Senior Lead Threat Analyst (Black Lotus Labs)

Lumen is the trusted network for the AI‑powered world, connecting people, data, and applications through our expansive fiber network and connected ecosystem. We enable secure, high‑performance connectivity across cloud, edge, and AI workloads for enterprises, governments, and communities.

At Lumen, you’ll work on infrastructure customers rely on today and build for what’s next, where performance, security, and resilience matter.

This is a high accountability environment where bold ideas drive real innovation for our customers, partners, and industry. The work is challenging, expectations are clear, and trust is built into how we operate. If you’re ready to take ownership, deliver meaningful impact, and help shape the future of AI‑ready connectivity, join us today.

The Role

Black Lotus Labs has an opening for a Senior Lead Security Engineer that will leverage Lumen’s unique visibility to hunt, investigate, and scale discovery of evolving malicious threats, provide mission-relevant intelligence, and support mitigations on large networks. Our global visibility into one of the world’s largest and most interconnected IP backbones, combined with our computing cluster and analytic platforms, presents exciting opportunities to integrate machine learning, graph analytics, automation, and approved AI-enabled tools as we find new ways to hunt for threats across the internet. Black Lotus Labs has detected and disrupted key evolving threats at an internet scale for years.

This position will work alongside Black Lotus Labs advanced security researchers, data engineers, malware reverse engineers, data scientists, and our customers to tackle evolving threats accelerated by technologies like our Hadoop ecosystem (HBase, HDFS, Spark, Kafka, AirFlow), Elasticsearch and Redis clusters, Docker using Docker Swarm, malware environment, a network of honeypots, and modern AI-assisted research and development capabilities.

This is a close-knit, experienced, amazingly smart team that you can be a part of and help build out.

This position requires an active TS/SCI security clearance w/ CI Poly.

Location

This is a remote position with office visits in Herndon, VA approximately 2 times per month.

The Main Responsibilities

• Research latest threat attacker tools, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) with a goal of automating detection.
• Work with cyber operators, when requested, to conduct in-depth investigations on cyber threat activity and provide mitigation guidance.
• Automate investigations through Python scripting and data analysis using visualization in Jupyter Notebooks and Grafana
• Build and maintain trust relationships with other intelligence teams, law enforcement, and other outside groups.
• Support customer RFIs on incidents and emerging threats.
• Use approved AI-enabled tools to accelerate research, coding, data exploration, documentation, and knowledge discovery while validating outputs through independent analytical judgment.
• Develop repeatable workflows that combine analyst expertise, automation, and AI-assisted capabilities to improve investigative efficiency and analytical quality.

What We Look For in a Candidate

• Candidates must effectively communicate complex domain-specific concepts, ensuring clarity for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Familiarity with adversary capabilities, infrastructure, and techniques that can be applied in collaboration with supporting teams and partners to discover, track, and defend against the adversaries aggression towards customer networks.
• Experience using OSINT methods for investigation, including discovering novel threats in malware repositories.
• Scripting experience with Python and familiarity with distributed computing.
• Extensive experience hunting threat actors and developing algorithms and techniques to identify new threats from large data sets.
• Deep knowledge of network-based threats and identifying behaviors without attack payloads.
• Strong analytical thinking and ability to quickly pick up new methods, tools and programming languages.
• User-level experience in a Unix-based environment.
• Familiarity with extracting data through SQL.
• Strong writing skills to assist in sharing our knowledge with the public.
• Demonstrable knowledge of several of the following areas: cybersecurity concepts, network protocols, firewalls, IDS/IPS systems, cyber threat hunting, malware analysis tools and techniques, cyber threat intelligence, common threat actor TTPs, application security concepts, cloud security fundamentals.
• Ability to rapidly develop proficiency in unfamiliar technical domains through foundational analytical skills, self-directed learning, and effective use of AI-assisted research and problem-solving tools.
• Ability to use AI-enabled tools responsibly to augment technical research, analysis, coding, documentation, and report development while maintaining professional skepticism and analytical rigor.
• Ability to evaluate, challenge, and validate AI-generated outputs before using them in customer-facing analysis, findings, or recommendations.

Well experienced candidates may also have the following skills:

• Previous work experience with Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community, or other government agencies (e.g., DHS, DOE, VA, etc.)
• Experience with Spark and distributed computing
• Experience developing automation and analysis in Python-based environments.
• Ability to work with others in providing direction and assisting in learning new topics.
• Experience using generative AI, AI-assisted coding, retrieval-augmented analysis, or agent-based workflows in cyber research, threat hunting, or intelligence production.

Preferred :

• Proficient in analyzing NetFlow data to identify unusual patterns and potential security threats.
• Interest in conducting trend analysis to uncover patterns and emerging threats, enabling proactive defense strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to responsibly leverage AI-enabled tools within a regulated or mission-focused environment while maintaining data protection requirements, analytical integrity, and human accountability for findings and recommendations

Compensation

This information reflects the anticipated base salary range for this position based on current national data. Minimums and maximums may vary based on location. Individual pay is based on skills, experience and other relevant factors.

Location Based Pay Ranges

$132,232 - $176,310 in these states: AL AR AZ FL GA IA ID IN KS KY LA ME MO MS MT ND NE NM OH OK PA SC SD TN UT VT WI WV WY $138,844 - $185,124 in these states: CO HI MI MN NC NH NV OR RI $145,456 - $193,940 in these states: AK CA CT DC DE IL MA MD NJ NY TX VA WA

Lumen offers a comprehensive package featuring a broad range of Health, Life, Voluntary Lifestyle benefits and other perks that enhance your physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing. We're able to answer any additional questions you may have about our bonus structure (short-term incentives, long-term incentives and/or sales compensation) as you move through the selection process.

Learn more about Lumen's:

LI-Remote

What to Expect Next

Requisition #: 343089

Life at Lumen

Life at Lumen is human and connected, even in a fast moving, AI‑focused organization. We set clear expectations and trust people to meet them. With real support and shared accountability, teams collaborate better, move faster, and deliver meaningful outcomes.

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Disclaimer

The job responsibilities described above indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not intended to include a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities for this job. Job duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on evolving business needs and conditions.

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