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Defender Xdr Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

Operate, tune, and build detections in Microsoft Sentinel (KQL for analytics rules, hunting queries, workbooks) and Microsoft Defender XDR to detect, investigate, and respond to threats. * Design and ...

Security Administrator

Des Moines, IA · On-site

$100 - $125/hr

Operate, tune, and build detections in Microsoft Sentinel (KQL for analytics rules, hunting queries, workbooks) and Microsoft Defender XDR to detect, investigate, and respond to threats. * Design and ...

Defender Xdr information

What is Defender XDR?

Defender XDR (Extended Detection and Response) is a cybersecurity solution provided by Microsoft that integrates and automates threat detection, investigation, and response across multiple security domains such as endpoints, identities, email, and cloud applications. It provides a unified platform to help security teams identify and respond to sophisticated cyber threats more efficiently. By correlating data and alerts from various sources, Defender XDR enables organizations to detect complex attacks, reduce response times, and improve overall security posture.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Defender XDR specialist?

To excel as a Defender XDR Specialist, you need a solid understanding of cybersecurity principles, threat detection, and incident response, often supported by certifications like CompTIA Security+ or Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate. Familiarity with Microsoft Defender XDR, SIEM tools, and other security platforms is crucial for monitoring and analyzing threats. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you interpret complex security data and collaborate with IT teams. These skills are essential for proactively identifying and mitigating cyber threats, ensuring robust organizational security.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals working with Microsoft Defender XDR, and how can they be addressed?

Professionals working with Microsoft Defender XDR often encounter challenges such as integrating multiple security tools, managing a high volume of alerts, and staying updated with evolving threats. To address these, it's important to develop a strong understanding of the XDR platform, establish clear incident response processes, and leverage automation features to reduce manual workloads. Collaboration with IT, security, and compliance teams is also key to maintaining a cohesive security posture and ensuring timely resolution of incidents.

What is the difference between Defender Xdr vs Security Analyst?

AspectDefender XdrSecurity Analyst
CertificationsCompTIA Security+, CISSP, CEHCompTIA Security+, CISSP, CEH
Work EnvironmentSecurity tools, incident response, threat detectionMonitoring, analyzing security data, incident investigation
Employer & Industry UsageCybersecurity teams, IT departmentsSecurity teams, IT departments, consulting firms

While both Defender Xdr and Security Analysts work in cybersecurity, Defender Xdr focuses on deploying and managing extended detection and response tools, whereas Security Analysts analyze security data and respond to incidents. Defender Xdr specialists often implement and configure security solutions, while Security Analysts interpret alerts and investigate threats. Both roles require similar certifications and work environments, but their core responsibilities differ in focus and scope.

What job categories do people searching Defender Xdr jobs in Iowa look for?

The top searched job categories for Defender Xdr jobs in Iowa are:

What cities in Iowa are hiring for Defender Xdr jobs?

Cities in Iowa with the most Defender Xdr job openings:

Security Administrator

Kuvare

Cedar Rapids, IA • On-site

$100 - $125/hr

Other

Posted 4 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Operate, tune, and build detections in Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender XDR to detect, investigate, and respond to threats.

  • Lead and coordinate incident response activities for events such as data breaches, malware outbreaks, and identity compromises.

  • Engineer and administer Microsoft Entra ID, manage privileged access controls, and ensure controls meet regulatory and compliance requirements.


Job description

Kuvare is on a mission to serve hardworking consumers overwhelmed by the complexities of retirement and is built from the ground up to do so. Our unified financial hub protects the retirement of everyday Americans and the distributors, carriers and investors that serve them. We create life insurance and annuity products that protect consumers’ retirements, and are simplified for distributor partners and financial professionals to sell and service. Retail Annuity and Life Insurance Solutions: United Life Insurance Company; Guaranty Income Life Insurance Company; Lincoln Benefit Life. Institutional Insurance: Kuvare Life Re. Bespoke Insurance Solutions: Ignite Partners.

