Senior Cyber Defense Engineer

Nova Biomedical; Waltham (MA); Hybrid; USD 141,000 - 177,000; Full time

Job summary

Nova Biomedical in Waltham, MA is seeking a Senior Cyber Defense Engineer to build and mature threat intelligence, cyber defense, and automation-enabled security operations. This role blends analytical investigation with engineering discipline to identify and respond to threats while shaping the next generation of security capabilities.

You will lead detection engineering, incident response, and cross-functional investigations, delivering actionable intelligence and improving telemetry,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in cybersecurity, information security, computer science, engineering, or related field.
• Experience in cyber threat intelligence, investigations, security operations, incident response, or related disciplines.
• Strong analytical, investigative, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience producing intelligence products, investigative reports, operational briefings, or security communications.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated curiosity, ownership, and desire to continuously learn and develop.

Responsibilities

• Cyber Defense & Threat Analysis: Analyze emerging threat activity, adversary techniques, and intelligence sources.
• Detect and refine enterprise detection capabilities; improve telemetry, analytics, and monitoring.
• Lead or support investigations of security events and incidents; coordinate with stakeholders.
• Generate intelligence reporting, threat briefings, and operational insights for decision-makers.
• Insider Risk & Cross-Functional Investigations: support investigations involving employees and confidential matters.
• Security Engineering & Continuous Improvement: improve maturity, consistency, and scalability of cyber defense operations.
• Automation, Analytics & Intelligent Operations: identify opportunities to reduce manual effort through automation.

Skills

Threat intelligence

Incident response

Security operations

Analytical skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity/Info Sec/CS/Engineering

Job description

Department: Information Security & Infrastructure Operations
Reports To: Director, Detection & Automation
Location: Waltham, MA (Hybrid)
Salary Range: $141,000 to $176,900 annually

Company Overview

Nova Biomedical is a global leader in advanced analytical and diagnostic technologies supporting healthcare, biotechnology, and life sciences organizations worldwide. Nova relies on secure, resilient, and scalable technology capabilities to support manufacturing operations, research and development, commercial teams, and corporate functions across a global environment.

Position Summary

The Senior Cyber Defense Engineer is a foundational cyber defense role responsible for helping build and mature threat intelligence, cyber defense, detection engineering, investigation, incident response, and intelligent operations capabilities. This position combines analytical thinking, investigative expertise, and engineering discipline to strengthen the organization’s ability to identify, understand, and respond to cyber threats while contributing to the evolution of automation-enabled and AI-assisted security operations. The role is intended for a builder—someone who enjoys solving complex problems, improving capabilities, and helping establish the next generation of cyber defense operations.

Primary Areas Of Focus

• Cyber Defense & Threat Analysis
• Detection Engineering & Operational Visibility
• Incident Response & Investigations
• Operational Intelligence & Situational Awareness
• Insider Risk & Cross-Functional Investigations
• Security Engineering & Continuous Improvement
• Automation, Analytics & Intelligent Operations

Essential Responsibilities

Cyber Defense & Threat Analysis

• Analyze emerging threat activity, adversary techniques, and intelligence sources.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen defensive capabilities and reduce organizational risk.
• Translate threat intelligence into actionable operational and engineering outcomes.
• Support continuous improvement of cyber defense readiness and effectiveness.

Detection Engineering & Operational Visibility

• Develop and refine detection capabilities across enterprise technology environments.
• Improve security visibility through telemetry, analytics, and monitoring enhancements.
• Advance detection quality, coverage, and operational effectiveness.
• Contribute to scalable detection engineering practices and standards.

Incident Response & Investigations

• Lead or support the investigation of security events, incidents, and suspicious activity.
• Coordinate response activities across technical and business stakeholders.
• Support containment, recovery, and post-incident improvement efforts.
• Ensure investigations are conducted in a consistent, defensible, and well-documented manner.

Operational Intelligence & Situational Awareness

• Produce intelligence reporting, threat briefings, and operational insights.
• Provide actionable information to support security and business decision-making.
• Improve organizational awareness of cyber risks and emerging threats.
• Contribute to strategic and operational security communications.

Insider Risk & Cross-Functional Investigations

• Support investigations involving employee, compliance, legal, privacy, and security concerns.
• Partner with business stakeholders on sensitive and confidential matters.
• Maintain appropriate investigative documentation, evidence handling, and confidentiality practices.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of investigative processes and standards.

Security Engineering & Continuous Improvement

• Improve the maturity, consistency, and scalability of cyber defense operations.
• Contribute to operational standards, procedures, and best practices.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen resilience, efficiency, and security outcomes.
• Support implementation of new capabilities and operational improvements.

Automation, Analytics & Intelligent Operations

• Identify opportunities to reduce manual effort through engineering and automation.
• Contribute to workflow automation, orchestration, and intelligent operations capabilities.
• Leverage analytics to improve operational performance and decision-making.
• Support the evolution of AI-assisted cyber defense capabilities and processes.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Security, Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• Experience in cyber threat intelligence, investigations, security operations, incident response, detection engineering, or related disciplines.
• Strong analytical, investigative, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience producing intelligence products, investigative reports, operational briefings, or security communications.
• Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated curiosity, ownership, and desire to continuously learn and develop.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting manufacturing, healthcare, life sciences, or other regulated environments.
• Experience with enterprise cyber defense, monitoring, analytics, detection, response, or observability capabilities.
• Experience developing detections, investigations, operational analytics, or threat-informed defensive controls.
• Familiarity with automation, orchestration, workflow engineering, advanced analytics, or AI-enabled operational concepts.
• Relevant cybersecurity certifications are desirable.

Success Profile

The ideal candidate is intellectually curious, analytical, self-motivated, and passionate about cyber defense. They combine investigative thinking with engineering discipline, communicate effectively across technical and business teams, and demonstrate the ability to translate insight into action. They are eager to broaden their expertise across detection engineering, automation, analytics, and intelligent operations while helping build a world-class cyber defense capability.

Working Conditions

Occasional travel may be required. Participation in after-hours investigations, incident response activities, maintenance windows, and critical business events may be required based on operational needs.

Why Join Nova Biomedical

This role offers the opportunity to help shape the future of cyber defense at a global healthcare technology organization. The successful candidate will work alongside experienced technology and security professionals while building capabilities that improve resilience, security, operational efficiency, and business outcomes across the enterprise. Beyond contributing to critical cyber defense operations, this role provides a unique opportunity to gain experience across threat intelligence, investigations, incident response, detection engineering, operational analytics, automation, and AI-assisted security operations. As Nova continues to mature its cyber capabilities, this position offers a natural path toward advanced engineering responsibilities, technical leadership, and increased ownership of strategic cyber defense initiatives. This role is intended for individuals who are excited to build, innovate, and continuously expand their skills while helping protect a mission-driven organization.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Nova Biomedical is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.