Senior Defensive Content Engineer

Hack The Box; United States; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 annual leave days

Paid parental leave

Home Office Allowance

Training and conference budget

State-of-the-art equipment

Flexible working hours

Job summary

Hack The Box in the United States is seeking a Senior Defensive Content Engineer to architect, build, and validate live-fire cyber ranges and threat hunting labs that elevate defensive capabilities for enterprise clients worldwide.

You will join a global Content Engineering team, collaborating with engineering, infrastructure, product, and marketing to deliver immersive cybersecurity experiences and high-impact training.

Qualifications

• Expert proficiency with defensive security tools and core detection domains.
• Proven track record designing content for Cyber Ranges or CTF events.
• Deep understanding of OS internals, enterprise apps, and system administration.

Responsibilities

• Architect, build, and deploy live-fire cyber ranges and threat hunting scenarios.
• Collaborate with engineers across departments to drive technical excellence.
• Contribute to Sherlocks, CTF tracks, and large-scale pro labs content.
• Conduct threat research into vulnerabilities and adversary techniques.

Skills

Defensive security tooling

Content engineering experience

OS internals understanding

Structured, self-motivated

English proficiency

Tools

SIEM

EDR

Wireshark

Volatility

Autopsy

IDA

VMware

Cloud platforms

Job description

Welcome! Super excited you dropped by
Let's redefine cyber security expertise standards and connect business - community through highly engaging hacking experiences. (Find out more insights about Hack The Box culture in our career site).

The core mission of the Senior Defensive Content Engineer:

As a Senior Defensive Content Engineer, you will play a pivotal, hands‑on technical role within an elite team of content engineers. Your mission: architect, build, and rigorously validate complex, live-fire cyber ranges and threat hunting labs that directly elevate the defensive capabilities of top-tier enterprise organizations worldwide.

The fellowship you’ll be joining:

Our specialized Defensive Content team creates industry‑leading Sherlocks, Forensic CTF challenges, and Cyber Ranges. As part of the broader 30+ member Content Engineering organization across the globe, you will collaborate closely across engineering, infrastructure, product, and marketing to deliver immersive, high‑impact cybersecurity experiences.

Please, have in mind that for this kind of position, we usually give some priority to individuals that have submitted content in the past or can showcase some related work(offensive or defensive content) they've engineered. If you have created content, make sure to share with us some details along with your application.

Technology tools & weapons you’ll be using:

• SIEM, EDR, Wireshark, Windows, Linux, VMware, Cloud Platforms

Interesting resources you should check:

• Explore our insights on Threat Ranges to understand the core environments you will be building.
• Learn how players tackle Sherlocks, one of our flagship defensive lab formats.
• Meet our Content Engineering team

The adventures that await you after becoming Senior Defensive Content Engineer at Hack The Box:

• Architect & Build: Design, build, and deploy highly engaging live-fire cyber ranges and threat hunting scenarios tailored for enterprise‑grade training.
• Collaborate & Lead: Partner with talented engineers across departments to drive technical excellence and push the boundaries of defensive training.
• Innovate Content: Contribute to and review advanced Sherlocks, competitive CTF tracks, and large‑scale Pro Labs scenarios.
• Threat Research: Conduct deep research into novel vulnerabilities, modern exploit techniques, adversary TTPs, and real‑world threat actors to keep content cutting‑edge.

Skills, knowledge, and experience points required to unlock the role of the Senior Defensive Content Engineer at Hack The Box:

• Tooling & Technical Mastery: Expert proficiency with defensive security tools (e.g., SIEM, EDR, Wireshark, Volatility, Autopsy, IDA) and core domains such as detection engineering, digital forensics, and malware analysis.
• Content Engineering Experience: Proven track record of designing content for Cyber Ranges, Capture The Flag (CTF) events, or interactive learning platforms.
• Systems & Infrastructure: Deep understanding of OS internals, enterprise applications, and system administration (Windows, Linux, VMware, Cloud platforms).
• Mindset: Self‑motivated, structured, and genuinely passionate about cybersecurity education and gamified learning.
• Communication: Full professional proficiency in written and spoken English.

