Cyber Security Specialist
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 22, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 13, 2026. Thales Group scores B on the Alion truth index.
Ottawa, ON. (CAN.), Hybrid
Position Summary
Thales has a vacancy for a Cyber Security Specialist (Detection Engineer) is responsible for the prevention of Cybersecurity incidents by real-time monitoring, detection, and analysis of potential intrusions. This includes using troubleshooting tools to analyze and respond to cyber threats, writing scripts to aid in quick analysis and response, and responding to security events. The position operates and tunes security tools, provides requirements for new security capabilities and creates use cases for monitoring.
Regulatory Compliance Requirement
This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List and/or the US the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access.
Key Areas of Responsibility
As a Cyber Security Specialist (Intermediate), you will operate independently across cloud security operations and DevSecOps, working alongside the CSOC and DevOps teams to detect, investigate, and remediate security risks in a Microsoft Azure environment. You will contribute to measurable improvements in detection coverage, vulnerability remediation, detection engineering, pipeline security, and compliance posture.
Security Monitoring & Incident Response
- Monitor and triage alerts from Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel, working in partnership with the CSOC.
- Investigate suspicious activity and security incidents, perform root cause analysis, and escalate to senior staff or engineering partners when required.
- Maintain accurate incident tracking and documentation throughout the investigation and remediation lifecycle.
Vulnerability & Configuration Management
- Conduct and review vulnerability scan results and platform security recommendations, prioritizing remediation by risk.
- Validate Azure resource configurations (e.g., NSGs, Key Vault, Storage) against hardening standards and best practices.
- Coordinate remediation efforts with DevOps teams and track items through to closure.
Identity & Access Management
- Review Azure AD (Entra ID) roles and enforce least-privilege access.
- Monitor Privileged Identity Management (PIM) activity and audit service principals and managed identities.
- Verify MFA and conditional access compliance across the environment.
Compliance & Governance
- Support alignment with applicable security frameworks and internal policies (e.g., CPCSC, ISO 27001, NIST 800, ITSG).
- Review Azure Policy and compliance scores, and flag deviations for remediation.
- Support audit requests and maintain accurate supporting documentation and evidence.
Security Automation
- Develop automation for recurring security checks and remediation tasks.
- Enhance monitoring, detection, and alerting processes over time.
- Dashboards Creation / Update
- Detection rules Creation / Regular review / Update
- QA
- Log Parsing
- Preparation and participation to steering committee
- Admin of QRadar
- Monitoring of the SIEM and surrounding environment (firewall, proxy, jump servers, etc.)
- Compliance of the SIEM and surrounding environment (firewall, proxy, jump servers, etc.)
- Security best practices application
- Incident response / Crisis management
Minimum Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Computer/Software Engineering, Information Security, or a related technical discipline; or an equivalent combination of post-secondary education and relevant hands-on experience.
Experience
- 3-5 years of hands-on experience in cloud security, security operations, detection engineering, or incident response
- Demonstrated experience working independently on day-to-day security operations, with the judgment to recognize when to escalate complex or high-impact decisions.
- Experience working within a structured incident response process and collaborating with a SOC/CSOC.
Technical / Specialized Skills
- Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure security tooling, specifically Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel (alert triage, investigation, and detection tuning).
- Experience with Azure cloud security configuration and hardening (NSGs, Key Vault, Storage, Azure Policy, compliance scoring).
- Experience with IBM QRadar, and Palo Alto XSOAR.
- Experience securing CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps and/or GitHub, including SAST, dependency, and container image scanning.
- Working knowledge of Azure AD (Entra ID) identity and access management - RBAC, least privilege, PIM, service principals, managed identities, MFA, and conditional access.
- Experience writing and tuning detections using query languages (e.g., KQL).
- Scripting and automation experience (e.g., PowerShell, Python) to support security checks, and remediation.
- Familiarity with vulnerability management concepts and security hardening baselines.
- Working knowledge of common attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK).
Eligibility / Clearance
- Must be eligible to obtain and maintain the security clearance required for the role, and to meet Controlled Goods Program and applicable export-control requirements.
Preferred Qualifications
- Certifications that cover the principles of Cybersecurity such as the GSEC, Security+, or CISSP
- Advanced or specialized certifications such as:
- SC-200
- GIAC GCFA/GCIH/GCIA
- Offsec OSCP
Pay Transparency
The anticipated Total Target Compensation (TTC), inclusive of annual salary and bonus eligibility, for this role is $120,000 to 140,000 CAD Annual. The Company reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s status protected by local, provincial, and federal laws.
AI
We use artificial intelligence-enabled tools as part of our recruitment process to support activities such as candidate discovery, résumé matching, and interview scheduling. These tools may help screen and assess applications and recommend potential matches based on the requirements within the job description. All hiring decisions, including candidate evaluation, selection, and disposition, are made by human recruiters. Artificial intelligence does not make hiring decisions on our behalf.
What We Offer
- Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:
- Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.
- Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.
- Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.
- Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.
- Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.
Why Join Us?
Say HI and learn more about working at Thales click here.
Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:
- Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, Cancer Care Program, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.
- Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.
- Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.
- Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.
- Employee Discounts on home, auto, and gym membership.
Thales is an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for an interview. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.
This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Controlled Goods Program, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization for such access including eligibility to the Canadian Controlled Goods Program and able to obtain a Canadian Enhanced Reliability security clearance.