Security Operations Center Analyst at IonQ in Bothell, WA

Summary: IonQ, Inc. is the world's leading quantum company delivering solutions to solve complex problems. They are seeking a Security Operations Center Analyst to monitor, analyze, and respond to security events, while also contributing to the development of security processes and tooling. Responsibilities: - Monitor SIEM, EDR, IDS/IPS, cloud security, and email security alerts for potential threats or abnormal activity - Triage, validate, and investigate security alerts; identify false positives; escalate or resolve incidents as appropriate - Perform in-depth analysis of suspicious activity and correlate logs across multiple systems to determine root cause, scope, and impact - Execute containment and remediation actions such as host isolation, account lockdown, IOC blocking, vulnerability mitigation, and post-recovery validation - Conduct proactive threat hunting based on threat intelligence, behavioral patterns, or hypothesis-driven analysis - Support forensic data collection and examination (endpoint artifacts, system logs, cloud audit logs, etc.) - Analyze suspicious files, scripts, URLs, and domains using sandboxing, tooling, and threat intelligence sources - Recommend and contribute to improvements in SIEM rules, detections, automation workflows, and security playbooks - Participate in incident response activities, including documentation, communication with stakeholders, and post-incident reviews - Monitor and maintain the health and accuracy of security tooling, connectors, and log ingestion pipelines - Help improve security processes, policies, and standards as part of a growing team - Maintain clear, organized case notes and produce reports when needed - Opportunity to help shape a growing SOC and influence detection engineering, automation, and incident response processes Required Qualifications: - 1–3+ years of experience in a SOC, incident response, or security operations environment - Hands-on experience with SIEM, EDR, and cloud security tools (e.g., Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, Splunk, CrowdStrike, etc.) - Strong understanding of Windows, Linux, and/or macOS internals; identity security; authentication flows; and network fundamentals (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP) - Familiarity with threat landscape, threat intelligence workflows, and MITRE ATT&CK - Ability to write basic queries or scripts (KQL, SPL, PowerShell, Python, etc.) - Analytical thinker with strong troubleshooting skills and a structured approach to incident handling - Clear communication skills and the ability to document technical findings concisely and accurately - A commitment to doing work the right way — following sound processes, documenting thoroughly, and maintaining a high standard for quality and security operations - A genuine desire to learn, grow, and continuously improve as the environment, tools, and challenges evolve Preferred Qualifications: - Experience with the Microsoft security stack (Sentinel, Defender for Endpoint/XDR, Entra ID Protection) - Experience with threat hunting, detection tuning, or security automation - Certifications such as Security+, CySA+, SC-200, AZ-500, GCIH/GCED/GCIA, or equivalent - Experience working in fast-paced, high-growth tech environments Required Skills: SIEM tools, EDR tools, cloud security Important Skills: Windows internals, Linux internals, macOS internals, threat intelligence, MITRE ATT&CK, scripting skills Nice-to-Have Skills: analytical thinking, troubleshooting skills, commitment to quality, desire to learn Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, Matching 401K, Unlimited PTO and paid holidays, Parental/adoption leave, Legal insurance, Home technology stipend