Applied Cyber Security Researcher

Aon plc; Illinois; Remote; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with employer contributions

Employee stock purchase plan

Medical, dental and vision insurance

Paid vacation and holidays

Job summary

A leading global professional services firm is seeking an Applied Cyber Security Researcher to work virtually in the USA. This role involves thorough research on emerging cyber threats, data analysis for security purposes, and providing support during incident response efforts. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in cybersecurity and a minimum of 5 years’ experience. Key responsibilities include analyzing threats, producing intelligence reports, and enhancing security operations. This position offers a salary ranging from $150k to $175k annually, based on qualifications.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of cybersecurity experience with focus on threat intelligence.
• 3+ years conducting cyber threat research and analysis.
• Experience analyzing large-scale security datasets.

Responsibilities

• Conduct in-depth research on emerging cyber threats.
• Analyze unique security data sets.
• Produce detailed tactical intelligence reports.

Skills

Threat intelligence analysis

Cybersecurity research

Malware analysis

Data analysis

Threat hunting

Tools

SIEM

EDR/XDR

Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs)

Python

Job description

Applied Cyber Security Researcher position with Aon. This role involves researching emerging threats, analyzing security data sets, and operationalizing intelligence into practical security outcomes. You will collaborate with incident response and security operations teams to support investigations, enhance detection coverage, and integrate new security capabilities into Aon’s environment.

Overview

This position has a virtual USA workstyle. Eastern Time or Central Time Zone is preferred.

What The Day Will Look Like

As an Applied Cyber Security Researcher, you will spend your time researching emerging threats, analyzing various security data sets, and operationalizing intelligence into practical security outcomes. Your day work will involve malware and adversary behavior analysis, proactive threat hunting, development of detections and signals, and engineering tactical solutions to address evolving risks.

You will collaborate with incident response and security operations teams to support investigations, enhance detection coverage, and integrate new security capabilities into Aon’s environment.

Job Responsibilities

• Research and Analysis: Conduct in‑depth research on emerging cyber threats, attack vectors, and security vulnerabilities.
• Analyze unique and large‑scale security data sets to enhance security operations across Aon.
• Analyze malware, exploit kits, and other malicious tools to understand behavior, techniques, and potential countermeasures.
• Threat Intelligence: Gather, correlate, and analyze intelligence from multiple internal and external sources to identify potential threats.
• Produce detailed tactical intelligence reports and threat assessments to support operational and leadership decision‑making.
• Develop, maintain, and improve threat intelligence feeds, tooling, and workflows.
• Operationalize threat intelligence to improve detection, response, and overall security posture.
• Participate in proactive threat hunting activities to identify threats and indicators of compromise within Aon’s environment.
• Apply multiple data sources to develop threat hunting hypotheses, signals, and techniques to uncover malicious activity.
• Create and maintain threat hunting playbooks based on emerging adversary behaviors and techniques.
• Incident Response Investigation Support: Assist in incident response activities by offering specialized knowledge and investigative support during security incidents.
• Collaborate with the Proactive Threat Operations team, Aon AC3, and other cybersecurity teams to support investigation and response efforts.
• Security Operations Enablement: Perform data analysis to identify trends, patterns, and indicators of compromise.
• Create, tune, and curate detections and signals to enhance threat detection capabilities.
• Support day‑to‑day security operations by developing and implementing security tools, workflows, and technologies.
• Engineer tactical solutions to address immediate security needs and active incidents.
• Collaborate with security operations teams to integrate new security technologies and tooling into existing infrastructure.
• Provide technical support and expertise to sustain and improve ongoing security operations.

Skills And Experience That Will Lead To Success

• 5+ years of experience in cybersecurity, with a strong focus on threat intelligence, threat research, or security operations
• 3+ years of hands‑on experience conducting cyber threat research, including analysis of emerging threats, attack vectors, and vulnerabilities
• 3+ years of experience analyzing large‑scale security datasets to identify malicious activity, trends, and indicators of compromise
• Proven experience performing malware analysis, including investigation of malicious tools, exploit kits, and attacker techniques
• 3 or more years of demonstrated experience across the threat intelligence lifecycle, including collection, correlation, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence from multiple sources
• Demonstrated ability to produce high‑quality tactical intelligence reports and threat assessments for both technical and executive audiences
• 2+ years of experience operationalizing threat intelligence to enhance detection, incident response, and overall security posture
• 2+ years of hands-on threat hunting experience using investigative approaches and multiple security telemetry sources
• Solid understanding of adversary behaviors, techniques, and frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK
• Experience creating and maintaining threat hunting playbooks, investigative procedures, and repeatable workflows
• Experience supporting incident response investigations, providing technical expertise during active security incidents
• 3+ years of experience working with security operations teams (SOC, threat operations, IR) in an enterprise environment
• Demonstrable ability to build, tune, and curate detections, alerts, and signals to improve threat detection coverage
• Strong data analysis skills with the ability to identify patterns, anomalies, and behavioral indicators of compromise
• Ability to engineer tactical security solutions and respond effectively in time‑sensitive or high‑pressure scenarios
• Excellent ability to convey information clearly in writing and speech, with the capacity to explain complex threats and findings

Preferred Skills

• 5+ years of demonstrated experience in threat intelligence, threat hunting, or advanced security operations roles
• Experience integrating and operationalizing new security technologies within a large enterprise environment
• Hands‑on experience with SIEM, EDR/XDR, SOAR, and Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs)
• Scripting or query experience (e.g., Python, KQL, SPL, SQL) for analysis, detection engineering, or automation
• Experience developing custom tooling or workflows to support threat operations and investigations
• Familiarity with cloud security telemetry and hybrid enterprise environments
• Prior experience working in a global, highly regulated, or complex enterprise environment
• Relevant industry certifications (e.g., GCTI, GCFA, GREM, CRTO, GCIH or equivalent)

How We Support Our Colleagues

In addition to our comprehensive benefits package, we encourage an inclusive workforce. Our agile environment supports wellbeing and work/life balance, with two “Global Wellbeing Days” each year. We offer various working style solutions for our colleagues.

Our continuous learning culture helps you learn, share and grow, so you can achieve your fullest potential. Aon values an innovative and inclusive workplace where all colleagues feel empowered to be their authentic selves. Aon is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

Aon provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran or domestic partner status, or other legally protected status. People with criminal histories are encouraged to apply.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities and fostering an inclusive workplace. If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, please let us know. You can request accommodations by emailing [e-mail] or your recruiter. We will work with you to meet your needs and ensure a fair and equitable experience.

For positions in San Francisco and Los Angeles, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with local Fair Chance ordinances.

Pay and Benefits

Aon offers a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and regular part-time colleagues, including a 401(k) plan with employer contributions; employee stock purchase plan; medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off, including 12 paid holidays per year and 15 days of paid vacation; paid sick leave as provided under state and local laws; disability and life insurance; and additional benefits as described in plan documents. The salary range for this position is $150k-$175k annually, with actual salary based on education, experience, skills, and location.