About this role

Vulnerability Management Lead (L3) – Job Description

Job Title: Vulnerability Management Lead / Senior Vulnerability Management Engineer (L3)
Experience: 7-12+ Years
Department: Cyber Security / Security Operations / Cyber Defense
Reports To: Security Operations Manager / Cyber Security Manager

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Role Summary

The Vulnerability Management Lead (L3) is responsible for leading enterprise-wide vulnerability management programs, vulnerability assessments, risk prioritization, remediation governance, exposure management, and cybersecurity risk reduction initiatives across on-premises, cloud, endpoint, network, server, database, and application environments.

The role serves as the highest technical escalation point for vulnerability management operations and works closely with Infrastructure, Cloud, Application, SOC, Security Architecture, and Compliance teams.

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Key Responsibilities

Vulnerability Management Program Ownership

- Lead enterprise vulnerability management lifecycle.
- Define vulnerability management strategy, policies, and standards.
- Establish vulnerability SLAs and remediation governance.
- Drive risk reduction initiatives across the organization.
- Develop vulnerability management maturity roadmap.
- Present cybersecurity risk posture to leadership teams.

Vulnerability Assessment & Scanning

- Manage enterprise vulnerability scanning platforms.
- Conduct authenticated and unauthenticated scans.
- Perform internal and external vulnerability assessments.
- Assess servers, endpoints, network devices, databases, cloud workloads, and applications.
- Validate critical and high-risk vulnerabilities.

Scanning Technologies

- Tenable Nessus
- Tenable Security Center
- Tenable.io
- Qualys VMDR
- Rapid7 InsightVM
- Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management
- OpenVAS
- Nexpose

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Risk Analysis & Prioritization

- Perform vulnerability triage and risk assessment.
- Prioritize remediation based on: CVSS Score
- Exploit Availability
- Business Impact
- Threat Intelligence
- Asset Criticality
- Regulatory Impact

- Identify vulnerabilities actively exploited in the wild.
- Maintain enterprise risk register.

Frameworks

- CVSS 3.x/4.0
- MITRE ATT&CK
- MITRE CVE
- CIS Benchmarks
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework
- OWASP

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Remediation Governance

- Coordinate remediation activities across technology teams.
- Track vulnerability closure and SLA compliance.
- Conduct remediation reviews and validation testing.
- Manage exception and risk acceptance processes.
- Escalate overdue critical vulnerabilities to leadership.

Supported Technology Domains

- Windows Servers
- Linux Servers
- VMware
- Citrix
- Databases
- Network Devices
- Cloud Platforms
- Endpoints

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Cloud Vulnerability Management

AWS

- AWS Inspector
- Security Hub
- GuardDuty
- Config
- IAM Security Assessment

Azure

- Defender for Cloud
- Azure Security Center
- Microsoft Defender Suite
- Azure Policy
- Entra ID Security

Containers & Kubernetes

- AKS
- EKS
- Docker
- Kubernetes Security
- Container Image Scanning

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Exposure Management & Threat Intelligence

- Correlate vulnerabilities with active threat intelligence.
- Identify exploited vulnerabilities and attack paths.
- Support threat-informed vulnerability prioritization.
- Perform attack surface assessments.
- Support cyber threat hunting initiatives.

Technologies

- Threat Intelligence Platforms
- Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence
- Recorded Future
- Mandiant Threat Intelligence
- MITRE ATT&CK

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Security Reporting & Metrics

- Develop executive vulnerability dashboards.
- Track vulnerability KPIs and KRIs.
- Report remediation trends and compliance posture.
- Produce weekly, monthly, and quarterly executive reports.

Key Metrics

- Vulnerability Closure Rate
- Mean Time to Remediate (MTTR)
- SLA Compliance
- Critical Vulnerability Exposure
- Reopened Vulnerabilities
- Risk Reduction Percentage

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Automation & Integration

- Automate vulnerability management processes.
- Integrate scanners with: ServiceNow
- Jira
- SIEM
- CMDB
- Threat Intelligence Platforms

- Build automated remediation workflows.
- Develop scripts using PowerShell and Python.

Automation Skills

- PowerShell
- Python
- REST APIs
- ServiceNow Integration
- Terraform
- Ansible

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Security Compliance & Audit

- Support: ISO 27001
- NIST
- PCI-DSS
- SOC2
- HIPAA
- GDPR

- Lead vulnerability remediation evidence collection.
- Support internal and external audits.
- Conduct security control assessments.

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Required Technical Skills

Vulnerability Management Platforms

- Qualys VMDR
- Tenable Nessus
- Tenable Security Center
- Rapid7 InsightVM
- Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

Operating Systems

- Windows Server
- Linux (RHEL, Ubuntu, CentOS)
- Unix

Infrastructure Technologies

- Active Directory
- VMware
- Citrix
- Storage Systems
- Network Devices

Security Technologies

- EDR/XDR Platforms
- SIEM Solutions
- Threat Intelligence
- Endpoint Security
- Patch Management Solutions

Cloud Platforms

- Microsoft Azure
- AWS
- Hybrid Cloud Environments

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Preferred Certifications

Security Certifications

- CISSP
- CISM
- GIAC Vulnerability Assessment (GVA)
- GSEC
- CEH
- CompTIA Security+

Vendor Certifications

- Qualys Certified Specialist
- Tenable Certified Operator
- Microsoft SC-200
- Microsoft AZ-500
- AWS Security Specialty

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Leadership & Soft Skills

- Vulnerability Governance
- Executive Reporting
- Stakeholder Management
- Risk Management
- Program Leadership
- Audit Management
- Team Mentoring
- Vendor Coordination
- Communication & Presentation Skills

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Ideal Candidate Profile

A senior cybersecurity professional with 7-12+ years of experience in Vulnerability Management, Risk Assessment, Security Operations, and Infrastructure Security, with strong expertise in:

- Qualys VMDR / Tenable / Rapid7
- Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management
- Vulnerability Scanning & Validation
- Remediation Governance
- Windows, Linux, VMware & Cloud Security
- AWS Inspector & Azure Defender for Cloud
- ServiceNow & CMDB Integration
- Threat Intelligence-Based Prioritization
- Executive Dashboarding & KPI Reporting
- Security Compliance & Audit Support

Key Deliverables Expected from an L3 Lead

- Reduce critical vulnerabilities within SLA targets.
- Improve enterprise vulnerability compliance above 95%.
- Establish risk-based vulnerability prioritization.
- Automate scan-to-remediation workflows.
- Provide executive-level cyber risk visibility.
- Lead enterprise exposure management and vulnerability governance programs.