Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence & Detection

Synchrony; Costa Mesa (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 290,000; Full time

Job summary

Synchrony is seeking a Cyber Intelligence Leader to oversee CTI, Detection Engineering, and Cyber Hunt programs. You will translate threat signals into actionable intelligence, drive proactive hunts, and deliver measurable detection improvements across the enterprise.

You will define intelligence requirements, build MITRE ATT&CK-aligned detections, lead a detection engineering function, and partner with SOC to elevate alert fidelity while guiding risk-based responses and governance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or an equivalent degree.
• 8–12+ years of cybersecurity experience with depth in threat intelligence, threat hunting, detection engineering, and/or incident response.
• 3+ years leading teams and/or enterprise programs with measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience building and operationalizing detections within a SIEM/EDR environment and partnering with SOC/IR.
• Strong knowledge of adversary tactics and frameworks (MITRE ATT&CK) and applying them to detection coverage.
• Proficiency working with security telemetry across endpoint, network, cloud, and edge; strong investigative mindset.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to brief executives and produce clear technical documentation/runbooks.
• Ability and flexibility to travel for business as required

Responsibilities

• Define intelligence requirements and collection plans focused on threats relevant to financial services and Synchrony’s environment.
• Produce strategic, operational, and tactical intelligence (executive reporting, actor/campaign tracking, TTP and IOC packages).
• Translate intelligence into detection content, hunt hypotheses, response playbooks, and prioritized mitigations.
• Manage the intelligence lifecycle (collection → analysis → production → dissemination → feedback).
• Lead hypothesis-driven hunts mapped to MITRE ATT&CK, focused on high-risk scenarios and validated by available telemetry.
• Coordinate hunts across endpoint, network, cloud, identity, and edge/WAF; document repeatable hunt playbooks.
• Escalate validated suspicious activity to Incident Response and support containment/remediation as needed.
• Convert hunt findings into durable improvements: detections, data onboarding/enrichment, and control remediation.
• Lead a detection engineering function responsible for building and maintaining detection content and analytics across the enterprise.
• Develop detection standards (naming, severity, testing criteria, evidence requirements, runbooks) and a structured tuning process.
• Ensure detections are threat-informed (ATT&CK-mapped), measurable, and aligned to JSOC workflow and triage capacity.
• Drive detection validation through purple-team/attack simulation outcomes and real incident lessons learned.
• Partner with SOC to improve alert fidelity, reduce noise, and ensure clear escalation criteria and responder guidance.
• Maintain a detection backlog and release cadence; ensure change control and documentation for auditability.
• Perform other duties and/or special projects as assigned.

Skills

Threat intelligence

Threat hunting

Detection engineering

Incident response

Leadership

MITRE ATT&CK

SIEM/EDR

Executive briefing

Security telemetry

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related

Tools

SIEM

EDR

Threat intel platforms

Job description

Synchrony is seeking a Cyber Intelligence Leader to oversee CTI, Detection Engineering, and Cyber Hunt programs. You will translate threat signals into actionable intelligence, drive proactive hunts, and deliver measurable detection improvements across the enterprise.

You will define intelligence requirements, build MITRE ATT&CK-aligned detections, lead a detection engineering function, and partner with SOC to elevate alert fidelity while guiding risk-based responses and governance.