About the role

The Security Administrator is a hands‑on technical role on the Information Security team, responsible for engineering, hardening, and operating security controls across a hybrid environment spanning Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365, and traditional infrastructure. This is not a policy‑focused position. The ideal candidate is an accomplished Security Administrator who can walk into an existing complex environment, quickly understand the architecture, and immediately contribute to incident response, identity and access hardening, cloud security engineering, and vulnerability remediation.

Success in this role requires deep, current technical expertise in Information Security, Security Operations, Microsoft Ecosystem, a DevSecOps mindset, and fluency with automation and infrastructure‑as‑code / security‑as‑code practices. The organization operates in a highly regulated financial services environment, so the candidate must apply strong engineering discipline while meeting compliance obligations.

What you’ll doSecurity Operations & Incident Response
  • Operate, tune, and build detections in Microsoft Sentinel (KQL for analytics rules, hunting queries, workbooks) and Microsoft Defender XDR to detect, investigate, and respond to threats.
  • Design and automate response with SOAR playbooks (Logic Apps / Sentinel automation rules) to reduce mean time to respond.
  • Lead and coordinate hands‑on incident response for events such as data breaches, malware outbreaks, and identity compromises, including containment, eradication, and root‑cause analysis across cloud and on‑premises systems.
  • Partner with Security and Risk leadership to translate policies and frameworks into enforceable, technically implemented controls.
  • Develop, test, and validate disaster recovery and resilience strategies from a security perspective.
Access Management & Compliance
  • Engineer and administer Microsoft Entra ID: Conditional Access, PIM, Privileged Access Groups, authentication methods, identity protection, and hybrid identity.
  • Manage privileged access controls and conduct recurring, evidence‑based access reviews across cloud and on‑premises systems.
  • Ensure technical controls map to financial industry regulatory and compliance requirements; produce audit‑ready evidence and documentation.
  • Coordinate with compliance officers on security‑related regulatory requirements.
  • Maintain asset inventory and system/component security documentation.
  • Coordinate and oversee third‑party penetration testing and remediate findings.
Security Infrastructure Management
  • Administer and continuously improve security solutions across our hybrid environment.
  • Harden PaaS/IaaS workloads and partner with engineering teams on secure‑by‑design cloud implementations (e.g., network segmentation, private endpoints, Key Vault, managed identities, RBAC).
  • Conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability scans; drive remediation to closure.
  • Perform periodic access and configuration reviews of enterprise systems.
  • Build automation and infrastructure‑as‑code solutions (PowerShell, Python, Bicep/ARM/Terraform) to deploy controls consistently and reliably.
  • Recommend and implement improvements, upgrades, and modernization of the security stack.
Leadership & Guidance
  • Provide security architecture guidance for cloud and infrastructure initiatives.
  • Mentor IT team members on security best practices and secure engineering patterns.
  • Partner with network, application, and database teams to implement secure solutions.
Qualifications
  • 7+ years of Information Technology experience, with at least 3 years focused on Cybersecurity.
  • Minimum of 4 years on Microsoft technologies in hands‑on administration, engineering or operations capacity.
  • Advanced cybersecurity certifications in good standing (e.g., CEH, OSCP, AZ-500, SC-300, SC-200, SC-100).
  • Deep, hands‑on knowledge of Microsoft services such as Defender (Cloud/Endpoint/XDR), Intune, Sentinel, and Entra ID, sufficient to operate and troubleshoot in a live environment on day one.
  • Extensive experience operating hybrid cloud security architecture and controls.
  • Strong background in security tooling administration, configuration, and tuning.
  • Proven experience with endpoint security and modern device management (Intune).
  • Advanced knowledge of network security concepts, including VPNs, firewalls, and SASE.
  • Demonstrated experience leading security monitoring, incident response, and day‑to‑day security operations.
Salary Information

The pay range for this role is: 100,000 - 125,000 USD per year (Rosemont)

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