{"id":4095609,"url":"https://alion.io/job/microsoft-principal-security-researcher-6","title":"Principal Security Researcher","company":{"id":18,"name":"Microsoft","domain":"microsoft.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/microsoft","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Eightfold","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":85,"open_postings":487,"ghost_share":0.006,"stale_share":0.563,"repost_share":0.047,"time_to_fill_p50_days":29,"computed_at":"2026-11-11T05:49:22Z"}},"role":"Security","role_family":"Security","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["London, United Kingdom","Cheltenham, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":93500,"max":161800,"currency":"GBP","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":214934},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"EnCase","optional":true},{"name":"FTK","optional":true},{"name":"Kibana","optional":true},{"name":"SIEM","optional":true},{"name":"Splunk","optional":true},{"name":"SQL","optional":true},{"name":"X-Ways Forensics","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-06T06:33:13Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-11","last_verified_at":"2026-11-12T02:36:56Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":5,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":5},"description":"OverviewThe Cloud & AI 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 is one of the largest enterprise service companies in the world.\nDo you have a passion for helping Microsoft’s clients defend themselves against targeted exploitation? Are you interested in being intimately involved in the latest, cutting-edge developments in the security industry and having a direct impact on the security of all Microsoft customers? Do you want to be on the front lines of helping our customers go toe-to-toe against advanced adversaries?\nAre you interested in a fast-paced job full of new opportunities? If that resonates, consider joining us as a Principal Security Researcher on the Tip of the Spear team.\nResponsibilities\nPerforming deep analysis of attacker activity in on-premises and cloud environments\nIdentifying potential threats, allowing for proactive defense before an actual incident\nNotifying customers regarding imminent attacker activity\nProviding recommendations to improve customers’ cybersecurity posture going forward and performing threat intelligence knowledge transfer to prepare customers to defend against today’s threat landscape\nBuilding proof-of-concept and prototype threat hunting tools, automations, and new capabilities\nDriving product and tooling improvements by conveying learnings from threat hunting and incident response at scale to engineering partner teams\nIdentifying, prioritizing, and targeting complex security issues that cause negative impact to customers. Creating and driving adoption of relevant mitigations and providing proactive guidance\nWorking with others to synthesize research findings into recommendations for mitigation of security issues. Sharing across teams. Driving change within team based on research finding.\nQualifications\nRequired/minimum qualifications:\nBatchelors, Masters Degree or PHD in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR equivalent experience.\nAdditional or preferred qualifications\nProven knowledge of security fundamentals across Microsoft platforms (Client, Server, Cloud)\nStrong understanding of malware and the modern threat landscape, especially identity-based attacks\nFamiliarity and understanding of SQL or Kusto Query Language (KQL) queries (or experience with large database/SIEM query languages such as Splunk/Humio/Kibana, etc.)\nFamiliarity and understanding of Jupyter Notebooks, or building equivalent threat hunting automations with scripting languages\nExperience with sophisticated threat actor evidence including familiarity with typical Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), Indicators of Activity (IOAs) and Tools, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs)\nUse of forensic analysis tools such as X-Ways Forensics®, WinHex®, Encase®, FTK®, etc\nExperience with various forensic log artifacts found in SIEM logs, web server logs, AV logs, protection logs such as HIDS and NIDS logs \nSecurity Research IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 93,500.00 - £ 161,800.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.\nFind additional benefits and pay information here:\nhttps://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html\nSecurity Research IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 93,500.00 - £ 161,800.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. \nFind additional benefits and pay information here:\nhttps://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html\nThis position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.\nMicrosoft 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. 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