improvements for efficiency and outcomes.
• Work with detection engineering, security operations, GRC, and customer teams for coordinated risk reduction.

Skills

CTEM methodologies

Attack Surface Management

Exposure management

Security frameworks

Risk-based prioritisation

Stakeholder management

Operational reporting

Technical risk communication

Tools

Attack Surface Management Platforms

Exposure Management Platforms

Reporting tools (BI/Excel)

Job description

At DEFEND, we provide top-tier cyber resilience by helping organisations continuously understand, validate, prioritise, and reduce cyber risk.

The focus of the CTEM Operations Lead is to coordinate and optimise continuous threat exposure management activities, ensuring customers maintain visibility of their attack surface, understand priority risks, and drive measurable risk reduction outcomes.

Through operational leadership and stakeholder engagement, they help transform exposure data into actionable security improvements.

In this role you’ll…

• Lead the operational delivery of Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) services across customer environments.
• Coordinate vulnerability management, attack surface management, security validation, and exposure reduction activities.
• Monitor and analyse trends and exposure data to identify priority risks requiring remediation or mitigation to improve cyber resilience.
• Collaborate with customers to prioritise remediation efforts based on business risk and threat intelligence.
• Coordinate validation activities to confirm security controls are operating effectively.
• Produce operational and executive reports highlighting risk trends, exposure reduction progress, and improvement opportunities.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance CTEM efficiency, effectiveness, and customer outcomes.
• Work closely with detection engineering, security operations, GRC, and customer teams to ensure a coordinated approach to risk reduction.

You’ll bring…

• Expertise in modern CTEM methodologies.
• Experience working with attack surface management and exposure management platforms.
• Knowledge of security frameworks and risk-based prioritisation methodologies.
• Ability to communicate technical risks to both technical and business stakeholders.
• Experience developing operational processes and reporting frameworks.
• Strong stakeholder management and customer engagement capabilities.
• Commitment to continuous improvement and measurable security outcomes.

About DEFEND:

Our dream at DEFEND is to improve everyday life by creating a cyber resilient world. Over the last few years, we've experienced phenomenal growth, working with a wide variety of customers and winning several industry awards, including Microsoft's Global Partner of theYear for 2025!

Why DEFEND?

We believe in investing in our employees’ growth and providing them with opportunities to advance their skills and careers. We offer a collaborative workplace culture, and we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where innovative thinking is encouraged.

By joining our innovative and creative team you will have the opportunity to contribute a variety of cybersecurity outcomes, from culture & awareness of cyber resilience, through to offensive & defensive security. No matter what your role, everyone at DEFEND contributes towards our dream ofcreating a cyber resilient world.

The benefits of working at DEFEND

In addition to workingfor a growing, dynamic NZcompany, DEFEND offers the following benefits to all ourDEFENDers

• 3.5%Kiwisaveron top of your base salary
• Southern Cross Health Insurance coverage
• Mobile and Broadband discounts for yourself and family
• Flexible, hybrid work environment
• An allowance to contribute to your home office setup
• Access to EAP services to support youacross a range of wellbeing needs

Diversity & Inclusion:

At DEFEND, we celebrate a variety of perspectives and experiences. We know from experience that people from underrepresented groups often don’t apply for roles they don’t feel they meet all the criteria for. We’re committed to creating an environment that enables all our team to thrive. If you think you have what it takes, but don’t check every single box, please consider applying. We’d love to hear how you might contribute to the team and being our next DEFENDer.