Bonus Points:

• 2+ years of hands‑on experience in real‑world Defensive Security Operations (SecOps / SOC / Incident Response).
• Practical expertise with Infrastructure-as-Code and orchestration tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible).

What your Hack The Box adventure will have in store:

• You’ll have the exhilarating opportunity to contribute to a product that is highly appreciated by users and the cybersecurity community at large
• You’ll experience a highly supportive and caring environment, fostering growth, flexibility, and autonomy
• You’ll embark on an exciting journey of continuous learning and problem‑solving, leveling up as our organization grows
• Most importantly, you’ll have a blast at HTB because fun is an essential ingredient in our recipe for success! Just wait until you see our global meet‑ups!

The gems you’ll be enjoying as a Senior Defensive Content Engineer:

• We have also other benefits that will keep you happy:
• 25 annual leave days
• Paid parental leave
• Home Office Allowance
• Dedicated budget for training and professional development, participation in conferences
• State‑of‑the‑art equipment
• Full access to the Hack The Box lab offerings; so you can learn how to hack
• Flexibility in working hours

Our benefits package is designed to provide strong support to our team, but it may vary depending on location and type of employment (e.g., UK, Greece, or engagement through an Employer of Record).

The Quest of Becoming Hack The Box’s Senior Defensive Content Engineer:

• Level 1: To complete level one’s objective, submit your application.
• Level 2: Meet the Talent Acquisition team. Level’s objective: highlight your past achievements, ambitions, and values.
• Level 3: Meet the hiring team. Level’s objective: connect with the hiring team and share with them your achievements.
• Level 4: Complete an assignment that align with day‑to‑day job‑related tasks and responsibilities. Part of the assignment is discussing it with the hiring team in a debriefing session, in order to walk the team through your thinking process.
• Level 5: Congratulations! Not many reach this level . Level’s objective: have a constructive, final conversation with senior leadership to explore the role and your future at HTB.
• Level 6: You’ve officially received an offer from HTB! To complete the last level and the Quest, all you need to do is accept the offer.
• Quest complete. Congratulations, you’re officially one of us Your next quest: complete the onboarding.

Hack Your Career, Today. Join us in this epic adventure of cybersecurity at Hack The Box!

At Hack The Box, we are on a quest to find the most exceptional and enthusiastic talent to join our team. Whether or not you consider yourself a gamer, we value what makes you unique and want to know more about you. This job post provides just a glimpse of the incredible gamified experience our business and consumer customers enjoy through our platforms. So, if you're ready to embark on a journey of growth and adventure, we can't wait to meet you!

ABOUT HTB:

Hack The Box is the leading cyber readiness platform for the agentic era, battle‑testing and upskilling both humans and AI agents to enhance organizational cyber resilience. Trusted by the Fortune 500, government agencies, and MSSPs, the platform delivers threat‑informed learning paths consisting of real‑world scenarios in gamified labs and live‑fire simulations that build and validate offensive and defensive cyber capabilities. With a loyal community of more than 4 million members and 800+ enterprise customers, Hack The Box empowers teams and intelligent systems alike to strengthen cyber defenses and reduce breach risk effectively.

Rapidly growing its international footprint and reach, Hack The Box is headquartered in the UK, with additional offices in the US, Australia, and Greece.

News & Resources:

• We’re incredibly proud to share that our headquarters in the UK, along with our entities in Greece and the US, have been certified as a Great Place to Work for 4 consecutive years (2023 – 2026).
• In addition, our Greek entity has been recognized among the Best Workplaces in Greece (4th, 2nd, 3rd, 1st) and Europe (7th, 10th, 73rd) during this period — a testament to our strong culture and commitment to creating an exceptional employee experience!

Take a sneak peek at how it is to be part of HTB. Get more insights about our HTB culture and employee experience by visiting the “about us” section of our site, our career site, and Glassdoor.

At Hack The Box, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We believe that diversity enriches our performance, services, and the communities we serve. As such, we ensure that all job applications are considered solely based on merit, skills, and qualifications. We do not discriminate on grounds of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We are dedicated to providing a fair and respectful work environment that reflects our values.