Operations Lead – Incident Response

Forensic Focus; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Forensic Focus in Auckland is seeking an Operations Lead for Incident Response to direct major IR engagements from initial discovery through containment and recovery.

You will perform hands-on forensic analysis across endpoints, networks and cloud, lead threat-hunting efforts, and translate findings into actionable guidance for technical and executive stakeholders, contributing to organizational resilience against evolving cyber threats.

Qualifications

• Proven experience coordinating complex incident response engagements.
• Strong digital forensics and investigative skills.
• Familiarity with NIST and SANS frameworks; threat hunting capability.

Responsibilities

• Lead major IR engagements from initial investigation through containment and recovery.
• Conduct hands-on forensic analysis across endpoints, networks and cloud environments.
• Translate technical findings into clear guidance for technical and executive stakeholders.

Skills

Incident response leadership

Digital forensics

NIST frameworks

SANS frameworks

Threat hunting

Threat intelligence

Stakeholder communication

Job description

# Operations Lead – Incident Response*DEFEND***Auckland**Onsite · Lead/Principal · Full-time### The RoleThis role leads major cyber incident response engagements from initial investigation through containment and recovery. Responsibilities include hands-on forensic analysis across endpoint, network and cloud environments, proactive threat hunting, compromise assessments, and translating technical findings into clear guidance for technical and executive stakeholders.### Skills & ExperienceRequires proven experience coordinating complex IR engagements, strong digital forensics and investigative skills, familiarity with NIST and SANS frameworks, threat hunting capability, and use of threat intelligence. Strong communication, stakeholder management and mentoring abilities are essential.### Who It SuitsSuited to an experienced incident response leader who thrives under pressure, enjoys hands-on forensic investigation, and wants to mentor others while building organisational resilience against evolving cyber threats.Compare Incident Response salaries in New Zealand →Certifications mentioned:SANS — find training for these on theDFIR Training Finder.Learn More/Apply