Principal Applied Threat Intelligence Analyst - Microsoft Security Threat Response

Overview

Security represents the most critical priorities for our customers in a world awash in digital threats, regulatory scrutiny, and estate complexity. Microsoft Security aspires to make the world a safer place for all. We want to reshape security and empower every user, customer, and developer with a security cloud that protects them with end to end, simplified solutions. The Microsoft Security organization accelerates Microsoft's mission and bold ambitions to ensure that our company and industry is securing digital technology platforms, devices, and clouds in our customers' heterogeneous environments, as well as ensuring the security of our own internal estate.

Microsoft Security Research, is at the front line of defending Microsoft customers and the broader ecosystem against the worlds most sophisticated threat actors. Our Applied Threat Production Intelligence team transforms raw signal from Microsofts scale of telemetry into actionable, customer-facing intelligence that empowers defenders, informs product decisions, and shapes the public narrative on the threat landscape. We partner deeply across Microsoft Threat Intelligence, product engineering, research, marketing, and communications to ship intel that moves markets and protects organizations everywhere.

Responsibilities

As a Principal Applied Threat Intelligence Analyst, you will:

• Author and publish high-impact threat intelligence reports (actor profiles, campaign analyses, trend reports, TTP deep-dives, vulnerability profiles) for both customer-facing and internal audiences.

• Translate complex technical findings into clear, prescriptive guidance for security operations teams, executives, and the broader defender community.

• Partner with product, research, marketing, and communications teams to land intelligence through Microsofts customer-facing surfaces (Agentic Security, Defender XDR, Sentinel, blogs, briefings).

• Build and refine the pipelines, tooling, and workflows that allow Microsoft to stream insightful cyber threat intelligence to customers machine speed.

• Represent Microsoft Threat Intelligence in customer briefings, industry conferences, and cross-industry working groups.

• Mentor analysts and contribute to tradecraft, analytic standards, and team-wide knowledge sharing.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
• OR Masters Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 4+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
• OR Bachelors Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 6+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
• OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements:

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

Microsoft Cloud Background Check:

• This position will be required to pass the Microsoft background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 5+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
• OR Masters Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 8+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
• OR Bachelors Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 12+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
• OR equivalent experience.
• 10 + years of experience in cyber threat intelligence, threat hunting, incident response, or a closely related security discipline.
• Demonstrated experience producing finished threat intelligence reporting for technical and/or executive audiences.
• Attribution experience creating threat groups, assessing connections between established threat groups, and communicating attribution assessments to internal stakeholders and customers in a timely manner.
• Working experience with Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender XDR (or directly comparable SIEM/XDR platforms).
• Understanding of adversary tradecraft, the cyber kill chain, and frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK, the Diamond Model, and structured analytic techniques.
• Written and verbal communication skills, with a portfolio of public or customer-facing intelligence writing.
• Experience with endpoint, cloud, network, and identity-based attacks and datasets.
• Comprehensive OS security/internals knowledge.
• Understanding of network protocols and analytical experience with network infrastructure data & telemetry.
• Reverse-engineering with static and behavioral binary analysis experience.
• Functional understanding of common threat analysis models such as the Diamond Model, Cyber Kill Chain, and MITRE ATT&CK.
• Programming or scripting background (Python, PowerShell, C#, C++, etc.)

#MSSecurity

Security Research IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.