Lead, Detection Engineer - Cyber Defense & Response

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Lead detection engineer heading cyber threat capabilities at Prudential in Newark, NJ.

Drive advanced detection, mentor teams, and shape security strategy across diverse tech.

Title and Location

Title: Lead, Detection Engineer - Cyber Defense & Response

Location: Newark, NJ, USA

Description: Job Classification:

Technology - Information Security

Are you interested in building capabilities that enable the organization with innovation, speed, agility, scalability and efficiency? The Global Technology team takes great pride in our culture where digital transformation is built into our DNA! When you join our organization at Prudential, you’ll unlock an exciting and impactful career – all while growing your skills and advancing your profession at one of the world’s leading financial services institutions.

Your Team & Role

As a Lead Detection Engineer within the Cyber Defense and Response organization, you will drive the strategic evolution of the enterprise’s cyber threat detection capabilities. You will enhance the overall security posture of the organization through leadership in the design, development, and deployment of advanced detection logic, ensuring coverage across a diverse and complex technology landscape.

You will leverage deep technical expertise, broad threat domain knowledge, and innovative problem-solving to architect scalable, high-fidelity threat detection capabilities. You will establish and refine methodologies for identifying sophisticated threat actors as early as possible in the cyber kill chain, while guiding the team in operationalizing intelligence, automating workflows, and strengthening detection resilience.

In this role, you will lead initiatives that require expert-level analysis of ambiguous data, complex systems, and numerous interdependent factors. You will mentor team members, champion inclusive leadership and continuous learning, and ensure alignment with business and risk priorities. Strong communication, strategic judgment, and an ability to influence across the organization are essential to your success.

Here is What You Can Expect on a Typical Day

As a Lead , you will perform all responsibilities of a Specialist while also providing technical leadership, strategic direction, and cross-team coordination , such as:

• Lead the design and implementation of enterprise-scale cyber threat detection capabilities across diverse technologies, ensuring accuracy, resilience, and alignment with risk priorities.
• Drive advanced research into adversarial TTPs , guiding the team in creating innovative and proactive detection methodologies across varied cloud & on-prem platforms
• Partner strategically with Cyber Threat Intelligence to prioritize, shape, and operationalize intelligence into high-impact, sustainable detection coverage.
• Collaborate with Cyber Threat Hunting to transform successful hunts into automated, scalable detections and long-term detection hypotheses.
• Architect and oversee development of detection engineering automations , frameworks, and reusable tooling to accelerate team velocity and maturity.
• Identify, influence, and implement detection engineering tooling, infrastructure, and data visibility improvements across the enterprise.
• Provide authoritative insight on detection and visibility gaps , driving remediation efforts with platform owners, security architects, and engineering teams.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to establish security requirements, uplift telemetry coverage, and strengthen detection and response capabilities.
• Coach, mentor, and elevate team members , fostering technical excellence, analytical rigor, and innovative thinking.
• Champion emerging technologies and best practices , embedding continuous improvement and modern engineering approaches into day-to-day operations.

The Skills & Expertise You Bring

All Specialist-level capabilities plus elevated expectations in leadership, strategy, and influence:

• Extensive experience in detection engineering, incident response, threat hunting, or similar security operations roles, with a proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives.
• Expert understanding of Risked based alerting strategies and detection methodologies , capable of designing enterprise-wide detection models and influencing risk scoring frameworks.
• Deep knowledge of large enterprise architectures , including networks, operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux), cloud ecosystems, and modern telemetry pipelines.
• Expert-level understanding of adversarial frameworks including MITRE ATT&CK and the Cyber Kill Chain, with demonstrated ability to translate them into operational detection logic.
• Advanced proficiency in Splunk Enterprise Security (ES) and its architecture, including correlation searches, risk frameworks, data models, and performance optimization.
• Advanced experience with SPL and KQL , including designing scalable, optimized, and maintainable detection libraries.
• Strong familiarity with SOAR, CI/CD, code repositories, and engineering pipelines , with the ability to influence development best practices for detection content.
• Ability to lead with inclusivity , leveraging diverse ideas and perspectives to achieve better analytical outcomes and team performance.
• Demonstrated leadership in continuous learning , staying ahead of emerging technologies, threats, and engineering methodologies.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills , with the ability to influence across technology, security, and business stakeholders.

Applied experience with several of the following:

• Cyber Detection Engineering
• Cyber Threat Hunting
• Cyber Threat Intelligence
• Digital Forensics & Incident Response
• Security Automation & Orchestration (Python-based)
• Insider Risk Investigations

Preferred qualifications

• Industry relevant certifications such as GDAT, GCDA, GCTD, GCTI, GMON, GPEN, GCIH, GCFA, OSCP, OSCE, OSWE, or equivalent.

You’ll Love Working Here Because You Can

Join a team and culture where your voice matters; where every day, your work transforms our experiences to make lives better. As you put your skills to use, we’ll help you make an even bigger impact with learning experiences that can grow your technical AND leadership capabilities. You’ll be surprised by what this rock-solid organization has in store for you.

What we offer you

• Prudential is required by state specific laws to include the salary range for this role when hiring a resident in applicable locations. The salary range for this role is from $123,700.00 to $204,100.00. Specific pricing for the role may vary within the above range based on many factors including geographic location, candidate experience, and skills.
• Market competitive base salaries, with a yearly bonus potential at every level.
• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, Paid Time Off (PTO), and leave of absences, such as parental and military leave.
• 401(k) plan with company match (up to 4%).
• Company-funded pension plan.
• Wellness Programs including up to $1,600 a year for reimbursement of items purchased to support personal wellbeing needs.
• Work/Life Resources to help support topics such as parenting, housing, senior care, finances, pets, legal matters, education, emotional and mental health, and career development.
• Education Benefit to help finance traditional college enrollment toward obtaining an approved degree and many accredited certificate programs.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan: Shares can be purchased at 85% of the lower of two prices (Beginning or End of the purchase period), after one year of service.
• Eligibility to participate in a discretionary annual incentive program is subject to the rules governing the program, whereby an award, if any, depends on various factors including, without limitation, individual and organizational performance. To find out more about our Total Rewards package, visit Work Life Balance | Prudential Careers. Some of the above benefits may not apply to part‑time employees scheduled to work less than 20 hours per week.

Legal and Equal Opportunity

Prudential Financial, Inc. of the United States is not affiliated with Prudential plc. which is headquartered in the United Kingdom.

Prudential is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetics, disability, marital status, age, veteran status, domestic partner status, medical condition or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please email accommodations.hw@prudential.com.

If you are experiencing a technical issue with your application or an assessment, please email careers.technicalsupport@prudential.com to request assistance.