Demo

Cyber Defense Platforms Staff Engineer

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Cambridge, MA Full Time
POSTED ON 9/15/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 10/14/2026
Overview

As the Associate Director (Staff Engineer) for Cyber Defense Platforms, you will own the defense technology stack end-to-end: SIEM, SOAR, EDR, DLP, email security, and anti-phishing platforms, along with the detection content, automation, and tooling that make them effective. This is a senior individual contributor role with enterprise-wide impact: every alert triaged, threat detected, and incident contained across the company depends on the systems you build and operate.

This is a hybrid position and will be primarily based in Cambridge, MA.

Responsibilities

  • Own the deployment, configuration, administration, and lifecycle of defense platforms including SIEM, SOAR, EDR, DLP, email security, and phishing
  • Define the platform roadmap: evaluate, deploy, integrate, and rationalize security technologies to maximize defensive coverage and operational efficiency
  • Engineer and maintain security data pipelines across the enterprise: log source onboarding, normalization, enrichment, retention, and cost management
  • Own the detection content lifecycle end-to-end: development, testing, tuning, versioning, and retirement of rules and analytics across all platforms
  • Establish detection-as-code practices, including version control, peer review, CI/CD deployment, and automated validation of content
  • Map detection coverage to MITRE ATT&CK, identify gaps, and partner with threat intel, IR, and offensive security to convert findings into durable detections
  • Design and build SOAR playbooks and workflow automation that reduce manual analyst effort and accelerate triage and response, including automated handling of user-reported phishing
  • Build internal tooling, integrations, and APIs that connect security platforms to each other and to enterprise systems
  • Set the standards for how Cyber Defense builds, deploys, and operates its technology, and serve as the technical authority for the defense technology domain
  • Lead cross-functional technical initiatives across IT, infrastructure, and engineering teams, and mentor engineers and analysts across the broader team

Qualifications

  • 8 years of progressive experience in security engineering, security operations, or detection engineering, with demonstrated ownership of defense and security platforms
  • Deep hands-on expertise architecting and administering: SIEM, SOAR, EDR, DLP, or email security and anti-phishing platforms
  • Strong software engineering skills in a language commonly used for security automation (e.g., Python, Go, PowerShell), with experience building production-quality integrations and tooling
  • Proven experience building and managing detection content at scale, measured against frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK
  • Track record of delivering measurable operational improvements through automation, such as reduced response times or expanded capacity without added headcount
  • Ability to operate autonomously in a build-from-zero environment and drive technical work across teams you don't manage
  • Experience standing up or modernizing a security operations stack (SIEM migration, SOAR implementation, EDR rollout) from early maturity
  • Cloud security experience, particularly AWS-native security services
  • Experience in regulated industries (pharma, biotech, healthcare, financial services)
  • Relevant certifications (e.g., GIAC GCDA/GDAT/GCIA, CISSP) or equivalent expertise

About Alnylam

We are the leader in RNAi therapeutics – a revolutionary approach with the potential to transform the lives of people with rare and common diseases. Built on Nobel Prize-winning science, Alnylam has delivered the breakthroughs that made RNAi therapeutics possible and are just at the beginning of what’s possible. Our deep pipeline, late-stage programs, and bold vision reflect our core values: fierce innovation, passion for excellence, purposeful urgency, open culture and commitment to people. We're proud to be a globally recognized top employer, where an authentic, inclusive culture and breakthrough thinking fuel one another.

At Alnylam, we commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equal employment opportunity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their sex, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, pregnancy status or related conditions, genetic information, veteran or military status, marital or familial status, political affiliation, age, or any other factor protected by federal, state, or local law. Alnylam is an E-Verify Employer.

Before applying, please review Alnylam's ⁠Candidate Privacy Notice regarding how Alnylam handles Personal Data you provide with your application for employment.

The pay range below reflects the full-time base salary range we expect to pay for this role at the time of posting. Base pay will be determined based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, and education. This role is eligible for an annual short-term incentive award (e.g., bonus or sales incentive) and an annual long-term incentive award (e.g., equity).

Alnylam’s robust Total Rewards package is designed to support your overall health and well-being. We offer comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, a lifestyle reimbursement program, flexible spending and health savings accounts and a 401(k)with a generous company match. Eligible employees enjoy paid time off, wellness days, holidays, and two company-wide recharge breaks. We also offer generous family resources and leave. Our commitment to your well-being reflects our belief that caring for our people fuels the impact we create together.

Learn more about these and additional benefits offered by Alnylam by visiting the Benefits section of the Careers website: https://www.alnylam.com/careers

U.S. Pay Range

$174,300 - $235,700 USD

Salary : $174,300 - $235,700

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Cyber Defense Platforms Staff Engineer?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Cyber Defense Platforms Staff Engineer career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$97,257 - $120,701
Income Estimation: 
$123,167 - $152,295
Income Estimation: 
$149,432 - $188,965
Income Estimation: 
$179,455 - $227,077
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Cambridge, MA
  • Overview The Process Equipment Technician will support lab and facilities operations at the Alnylam Kendall Campus on the weekend shift. This encompasses a... more
  • 3 Days Ago

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Cambridge, MA
  • Overview The Director, Platform Infrastructure will lead Alnylam’s enterprise infrastructure platform strategy, building the secure, resilient, and scalabl... more
  • 4 Days Ago

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Cambridge, MA
  • Overview Alnylam is pioneering RNAi therapeutics and scaling rapidly across research, development, manufacturing, and global commercialization. The Associa... more
  • 5 Days Ago

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Cambridge, MA
  • Overview Alnylam is seeking an experienced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technology governance leader to establish and mature the Company's ent... more
  • 7 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Cyber Defense Platforms Staff Engineer jobs in the Cambridge, MA area that may be a better fit.

  • Nova Biomedical Waltham, MA
  • Department: Information Security & Infrastructure Operations Reports To: Director, Detection & Automation Location: Waltham, MA (Hybrid) Salary Range: $141... more
  • 4 Days Ago

  • Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Cambridge, MA
  • Overview Alnylam is pioneering RNAi therapeutics and scaling rapidly across research, development, and global commercialization. The Director, Cyber Defens... more
  • 11 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!