Manager of Cyber Defense Engineering

About Lumen

Lumen connects the world. We are igniting business growth by connecting people, data and applications – quickly, securely, and effortlessly. Together, we are building a culture and company from the people up – committed to teamwork, trust and transparency. People power progress.

We’re looking for top-tier talent and offer the flexibility you need to thrive and deliver lasting impact. Join us as we digitally connect the world and shape the future.

Lumen is seeking a strategic and technically proficient Manager of Cyber Defense Engineering to lead a team of security engineers focused on protecting our enterprise applications, cloud environments, and identity infrastructure. This role will drive the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of security controls across Application Security, IAM, and Cloud Security, ensuring alignment with business goals and regulatory requirements.

This is a remote position open to candidates based anywhere in the U.S.

• Lead and mentor a team of cyber defense engineers across multiple security domains.
• Develop and execute strategic roadmaps for application, IAM, and cloud security initiatives.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams including Dev Ops, IT, and Compliance to embed security into enterprise architecture.

• Oversee deployment and tuning of Web Application Firewalls (WAF) and Email Security Gateways.
• Promote secure coding practices through developer training, code reviews, and integration of security tools in CI/CD pipelines.
• Manage vulnerability scanning and remediation processes for web and mobile applications.

• Lead implementation and optimization of Multi‑Factor Authentication (MFA) and Single Sign‑On (SSO) solutions.
• Ensure robust identity governance and lifecycle management across hybrid environments.
• Collaborate with IAM architects to enforce least privilege and role‑based access controls.

• Drive adoption and configuration of Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and Cloud Workload Protection Platforms (CWPP).
• Implement security controls for SaaS applications, ensuring data protection and compliance.
• Monitor cloud environments for misconfigurations, threats, and anomalous activity.

• Define and track KPIs and metrics to measure effectiveness of security controls.
• Respond to security incidents and support forensic investigations as needed.
• Stay current with emerging threats, technologies, and regulatory changes.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field;
  Master’s preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in cybersecurity, with 3+ years in a leadership role.
• Strong expertise in WAF, secure coding, email security, MFA, SSO, CSPM, CWPP, and SaaS security.
• Familiarity with frameworks such as NIST, ISO 27001, and CIS Benchmarks.
• Certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CCSP, or AWS/Azure Security are a plus.

• Experience with tools like Palo Alto Prisma, Wiz, ProofPoint, Azure AD, and Crowd Strike, Cloud Service Providers.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, hybrid cloud environment.

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:

$103,711 - $138,281 in these states: AL, AR, AZ, FL, GA, IA, , IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NM, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, WI, WV, and WY.

$108,896 - $145,195 in these states: CO, HI, MI, MN, NC, NH, NV, OR, and RI.

$114,082 - $152,109 in these states: AK, CA, CT, DC, DE, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, TX, VA, and WA.

If you are selected for a position, there will be a background screen, which may include checks for criminal records and/or motor vehicle reports and/or drug screening, depending on the position requirements. For more information on these checks, please refer to the Post Offer section of our FAQ page ().…