Sr. Threat Detection and Incident Response Engineer

100000 Motorola Solutions, Inc.; Illinois; On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Motorola Solutions Inc. is seeking a Senior Security Threat Detection and Incident Response Engineer to advance proactive threat management and automated response.

You will drive AI-assisted workflows, test robust detection logic, and collaborate with SOC across multi-cloud environments to safeguard critical systems. Responsibilities include designing scalable detection platforms, leading purple team exercises, and performing post-incident analyses to improve defenses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or Information Technology, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain scalable threat management, detection, and incident response platforms across multi-cloud environments.
• Design automated workflows and playbooks leveraging AI-assisted actions to streamline triage and mitigation.
• Observe, analyze system telemetry to identify threat detection gaps and deploy robust detection logic.
• Serve as escalation point for high-severity security alerts and participate in on-call rotation.
• Conduct purple team exercises to validate detection efficacy and incident readiness.
• Drive post-incident reviews and root-cause analyses to feed improvements into detection pipelines.

Skills

Cloud Security

Scripting & Automation

SOAR & API Integration

Linux/UNIX

CNAPP/CDR

Telemetry & Log Architecture

Communication

Incident Escalation

Compliance Mindset

AI-driven Playbooks

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Cybersecurity/IT

Tools

Python

REST APIs

Webhooks

Caldera

Stratus Red Team

Splunk

Snowflake

Microsoft Sentinel

Datadog

Job description

Company Overview At Motorola Solutions, we believe that everything starts with our people. We’re a global close-knit community, united by the relentless pursuit to help keep people safer everywhere. We build and connect technologies to help protect people, property and places. Our solutions foster the collaboration that’s critical for safer communities, safer schools, safer hospitals, safer businesses, and ultimately, safer nations. Connect with a career that matters, and help us build a safer future.

Department Overview At Motorola Solutions, our technology protects the people and communities who protect us all. The CPS Threat Management team operates at the core of our mission of "Solving for safer." We design, deploy, and continuously advance intelligent defense platforms that safeguard mission-critical systems and public safety infrastructure against emerging threats across multi-cloud and enterprise ecosystems.

Job Description We are seeking a Senior Security Threat Detection and Incident Response Engineer to advance our proactive threat management capabilities and automated response posture. In this role, you will champion the integration of intelligent workflows and AI-driven playbooks to elevate how our global security operations observe, analyze, and mitigate cyber incidents in real time. You will work at the intersection of threat research, cloud defense engineering, and operational response, partnering closely with Architecture, Cloud Security, and SOC teams to help ensure our defenses are robust and resilient. Whether designing autonomous remediation logic, investigating complex incidents, or running collaborative purple team simulations, your contributions will protect critical environments where reliability is essential. A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or equivalent practical experience will set you up for success in this role.

Responsibilities:

• Threat Detection Engineering & Automation: Build and maintain scalable threat management, detection, and incident response platforms across multi-cloud environments
• Design and implement automated workflows and playbooks leveraging AI-assisted actions to streamline triage and mitigation
• Observe, oversee, and analyze system telemetry to identify threat detection gaps and deploy robust, high-fidelity detection logic
• Incident Response Operations & Purple Teaming: Serve as an escalation point for high-severity security alerts and participate in an on-call rotation to investigate and remediate active security incidents
• Partner with SOC and Incident Response peers to conduct structured purple team exercises that validate detection efficacy and incident readiness
• Drive post-incident reviews and root-cause analyses to feed actionable improvements directly back into detection pipelines
• Architecture Alignment & Governance: Partner with Architecture and Security Engineering teams to help ensure secure implementation of enterprise platforms and detection tools
• Support technical adherence to relevant security control baselines, compliance standards, and NIST 800 53 governance frameworks
• Collaborate cross-functionally across engineering and technical operations to help deliver measurable security resilience across our technology stack

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or Information Technology - preferred 5+ years of experience in information security, threat detection, or incident response
• Must be a U.S. citizen with the ability to obtain necessary security clearance as required by government contract
• Technical Expertise: Cloud Security: Experience securing and monitoring multi-cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• Scripting & Automation: Proficient in Python or another modern programming language to build integrations and automated workflows
• SOAR & API Integration: Direct experience leveraging REST APIs, webhooks, and orchestration tools to automate response playbooks
• Linux/UNIX Systems: Strong operational proficiency with Linux/UNIX environments, CLI tooling, and system-level logging
• Cloud Detection Technologies: Experience working with Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) or Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) solutions
• Telemetry & Log Architecture: In-depth familiarity with endpoint (EDR/XDR telemetry like Sysmon, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne), network flow, identity/IAM logs (Okta, Azure AD/Entra ID, AWS CloudTrail), and centralized SIEM/data-lake querying (e.g., Snowflake, Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Datadog)
• Collaborative Communication: Demonstrated ability to communicate technical security risks and findings to diverse stakeholders including developers, product management, and legal partners
• Incident Escalation: Proven track record acting as an incident responder or escalation point during active operational security events
• Compliance Mindset: Background supporting security compliance reviews and aligning threat management practices with regulatory standards
• Preferred Qualifications: Experience utilizing agentic AI agents, LLMs, or assisted intelligence frameworks in security operations
• Hands-on experience with purple teaming and adversarial simulation frameworks such as Caldera or Stratus Red Team
• Familiarity with digital forensics fundamentals (memory/disk triage, live response scripting, timeline creation)
• Familiarity with modern web-based application design, API security, and application security principles
• Familiarity with cloud-native containerized architectures and orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes
• Professional industry certifications such as CISSP, GCIA, GCIH, or cloud security credentials

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or Information Technology or a related field with 5+ years of experience in information security, threat detection, or incident response (OR) 8+ years equivalent experience in lieu of a Bachelor's degree.
• 5+ years experience in Cloud Security, Scripting & Automation, SOAR & API Integration, Cloud Detection Technologies, Telemetry & Log Architecture.
• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Must be able to obtain background clearance as required by government customer.

Travel Requirements Under 10% Relocation Provided None

Position Type Experienced Referral Payment Plan Yes

U.S. Benefits include:

• Incentive Bonus Plans Medical, Dental, Vision benefits 401K with Company Match 10 Paid Holidays Generous Paid Time Off Packages Employee Stock Purchase Plan Paid Parental & Family Leave and more!

Target Base Salary Range: $110,000 - $130,000 USD Consistent with Motorola Solutions values and applicable law, we provide the following information to promote pay transparency and equity. Pay within this range varies and depends on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The actual offer will be based on the individual candidate.

EEO Statement

Motorola Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally-protected characteristic.

We are proud of our people-first and community-focused culture, empowering every Motorolan to be their most authentic self and to do their best work to deliver on the promise of a safer world. If you’d like to join our team but feel that you don’t quite meet all of the preferred skills, we’d still love to hear why you think you’d be a great addition to our team. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruiting experience for candidates with disabilities, or other physical or mental health conditions. To request an accommodation, please complete this Reasonable Accommodations Form so we can assist you.

Motorola Solutions Overview At Motorola Solutions, we believe that everything starts with our people. We’re a global close-knit community, united by the relentless pursuit to help keep people safer everywhere. We build and connect technologies to help protect people, property and places. Our solutions foster the collaboration that’s critical for safer communities, safer schools, safer hospitals, safer businesses, and ultimately, safer nations. Connect with a career that matters, and help us build a safer future. Learn more at www.motorolasolutions.com. If you are a current Motorola Solutions employee, please click this link to apply through your Workday account.