Senior SOC Engineer

The University of Southern California (USC) Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) is seeking a Senior SOC Engineer with an exceptional commitment to service excellence to join its team.

As the Senior SOC Engineer, you will be an integral member of the Security Operations team of the Office of the CISO.

The Senior SOC Engineer is responsible for the maintenance, tuning, and optimization of the Security Information Events and Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration and Automation Response (SOAR) tools to assist with the response

to security threats from various platforms and technologies. The Engineer will analyze the Security Operations Center

(SOC) Team’s event correlation and incident data to identify trends, false positives, and provide enhancements where necessary to improve the efficacy of the security alerts. In addition, the individual is expected to have skills in data analytics and preferably skills in programming or scripting languages.

THE WORK YOU WILL DO

The Senior SOC Engineer will:

• Act as Subject Matter Expert for SIEM and SOAR solutions and be able to manage, operate, and configure the systems to support day-to-day work, ensuring performance impact is monitored and that tools are always available with applicable updates.
• Creates configuration baselines to provide guidance on how systems are managed and hardened against security threats and vulnerabilities. Builds security test plans to ensure successful implementation of new/existing solutions. Serves as the technical point of contact to schools/units to implement baselines across different operating systems. Supports the security engineering lifecycle to design, build, deploy, and manage enterprise infrastructure and solutions to enable compliance with university policies and standards.
• Gathers requirements supporting security engineering projects and engages in those that actively evaluate existing solutions, looking for areas of improvement.
• Contributes to the design and deployment of security solutions, ensuring efficacy in threat protection for university endpoints and data assets. Maintains security operations’ infrastructure to support day-to-day work, ensuring performance impact is monitored and that tools are always available with applicable patches and updates.
• Ensures procedures and service level agreements are defined, tracked and met. Provides input on the reporting and metrics captured by governance and risk management. Creates reports on system security status and potential/actual violations with procedural recommendations provided. Contributes to the implementation of daily, weekly and monthly metrics for statistical threats and key performance indicators.
• Stays current with proven/emerging technologies that could strengthen security posture, as well as with any changes in legal, regulatory, and technology environments which may affect operations. Develops and maintains internal/external partnerships with relevant stakeholders to drive effective incident resolutions and the deployment of new security solutions. Ensures senior management and staff are informed of any changes and updates in a timely manner.
• Influences departmental goals and objectives (e.g., workforce planning, compensation). Promotes an environment that fosters inclusive relationships and creates unbiased opportunities for contributions through ideas, words, and actions that uphold principles of the USC Code of Ethics. Establishes and maintains appropriate network of professional contacts and memberships in professional organizations. Attends meetings, seminars and conferences, and maintains required/desirable certifications, if applicable.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
• 4 years’ hands-on experience with security engineering technologies and solutions (e.g., EDR/XDR, Cloud security tools, file integrity monitoring, information security configuration, data security platforms, CASB, DLP, IDS/IPS, firewalls).
• Excellent understanding of information security engineering process from acquisition, design, build, and operation.
• Excellent understanding of security controls frameworks (e.g., CIS Top20, NIST CSF, 800- 53). Experience defining and deploying security hardening guidelines. Proven understanding of CIS benchmarks and customer service metrics.
• Excellent understanding of the technology stack from OS, system, network and applications. Experience managing different operating systems and configuration standards. Experience with database administration, access management and systems/data backup, storage and recovery.
• Ability to plan, organize and document complex system design activities. Excellent written and oral communication skills, able to interact with a broad spectrum of people on a technical and professional level to share complex information. Proven analytical, consulting and problem-solving skills, with exceptional attention to detail. Excellent organizational skills and proven ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously. Ability to teach/train others.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in information technology, computer science, or related fields.
• 6 or more years of related experience
• Knowledge of network security zones, firewalls, SIEMs, IDS and SOAR workflows. Knowledge of log formats for syslog, http logs, DB logs and how to gather forensics for traceability back to event. Knowledge of packet capture and analysis.
• Demonstrated understanding of information security engineering processes (e.g. acquisition, design, build, operation). Experience with log management or security information management tools.
• Experience in higher education
• Security Certifications

THE ITS TEAM

The ITS vision aligns strategy, business, and services; affirms ITS cultural values; empowers cross-functional teamwork; embraces world-class best practices; and promotes innovation, excellence, agility, and efficiency. To achieve this vision, ITS is committed to providing a modern technology infrastructure that is resilient and delivers the performance necessary to meet the demands of a growing customer base, training in the latest technologies for its highly productive and motivated workforce, outstanding customer experience, and technology services that are aligned with the university’s mission to provide exceptional learning opportunities for students. ITS is creating a workplace where employees can develop cutting-edge skills, take pride in the services they provide, and have access to the roles and career paths that align to their abilities and potential.  We are looking for top talent to join us on our journey.

ITS CULTURE

USC’s ITS organization represents a diverse and talented team, committed to supporting a collaborative culture and delivering secure and innovative IT services that are core to the mission of the university. We are also committed to creating and maintaining meaningful partnerships across the university. At ITS, we act with integrity in the pursuit of excellence; embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion; promote well-being; engage in open two-way communication, and are accountable for living our values. ITS strives for a supportive and inclusive culture that encourages employees to do their best work every day and where individuals are recognized and celebrated for their contributions.

ABOUT USC

USC is the leading private research university in Los Angeles—a global center for arts, technology, and international business. With more than 47,500 students, we are located primarily in Los Angeles but also in various US and global satellite locations. As the largest private employer in Los Angeles, responsible for $8 billion annually in economic activity in the region, we offer the opportunity to work in a dynamic and diverse environment, in careers that span a broad spectrum of talents and skills across a variety of academic and professional schools and administrative units. As a USC employee and member of the Trojan Family—the faculty, staff, students, and alumni who make USC a great place to work—you will enjoy excellent benefits, including a variety of well-being programs designed to help individuals achieve work-life balance. USC values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in employment.

Come join the USC ITS team and work as a trusted partner in shaping an environment of innovation and excellence. Apply today!

Minimum Education:
Bachelor’s degree
Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
Minimum Experience:
4 years
Combined education/experience as substitute for minimum experience
Minimum Field of Expertise:
Four years’ hands-on experience with security engineering technologies and solutions (e.g., EDR/XDR, Cloud security tools, file integrity monitoring, information security configuration, data security platforms, CASB, DLP, IDS/IPS, firewalls). Excellent understanding of information security engineering process from acquisition, design, build, and operation.
Excellent understanding of security controls frameworks (e.g., CIS Top20, NIST CSF, 800- 53). Experience defining and deploying security hardening guidelines. Excellent understanding of the technology stack from OS, system, network and applications. Proven understanding of CIS benchmarks and customer service metrics. Experience managing different operating systems and configuration standards. Ability to plan, organize and document complex system design activities. Excellent written and oral communication skills, able to interact with a broad spectrum of people on a technical and professional level to share complex information. Proven analytical, consulting and problem-solving skills, with exceptional attention to detail. Excellent organizational skills and proven ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously. Ability to teach/train others. Experience with database administration, access management and systems/data backup, storage and recovery.