About this role

SOC Threat Hunting Analyst / Threat Hunter – Job Description

Job Title: SOC Threat Hunting Analyst
Experience: 4-8 Years (Senior Threat Hunter: 8-12 Years)
Location: Hybrid / Remote / Onsite
Department: Cyber Security Operations Center (SOC)

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Threat Hunting Analyst to proactively identify, investigate, and mitigate advanced cyber threats across enterprise environments. The ideal candidate will possess expertise in threat hunting, incident response, SIEM, EDR/XDR technologies, threat intelligence, and malware analysis. This role will work closely with SOC, Incident Response, Cloud Security, Infrastructure, and Security Engineering teams to strengthen organizational cyber resilience.

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Key Responsibilities

Threat Hunting & Detection

- Conduct proactive threat hunting across endpoints, networks, cloud platforms, and identity systems.
- Identify Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), Indicators of Attack (IOAs), and suspicious behaviors.
- Develop hunting hypotheses based on threat intelligence and emerging attack trends.
- Detect Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), ransomware, insider threats, and lateral movement activities.
- Leverage MITRE ATT&CK framework for adversary mapping and detection improvement.

Security Monitoring & Investigation

- Analyze logs, network traffic, endpoint telemetry, and cloud events.
- Investigate suspicious security activities escalated from SOC L1/L2 teams.
- Perform root cause analysis and validate security incidents.
- Correlate data from multiple security platforms.

Detection Engineering

- Create and optimize SIEM detection rules and use cases.
- Develop behavioral analytics and anomaly detection strategies.
- Reduce false positives through continuous tuning.
- Improve SOC detection coverage and security monitoring effectiveness.

Threat Intelligence

- Consume commercial and open-source threat intelligence feeds.
- Track threat actors, attack campaigns, and emerging vulnerabilities.
- Integrate threat intelligence into hunting and detection processes.
- Develop threat profiles and risk assessments.

Incident Response Support

- Support containment, eradication, and recovery efforts during security incidents.
- Conduct forensic investigations and evidence collection.
- Assist in ransomware and cyber breach investigations.
- Support post-incident reviews and lessons learned activities.

Reporting & Leadership

- Prepare executive-level threat hunting reports.
- Present findings and recommendations to security leadership.
- Mentor junior SOC analysts.
- Contribute to SOC maturity and continuous improvement initiatives.

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Required Technical Skills

Security Platforms

- Microsoft Sentinel
- Splunk
- IBM QRadar
- ArcSight
- LogRhythm

EDR/XDR Solutions

- Microsoft Defender XDR
- CrowdStrike Falcon
- SentinelOne
- Palo Alto Cortex XDR
- Trend Micro Vision One

Cloud Security

- Microsoft Azure Security
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- AWS Security Services
- Google Cloud Security

Network Security

- Firewalls
- IDS/IPS
- Proxy Security
- DNS Analysis
- Packet Analysis (Wireshark)

Threat Hunting Tools

- KQL (Kusto Query Language)
- PowerShell
- Python
- Sigma Rules
- YARA Rules

Identity Security

- Microsoft Entra ID
- Active Directory
- PIM/PAM
- MFA & Conditional Access

Operating Systems

- Windows Server
- Linux
- MacOS

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Microsoft Security Stack Expertise (Preferred)

- Microsoft Sentinel
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Microsoft Defender for Identity
- Microsoft Defender for Office 365
- Defender for Cloud Apps
- Microsoft Entra ID
- Defender XDR
- Purview DLP
- Azure Security Center
- Logic Apps & SOAR Automation

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Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, Cybersecurity, or related field.
- 4-8 years of SOC, Threat Hunting, Incident Response, or Security Operations experience.
- Strong understanding of MITRE ATT&CK framework.
- Hands-on experience in threat hunting and advanced investigations.
- Experience in enterprise and cloud environments.

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Preferred Certifications

Microsoft

- SC-200: Security Operations Analyst
- SC-100: Cybersecurity Architect
- AZ-500: Azure Security Engineer

Industry Certifications

- GCFA
- GCIH
- GCTI
- CISSP
- CEH
- CompTIA Security+

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Key Competencies

- Advanced Threat Hunting
- Incident Response
- Threat Intelligence Analysis
- Security Analytics
- Detection Engineering
- Log Analysis
- Malware Investigation
- Cyber Forensics
- Automation & SOAR
- Executive Reporting
- Problem Solving
- Stakeholder Management

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Senior Threat Hunter (8-12 Years) – Additional Expectations

- Lead enterprise-wide threat hunting programs.
- Build custom detection content and hunting playbooks.
- Develop SOC threat hunting strategy and roadmap.
- Lead purple-team and adversary simulation exercises.
- Mentor SOC L1/L2/L3 analysts.
- Drive automation through SOAR and AI-powered security analytics.
- Present threat landscape and risk assessments to CISO-level leadership.

Ideal Candidate Profile

A strong candidate should have hands-on experience with Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, KQL, MITRE ATT&CK, Threat Intelligence, EDR/XDR platforms, ransomware investigations, cloud security, and advanced threat hunting across hybrid enterprise environments . This profile is highly sought after by global MSSP, banking, healthcare, and enterprise SOC organizations.