Associate Security Consultant 2026 - Cyber Threat Management

Introduction

In this role, you will join IBM Consulting via our world-class Associates Program for university hires. As an Associate Consultant at IBM Consulting, you will have the opportunity to work with a diverse range of clients worldwide. Our clients' technical and business needs are constantly evolving. We're hiring inspired, talented individuals who believe no problem is too big to solve.

We focus on your professional development through ongoing learning, mentorship, development of technical skills, and continuous personal growth, all grounded in a culture of coaching and career advancement. If you see yourself as someone who never stops learning and who wants to unleash your potential, the IBM Consulting Associates Program is for you.

A career in IBM Consulting is rooted in long-term relationships and close collaboration with clients across the globe.

You'll work with visionaries across multiple industries to improve the hybrid cloud and AI journey for the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. Your ability to accelerate impact and make meaningful change for your clients is enabled by our strategic partner ecosystem and our robust technology platforms across the IBM portfolio, including Software and Red Hat.

Curiosity and a constant quest for knowledge serve as the foundation for success in IBM Consulting. In your role, you'll be encouraged to challenge the norm, investigate ideas outside of your role, and come up with creative solutions that result in ground-breaking impact for a wide network of clients. Our culture of evolution and empathy centers on long-term career growth and development opportunities in an environment that embraces your unique skills and experience.

Your Role And Responsibilities

Working alongside more senior level security consultants, you will work to collect and analyze existing business and technical requirements to solve complex client challenges and provide holistic solutions that incorporate people, processes, and technologies to improve our clients’ security posture, teaming on all phases of engagement to monitor, detect, plan, build, implement, and support advanced security solutions. You will be an integral part of providing our clients with an integrated approach to business design and execution, turning strategies into actions, establishing new, flexible, and iterative approaches that only IBM can offer through our unique combination of skills, experiences, and capabilities. Leveraging a growth mindset, you are ready and willing to deliver business value, wherever needed.

Work You Could Do As An Associate Security Consultant

• Work as a team member with client personnel and other IBM teams to identify functional requirements and subsequently working with or in some instances leading others in the identification, justification, and design of the client's solution.
• Participate in a wide range of design activities, from requirements analysis through systems, application and/or process design specification and implementation.
• Gain knowledge across multiple platforms, processes, or architectures.
  
  

These positions are anticipated to start in 2026. We have positions open in this location:

• Chicago, IL
  
  

Preferred Education

Bachelor's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Outcome focused, possessing a high level of resilience, you demonstrate the flexibility and resolve needed to achieve success across a broad range of consultative contexts.
• Familiarity with network design, network security, authentication, authorization techniques, and encryption protocols and standards.
• Experience in one or more of the following security domains: Threat Management including Security Intelligence & Operations Consulting, Data and Application Security, Identity & Access Management, Cloud and Infrastructure Security, and/or Strategy and Risk.
• Knowledge in Network Design and Security, Web or Custom Application Development, Mobile Development, Software Engineering, Identity and Authentication Technology.
• Exposure to software tools such as Python, C/C , Golang or bash, C#; Sharepoint; Software code Testing and TestAutomation is helpful.
• SIEM, SOAR, and EDR are necessary skills needed.
• Familiarity with network security tools for vulnerability scanning, network monitoring, network sniffing, routers, firewalls, intrusion detection and protection, anomaly detection and encryption standards.
• Willingness to travel up to 100%
  
  

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Microsoft Sentinel/Defender
• CrowdStrike EDR and Next-Gen-SIEM
• Google, specifically Google SecOPs
• Palo Alto Networks XSIAM (SIEM and SOAR)
• Splunk / Splunk ES (SIEM, SOAR, EDR)
• CompTIA, S , CISSP