Cyber Defense Engineer I

Kansas State University; Manhattan (KS); On-site; USD 71,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Kansas State University is seeking a Security Operations Engineer to monitor threats, detect incidents, and coordinate rapid responses within the Security Incident Operations Center (SIOC). This on-site role ensures resilient IT assets and proactive threat containment across the university.

The ideal candidate has 3–5 years in security operations, hands-on SIEM experience (Splunk, QRadar, ArcSight), scripting skills, and familiarity with NIST and MITRE frameworks.

Qualifications

• Requires a high school diploma (or equivalent) and seven years of relevant experience in network security or network engineering including experience and knowledge of network protocols.
• 3–5 years of experience in security operations or incident response.
• Proficiency in scripting languages (Python, PowerShell, Bash).
• Knowledge of Windows and Linux operating systems.
• Familiarity with security frameworks (NIST, MITRE ATT&CK).
• Experience with cloud security monitoring (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• SIEM administration and log analysis.

Responsibilities

• Monitor university security posture and detect incidents.
• Coordinate incident response and containment.
• Maintain SOC capabilities and optimize detection capabilities.
• Support vulnerability management and secure infrastructure operations.

Skills

Security operations

Incident response

Scripting (Python/PowerShell/Bash)

Education

High school diploma

Tools

Splunk

IBM QRadar

ArcSight

Job description

Kansas State University is seeking a Security Operations Engineer to monitor threats, detect incidents, and coordinate rapid responses within the Security Incident Operations Center (SIOC). This on-site role ensures resilient IT assets and proactive threat containment across the university.

The ideal candidate has 3–5 years in security operations, hands-on SIEM experience (Splunk, QRadar, ArcSight), scripting skills, and familiarity with NIST and MITRE frameworks.