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Senior Security Researcher

Microsoft

Microsoft

USD 119,800-234,700 / year
Posted on Jun 12, 2025

Senior Security Researcher

Redmond, Washington, United States

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Date posted
Jun 11, 2025
Job number
1829005
Work site
Up to 50% work from home
Travel
0-25 %
Role type
Individual Contributor
Profession
Security Engineering
Discipline
Security Research
Employment type
Full-Time

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. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world.

Microsoft Defender group is building an industry leading security product that is deployed in hundreds of millions of devices: Windows, Windows Server, macOS and all common Linux enterprise distributions. The group puts an emphasis on top-notch engineering and quality to deliver innovative sensors and a highly stable platform and is looking for a stellar Senior Security Researcher to contribute to our work. This position will be responsible for responding to customer escalations, performing False Positive and False Negative investigations, creating/tuning threat detection, and acting as a tier-2 escalation point for more junior researchers.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science or related field OR 5+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, modeling, cybersecurity, and/or anomaly detection.
  • 4+ years experience in Security Program or Program Management or related field.
  • 1+ years experience in a Security domain or related field.

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 or related field OR 6+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, modeling, cybersecurity, and/or anomaly detection.

Security Research IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $158,400 - $258,000 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

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until June 18, 2025.

#MSFTSecurity #MSECAIR #MSFTNSBE25

Responsibilities

As a Senior Security Researcher, you will:

  • Investigate, analyze, and learn from security researchers, attackers, and real incidents to develop durable protection solution/strategies across the kill-chain or product/OS enhancements.
  • Work with other internal and external teams to forge new and improve existing partnerships that help mature the product.
  • Provide exemplary leadership in an exceptionally challenging and rewarding environment and influence the organization.
  • Collaborate with other researchers, coordinators, and developers to improve the protection capabilities of the products.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
Industry leading healthcare
Educational resources
Discounts on products and services
Savings and investments
Maternity and paternity leave
Generous time away
Giving programs
Opportunities to network and connect

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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.