Staff Detection & Response Engineer - Federal

Staff Detection & Response Engineer - Federal

Location: San Francisco Hybrid (USA)

About the Role

As a Staff Detection & Response Engineer at Okta, you will occupy a high-impact leadership role within our Security Operations organization. This is not just a technical role; it is a strategic one. You will influence security decisions across multiple teams, drive innovation in our defense-in-depth strategies, and act as a force multiplier for our global security posture.

You will be responsible for leading complex threat hunts, managing major security incidents, and architecting the detection frameworks that protect Okta’s infrastructure and customers. You will serve as a bridge between executive leadership and technical teams, ensuring our security objectives align with broader business trends and strategic goals.

What You’ll Do

Technical Leadership & Innovation

• Threat Hunting: Lead complex, hypothesis-driven threat hunts based on vague intelligence, and develop refined methodologies for the broader team to follow.
• Detection Engineering: Write novel detections and solve complex querying challenges. You will establish the frameworks and standards for detection engineering across the entire security organization.
• Architectural Influence: Design and validate the effectiveness of preventative control chains and influence the selection and architecture of new security solutions.
• Incident Response: Serve as the technical lead for major incidents, including investigating threats in "foreign" or uncommon environments by leveraging frameworks and your professional network.

Global Mindset: While Okta maintains a 24x7posture, there is a requirement to be available in a crisis out of (your business) hours, and as a thought leader, to interface with colleagues globally.

Strategic Execution

• Project Ownership: Own multi-quarter objectives and drive them to success, developing project plans that align with Okta’s strategic VMTs (Vision, Metrics, and Targets) and budget.
• Problem Solving: Navigate issues of diverse scope, analyzing data against current business trends to provide innovative solutions.
• Innovation: Secure resources for and drive innovation initiatives across multiple teams, facilitating cross-functional workshops to generate new security solutions.

Team Advocacy & Mentorship

• Culture Building: Foster an inclusive, collaborative environment by sharing wins, rewarding team efforts, and encouraging diverse perspectives.
• Mentorship: Act as an advisor to junior colleagues, providing actionable feedback and helping others align their career goals with organizational objectives.
• Consensus Driving: Drive consensus and resolve issues within cross-functional teams, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned on security priorities.

Who You Are

• Expert Investigator: You have a deep understanding of threat actor TTPs and can navigate complex systems even when documentation is sparse.
• Effective Communicator: You can translate complex technical problems for any audience, from executive leadership to junior analysts.
• Resilient Leader: You have a "bottom-line" orientation, persisting through obstacles and setbacks to achieve results.
• Self-Aware & Empathetic: You proactively seek feedback, know your limits, and lead with empathy and compassion.
• Collaboratively Minded: You prioritize the development of others and establish internal and external networks of coaches and mentors.
• US Citizen or Greencard : You will be expected to work on FEDRAMP systems as part of your day to day. Exposure to and/or experience in this environment would be beneficial.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a high-growth SaaS or security-focused environment.
• Expertise in querying languages, detection frameworks (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK), and modern IR toolsets.
• Experience managing communications during crises or major security incidents.
• Demonstrated ability to lead project teams and manage budget/resource requirements.
• Strong background in automating response workflows and refining preventative controls.

Why Okta? Okta is the World’s Identity Company. We are building a world where anyone can safely use any technology. As a Staff Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring that vision remains a reality.

Additional requirements:

• This position requires the ability to access federal environments and/or have access to protected federal data. As a condition of employment for this position, the successful candidate must be able to submit documentation establishing U.S. Person status (e.g. a U.S. Citizen, National, Lawful Permanent Resident, Refugee, or Asylee. 22 CFR 120.15) upon hire.

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