Principal Security Analyst — AI-Driven MDR/SOC

Critical Start, Inc.; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 80,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary with bonus

Comprehensive health benefits

Unlimited PTO

Parental and Military Leave

401(k) with matching

Life Insurance and Disability

Employee Assistance Program

Wellness initiatives

Pet benefits discount

Job summary

Critical Start, Inc. is hiring a Principal Security Analyst to join our 24x7 SOC. You will triage MDR alerts, analyze events, and guide response actions using AI-assisted tools. The role emphasizes collaboration with senior analysts and engineers to reduce risk for our customers.

You will contribute to playbooks, improve automation, and ensure escalations are accurate. Strong communication and meticulous review are essential for success in a fast-paced security environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 12 months of SOC tenure or equivalent experience.
• CySA+ certification or equivalent required.
• Ability to apply AI within the security workflow.

Responsibilities

• Initial triage of MDR alerts.
• Participate in 24x7 monitoring teams.
• Analyze events and threat intel with Critical Start SOC AI.
• Recommend response actions for active attacks.
• Implement response actions with supervisor approval.
• Create playbooks and automations in the MDR SOAR.
• Review orchestrations for accuracy before adding to the registry.
• Serve as SME within the platform.

Skills

SOC experience

CySA+ Certification

AI in security workflows

Tools

EDR platforms

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

CrowdStrike Falcon

Palo Alto Cortex XDR

Microsoft Defender Suite

Job description

Critical Start, Inc. is hiring a Principal Security Analyst to join our 24x7 SOC. You will triage MDR alerts, analyze events, and guide response actions using AI-assisted tools. The role emphasizes collaboration with senior analysts and engineers to reduce risk for our customers.

You will contribute to playbooks, improve automation, and ensure escalations are accurate. Strong communication and meticulous review are essential for success in a fast-paced security environment.