Senior Security Engineer (Detection & Response) at Scribd

ABOUT THE COMPANY: At Scribd Inc. (pronounced “scribbed”), our mission is to spark human curiosity. Join our team as we create a world of stories and knowledge, democratize the exchange of ideas and information, and empower collective expertise through our four products: Everand, Scribd, Slideshare, and Fable. This posting reflects an approved, open position within the organization. We support a culture where our employees can be real and be bold; where we debate and commit as we embrace plot twists; and where every employee is empowered to take action as we prioritize the customer. When it comes to workplace structure, we believe in balancing individual flexibility and community connections.  It’s through our flexible work benefit, Scribd Flex, that employees – in partnership with their manager – can choose the daily work-style that best suits their individual needs. A key tenet of Scribd Flex is our prioritization of intentional in-person moments to build collaboration, culture, and connection. For this reason, occasional in-person attendance is required for all Scribd Inc. employees, regardless of their location. So what are we looking for in new team members? Well, we hire for “GRIT”. The textbook definition of GRIT is demonstrating the intersection of passion and perseverance towards long term goals. At Scribd Inc., we are inspired by the potential that this can unlock, and ask each of our employees to pursue a GRIT-ty approach to their work. In a tactical sense, GRIT is also a handy acronym that outlines the standards we hold ourselves and each other to.  Here’s what that means for you: we’re looking for someone who showcases the ability to set and achieve Goals, achieve Results within their job responsibilities, contribute Innovative ideas and solutions, and positively influence the broader Team through collaboration and attitude. ABOUT THE TEAM AND ROLE The Infrastructure Security team at Scribd is responsible for protecting our applications, platforms, and users through proactive, engineering-led security practices. As Scribd continues to scale, we are evolving our Detection & Response capabilities from reactive alerting toward a time-based security model [Upgrade to PRO to see link] - where speed, signal quality, and resilience are first-class design goals. As a Senior Security Engineer focused on Detection & Response, you will help shape Scribd’s long-term detection and response capabilities while owning execution within a defined domain. You’ll work closely with application, infrastructure, and IT security teams - as well as our managed detection and response (MDR) partner - to design high-fidelity telemetry, operationalize our SIEM, and continuously reduce mean time to detect and respond (MTTD/MTTR). This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building durable security systems, translating incidents into engineering improvements, and gradually expanding ownership through demonstrated impact. WHAT YOU’LL DO When you join, you will: Design and operationalize detection capabilities - Own and evolve detection coverage across applications, APIs, cloud infrastructure, identity, and bot/abuse surfaces - Translate threat models and real incidents into high-confidence detection patterns - Partner with engineers to instrument high-quality, security-relevant telemetry at the application and platform layers Operationalize and mature the SIEM - Lead enrichment, normalization, and correlation of logs into actionable security signals - Define detection standards and patterns to reduce noise and improve signal quality - Ensure telemetry supports both internal investigations and MDR-led monitoring Improve response speed and quality - Reduce MTTD and MTTR through improved triage, automation, and contextual alerting - Build and maintain runbooks, response workflows, and post-incident learning loops - Partner with IT Security and the MDR provider to continuously improve detection and response outcomes Advance runtime and behavior-based protections - Help design and deploy runtime detection and protection techniques (RASP-like approaches), especially for modern interfaces such as GraphQL - Support bot detection, abuse prevention, and DDoS mitigation in collaboration with application and platform teams - Leverage deception techniques (e.g., honeypots, canaries) to detect and learn from adversary behavior Define and track meaningful metrics - Implement and track detection and response KPIs (e.g., coverage, signal quality, MTTD/MTTR) - Use metrics to guide prioritization and measure improvement over time - Align measurements with frameworks such as Time-Based Security and NIST CSF Validate and improve continuously - Participate in purple-team exercises, tabletop simulations, and incident retrospectives - Ensure detection, response, and protection capabilities work cohesively within targeted timeframes WE’RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS - 4+ years of experience in security engineering, detection engineering, incident response, or an equivalent blend of software and security engineering - Hands-on experience designing or operating detection and response systems (not just responding to alerts) - Strong understanding of logging, telemetry, and signal design in modern cloud and application environments - Experience with SIEM technologies such as Splunk, Elasticsearch, Datadog, Chronicle, or similar platforms - Experience partnering with or operating alongside an MDR or SOC provider - Familiarity with threat detection and response frameworks (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK, Time-Based Security, NIST CSF) - Ability to write quality code or tooling in at least one backend language (preferably Python, Ruby, or Go) - Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence engineers without formal authority NICE TO HAVE - Experience with bot detection, abuse prevention, or DDoS mitigation - Experience instrumenting or protecting GraphQL APIs - Cloud security experience (AWS preferred) - Infrastructure-as-Code experience (Terraform, CloudFormation) - Experience building automation for alerting, triage, or response workflows - Exposure to purple-team or adversary simulation exercises At Scribd, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package and is determined within a range. Our pay ranges are based on the local cost of labor benchmarks for each specific role, level, and geographic location. San Francisco is our highest geographic market in the United States. In the state of California, the reasonably expected salary range is between $144,500 [minimum salary in our lowest geographic market within California] to $225,500 [maximum salary in our highest geographic market within California]. In the United States, outside of California, the reasonably expected salary range is between $119,000 [minimum salary in our lowest US geographic market outside of California] to $214,000 [maximum salary in our highest US geographic market outside of California]. In Canada, the reasonably expected salary range is between $151,000 CAD[minimum salary in our lowest geographic market] to $193,000 CAD[maximum salary in our highest geographic market]. We carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, including but not limited to experience; job-related skill sets; relevant education or training; and other business and organizational needs. The salary range listed is for the level at which this job has been scoped. In the event that you are considered for a different level, a higher or lower pay range would apply. This position is also eligible for a competitive equity ownership, and a comprehensive and generous benefits package. WORKING AT SCRIBD INC. Are you currently based in a location where Scribd Inc. Employees must have their primary residence in or near one of the following cities. This includes surrounding metro areas or locations within a typical commuting distance: United States: Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Dallas | Denver | Chicago | Houston | Jacksonville | Los Angeles | Miami | New York City | Phoenix | Portland | Sacramento | Salt Lake City | San Diego | San Francisco | Seattle | Washington D.C. Canada: Ottawa | Toronto | Vancouver Mexico: Mexico City Benefits, Perks, and Wellbeing at Scribd Inc. *Benefits/perks listed may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Scribd Inc. and the geographical location where you work. - Healthcare Insurance Coverage (Medical/Dental/Vision): 100% paid for employees - 12 weeks paid parental leave - Short-term/long-term disability plans - 401k/RSP matching - Onboarding stipend for home office peripherals + accessories - Learning & Development allowance - Learning & Development programs - Quarterly stipend for Wellness, WiFi, etc. - Mental Health support & resources - Free subscription to the Scribd Inc. suite of products - Referral Bonuses - Book Benefit - Sabbaticals - Company-wide events - Team engagement budgets - Vacation & Personal Days - Paid Holidays (+ winter break) - Flexible Sick Time - Volunteer Day - Company-wide Employee Resource Groups and programs that foster an inclusive and diverse workplace. - Access to AI Tools: We provide free access to best-in-class AI tools, empowering you to boost productivity, streamline workflows, and accelerate bold innovation. Want to learn more about life at Scribd? www.linkedin.com/company/scribd/life [Upgrade to PRO to see link] We want our interview process to be accessible to everyone. You can inform us of any reasonable adjustments we can make to better accommodate your needs by emailing [Upgrade to PRO to see contact] about the need for adjustments at any point in the interview process. Scribd Inc. is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply, and believe that a diversity of perspectives and experiences create a foundation for the best ideas. Come join us in building something meaningful.