Head of Detection and Response

Plaid; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 216,000 - 329,400; Full time

Job summary

Plaid is building a new Detection and Response org in Seattle to defend its financial infrastructure. You will lead a specialized team of analysts and engineers, collaborating with the CISO and engineering leadership to stand up critical security capabilities.

The role emphasizes building scalable detection infrastructure, AI-driven triage, and proactive fraud and red team activities, ensuring Plaid maintains a strong security posture.

Qualifications

• 8–14 years in detection & response or security engineering.
• Strong background guiding SIEM, EDR and SOC operations.
• Experience managing security analysts and engineers.
• Ability to build cross-functional relationships and drive security maturity.
• High-empathy communication skills for staff-level leadership.

Responsibilities

• Form Plaid’s Detection and Response team from scratch, defining culture and standards.
• Lead day-to-day incident response operations and measure program effectiveness.
• Mentor a technical team responsible for detection infrastructure, AI-driven triage, and tooling.
• Oversee Fraud Operations and Red Team activities for proactive security.
• Communicate risks and gains to CISO, CTO, COO through collaboration.
• Define and track metrics to demonstrate D&R program impact.

Skills

Detection & Response leadership

Security engineering

SIEMs & EDR

SOC operations

Team management

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

AI for security

Tools

SIEM

EDR

Job description

We believe that the way people interact with their finances will drastically improve in the next few years. We’re dedicated to empowering this transformation by building the tools and experiences that thousands of developers use to create their own products. Plaid powers the tools millions of people rely on to live a healthier financial life. We work with thousands of companies like Venmo, SoFi, several of the Fortune 500, and many of the largest banks to make it easy for people to connect their financial accounts to the apps and services they want to use. Plaid’s network covers 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada, UK and Europe. Founded in 2013, the company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Washington D.C., London and Amsterdam.

We are hiring for a leader for the newly forming Detection and Response team at Plaid. Our mission is to protect Plaid's financial infrastructure by detecting and responding to suspicious activity across the company. We are responsible for the entire lifecycle of detection and response, including detection infrastructure, AI triage and response, investigation tooling, Red Teaming, and Fraud Operations. Security is foundational to the trust thousands of businesses and millions of consumers place in Plaid, and we work directly to reduce risks and enable our business to move faster and safer.

As the Head of Detection and Response, you will be the founding leader responsible for standing up and evaluating Plaid's detection and response team. You will lead a specialized technical team of analysts and engineers, gain deep experience partnering with the CISO and cross-functional engineering leaders, and build critical security infrastructure at scale. This is a unique leadership opportunity to manage a team that encompasses traditional security operations alongside Red Teaming and Fraud Operations, directly impacting Plaid's security posture and long-term stability.

Responsibilities

• Form and set up Plaid’s Detection and Response team from scratch, defining its culture and operational standards.
• Lead the day-to-day operations for incident response and evaluate the overall effectiveness of the detection and response program.
• Manage and mentor a technical team responsible for detection infrastructure, AI-driven triage, and investigation tooling.
• Oversee Fraud Operations and Red Team activities to ensure a proactive and comprehensive security posture.
• Partner with senior leadership (CISO, CTO, COO) to communicate security risks and maturity gains achieved through influence and cross-functional collaboration.
• Define and track metrics to evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the D&R program.

Qualifications

• Must haves:
  • 8-14 years of overall detection and response or security engineering experience.
  • Strong technical background in security or detection engineering, with the ability to guide work on SIEMs, EDR, and SOC operations.
  • Experience managing a team of security analysts and engineers in an operational, platform, or infrastructure context.
  • Ability to build cross-functional relationships and drive security maturity through influence rather than authority.
  • High-empathy communication skills with the ability to represent technical work to Staff-level leadership.
  • Strong AI-first skillset applicable to security operations.
• Nice to have:
  • Experience at a fintech or high-technology organization adjacent to payments/finance.
  • Background in fraud investigation or software engineering.

Our mission at Plaid is to unlock financial freedom for everyone. To support that mission, we seek to build a diverse team of driven individuals who care deeply about making the financial ecosystem more equitable. We recognize that strong qualifications can come from both prior work experiences and lived experiences. We encourage you to apply to a role even if your experience doesn't fully match the job description. We are always looking for team members that will bring something unique to Plaid!

Plaid is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion or religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, military or veteran status, disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Plaid is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance with your application or interviews due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].

Please review our Candidate Privacy Notice here.

Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay is based on factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience and skillset, and location. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.

Compensation Range: $216K - $329.4K