Cybersecurity Lead

ThreatX; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Threat X, Inc. is seeking a Cybersecurity Lead to unite offensive and defensive security operations in San Jose, CA. This role drives detection, response, and recovery, leading Blue Team capabilities, incident response, and coordinated Red Team exercises to continuously improve defense.

The leader will bridge strategy and hands-on execution, shaping security telemetry, playbooks, and automation across hybrid cloud environments while communicating risk and improvements to executives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee Blue Team operations, detection tooling, and incident response playbooks.
• Coordinate Red Team simulations and adversary emulation exercises to improve defenses.
• Drive continuous tuning of detection rules and integration across on-prem and cloud environments.
• Translate findings into actionable defense improvements and executive insights.

Skills

Blue Team leadership

Incident response

Purple Team exercises

MITRE ATT&CK knowledge

Threat emulation planning

Cloud security monitoring

Scripting and automation

Hybrid/production security engineering

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field

Tools

SIEM

EDR/XDR

SOAR

Threat intelligence platforms

Job description

Cybersecurity Lead

The Cybersecurity Lead serves as a hands-on technical leader responsible for uniting offensive and defensive security operations to continually improve the company’s ability to detect, respond to, and recover from cyber threats.

This role will lead the Blue Team in managing and enhancing security monitoring tools, detection pipelines, and incident response processes, while also coordinating Red Team simulations that measure and improve the company’s defensive posture.

Reporting to the Director of Cybersecurity, this leader bridges strategy and execution driving the mission to emulate adversaries, strengthen controls, and transform findings into actionable defense improvements.

Key Responsibilities:

Blue Team Operations and Tool Management

• Lead and oversee the management, configuration, and tuning of security detection and response platforms, including:

  • SIEM (e.g., Splunk, PANW, or Azure Sentinel)

  • EDR/XDR (e.g., CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender)

  • SOAR automation platforms

  • Network IDS/IPS, NDR, and threat intelligence platforms (TIPs)

• Ensure all detection tools are integrated for end-to-end visibility across endpoints, cloud environments, and production systems

• Define standards for log collection, parsing, and correlation to enhance alert accuracy and reduce false positives

• Drive continuous tuning of detection rules, signatures, and use cases to align with MITRE ATT&CK and emerging threats

• Collaborate with IT and Engineering teams to ensure security telemetry is fully integrated into cloud and CI/CD environments

• Oversee threat hunting, alert triage, and incident response playbook execution across the security stack

• Partner with DevOps and infrastructure teams to embed security monitoring hooks into hybrid environments and new deployments

Red Team and Offensive Security

• Design and conduct controlled adversary emulation exercises to test detection and response capabilities

• Execute attack chains including phishing, privilege escalation, persistence, and lateral movement using real-world TTPs

• Develop and maintain custom adversary scripts and payloads to simulate targeted threats

• Provide detailed post-exercise reports with actionable defensive improvement recommendations

• Collaborate with Blue Team engineers to operationalize detections based on Red Team findings

Incident Response and Continuous Improvement

• Lead or co-lead major incident response efforts, coordinating containment, investigation, and recovery

• Build and maintain detailed incident response runbooks, integrating lessons learned from purple team exercises

• Conduct root cause analysis and lead retrospectives that drive measurable improvements in detection and resilience

• Integrate threat intelligence and forensic insights into detection content and defensive playbooks.

• Plan and execute adversarial simulations that validate threat detection, alert fidelity, and incident response readiness

• Develop the roadmap for continuous improvement of detection coverage, response automation, and control validation

• Serve as a technical escalation point for complex investigations, guiding both Red and Blue Team staff

• Translate technical results into executive-level insights that demonstrate risk reduction and readiness improvement

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field (or equivalent experience)

• 8+ years of cybersecurity experience, with proven leadership across Blue, Red, or Purple Team operations

• Demonstrated ownership of enterprise security detection tools, including SIEM, EDR/XDR, SOAR, and threat intel platforms

• Strong understanding of MITRE ATT&CK, Cyber Kill Chain, and threat emulation frameworks.

• Deep technical expertise in one or more of the following areas:

  • Endpoint and network forensics

  • Cloud security monitoring (AWS, Azure, GCP)

  • Scripting and automation (Python, PowerShell, Bash)

  • Security engineering in hybrid or production environments

• Proven ability to lead incident response and purple team exercises from start to finish

• Certifications such as OSCP, GCFA, GCIH, GPEN, GXPN, or GCTI highly desirable

• Strong communication and leadership skills, with ability to engage both executive stakeholders and technical teams

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in enterprise or production-scale environments, ideally within SaaS, networking, or hybrid cloud infrastructures

• Familiarity with DevSecOps practices, CI/CD pipeline security, and cloud-native monitoring

• Prior experience mentoring Blue Team analysts and managing tool life cycles and vendor relationships

• Exposure to purple team automation frameworks (e.g., AttackIQ, Caldera, Scythe)

AI Use Guidelines for Interviews: Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process.

Why Join Us:

This role sits at the intersection of offensive and defensive cybersecurity where every exercise directly strengthens the company’s real-world resilience. As Cybersecurity Lead, you’ll shape how attacks are simulated, how detections evolve, and how incidents are contained ensuring the organization stays one step ahead of its adversaries.

A10 Networks is an equal opportunity employer and a VEVRAA federal subcontractor. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. A10 also complies with all applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.

#LI-AN1 - Hybrid

Targeted compensation guideline: $140,000 - $185,000. Compensation will vary based on number of factors, including market demand for specific skills, role type, job level, and individual qualifications. Final salary offers are determined by considerations including, but not limited to, subject matter expertise, demonstrated skill level, relevant experience, geographic location, education, certifications, and training.