Head of Threat Research

Bitsight; Oregon; Hybrid; USD 156,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid parental leave

Flexible time off

401(k) plan with employer contribution

Life and disability insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Bitsight is seeking a Head of Threat Research to guide a high-impact team in expanding victim intelligence capabilities. You will direct malware research, data collection strategies, and the prioritization of malware investigations to enhance Bitsight's product features.

You will partner with product, engineering, and data science teams to translate telemetry into scalable capabilities while driving innovation in detection and analytics across global threats.

Qualifications

• Broad subject matter expertise across malware infrastructure and C2 methodologies.
• Experience developing detection rules and extracting IOCs from malware analysis.
• Demonstrated experience managing and leading high-performing technical teams in a research or security-focused environment.
• Demonstrated success in architecting complex technical workflows, such as malware analysis, telemetry collection, or large-scale data processing.
• Strong communication and analytical skills, including the ability to identify and solve ambiguous problems.
• Proficient in Python and Go.

Responsibilities

• Establish team priorities for research and development of new victim intelligence collection and analysis capabilities to maximize coverage of impactful victim intelligence
• Lead, mentor, and grow the team of malware researchers and analysts
• Spearhead the development and deployment of next-generation malware emulators, trackers, and crawlers to collect infections telemetry.
• Drive research initiatives into complex C2 communication channels to maintain visibility over botnets.
• Own victim intelligence data quality and drive continuous improvement
• Partner with product, engineering, and data science teams to translate threat telemetry into scalable product capabilities.

Skills

Malware infrastructure

C2 methodologies

IOC extraction

Leading teams

Complex workflows

Communication

Python

Go

Education

B.S. in Computer Science

Job description

Bitsight is a cyber risk management leader transforming how companies manage exposure, performance, and risk for themselves and their third parties. Companies rely on Bitsight to prioritize their cybersecurity investments, build greater trust within their ecosystem, and reduce their chances of financial loss.Built on over a decade of technological innovation, its integrated solutions deliver value across enterprise security performance, digital supply chains, cyber insurance, and data analysis.

• We invented the cyber ratings industry in 2011
• Over 3500 customers trust Bitsight
• Over 600 teammates are dispersed throughout Boston, Raleigh, New York, Lisbon, Singapore, and remote

The Head of Threat Research will lead a high-impact team dedicated to expanding Bitsight's ability to detect compromised systems worldwide. This role involves driving innovation in our data collection strategies, specifically focusing on broad-scale opportunistic domain sinkholing, bot emulation, and other malware tracking techniques to develop one of the world's largest victim intelligence capabilities. This role will own the domain and malware triage workflows in addition to setting priorities for targeted malware investigations. They additionally will serve as the primary champion and advocate for enhancing Bitsight's suite of product features with an evolving set of victim intelligence capabilities and data.

Objectives & Responsibilities

• Establish team priorities for research and development of new victim intelligence collection and analysis capabilities to maximize coverage of impactful victim intelligence
• Lead, mentor, and grow the team of malware researchers and analysts
• Spearhead the development and deployment of next-generation malware emulators, trackers, and crawlers to collect infections telemetry.
• Drive research initiatives into complex C2 communication channels (e.g., P2P, direct IP, hybrid models) to maintain visibility over botnets.
• Own victim intelligence data quality and drive continuous improvement
• Partner with product, engineering, and data science teams to translate threat telemetry into scalable product capabilities.

Qualifications

• Broad subject matter expertise across malware infrastructure and C2 methodologies
• Experience developing detection rules and extracting IOCs from malware analysis
• Demonstrated experience in managing and leading high-performing technical teams in a research or security-focused environment.
• Demonstrated success in architecting complex technical workflows, such as malware analysis, telemetry collection, or large-scale data processing
• Strong communication and analytical skills, including the ability to identify and solve ambiguous problems
• Proficient in standard scripting languages (e.g., Python, Go)

Education

B.S. in Computer Science or similar field, or commensurate experience.

The anticipated hiring base salary range for this position is 156,000.00 - 195,000.00 USD Annual for US-based employees. This range reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, is based on a full-time work schedule, and is Bitsight's good faith estimate as of the date of this posting. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for participation in a bonus or commission plan and an equity grant. Bitsight also offers a competitive benefits package, including but not but limited to medical, dental, and vision insurance; paid parental leave; flexible time off; a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities; life and disability insurance; and tuition reimbursement.

• medical, dental, and vision insurance
• paid parental leave
• flexible time off
• a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities
• life and disability insurance
• and tuition reimbursement

Belonging & Inclusion

Bitsight is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. This means we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind and are committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of your gender identity, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, status as a protected veteran, or status as an individual with a disability.

Culture

We put our people first. Bitsight offers best in class benefits. We devote the same energy to nurturing our company's inclusive culture as we apply to serving our customers' needs. Working at Bitsight will give you the opportunity to fulfill your professional goals and expand your skills.

Open-minded

If you got to this point, we hope you're feeling excited about the job description you just read. Even if you don't feel that you meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply. We're eager to meet people that believe in Bitsight's mission and can contribute to our team in a variety of ways.

Bitsight also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities or based on a sincerely held religious belief in accordance with applicable laws.

This role uses AI-assisted transcription during the interview process. All hiring decisions are made by our recruitment team.

Additional Information for United States of America Applicants:

Bitsight is committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status. Bitsight will not discharge, discipline or in any other manner discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because such employee or applicant has inquired about, discussed, or disclosed the compensation of the employee or applicant or another employee or applicant. Massachusetts Applicants: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment consistent with applicable law. This position may be considered a promotional opportunity pursuant to the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.