Secuity Analyst, (Contract)

Description Our team is looking for a Security Analyst contractor with the project length of 3 months. Major responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Rapid Incident Response: Quickly assess, isolate, and mitigate security threats. Decision-Making Under Pressure: Make critical security decisions during high-risk events. Collaboration Across Teams: Work closely with IT, security, and leadership to ensure a coordinated response. Adaptability: Adjust to emerging threats and refine security strategies as needed. Clear Documentation & Reporting: Deliver concise security reports and actionable insights. Incident Investigation & Threat Hunting: Ability to analyze security alerts, perform advanced hunting, and escalate high-risk incidents. Security Policy Tuning: Capable of adjusting detection rules, refining access controls, and optimizing security settings. Data Analysis & Trend Identification: Experience in reviewing logs, identifying security trends, and compiling findings into actionable reports. Technical Communication: Ability to document and present findings to security teams, IT personnel, and executive leadership. Automation & Scripting (Preferred): Familiarity with PowerShell, KQL, or Python for security automation and custom detections (preferred but not required). Required Qualifications: Threat Detection & Response: Strong understanding of Microsoft Defender XDR, including malware detection, threat hunting, and automated response. Identity Security & Access Management: Experience with Microsoft Entra ID, including Conditional Access Policies, MFA, and privilege escalation monitoring. Data Security & Insider Threat Detection: Familiarity with Varonis for file access monitoring, data exfiltration detection, and insider threat response. Phishing & Email Security: Knowledge of Google Admin Console for phishing email investigations, domain blocking, and attachment scanning. Incident Investigation & Reporting: Understanding of security log analysis, SIEM investigations, and security reporting best practices. Ideal Candidate Experience: 3+ years in cybersecurity operations, threat intelligence, or security engineering. Experience with Microsoft Defender XDR, Microsoft Entra ID, Varonis, and Google Admin Console preferred. Incident response and forensic analysis experience a plus. Familiarity with the ServiceNow ticketing system preferred. This role will have an hourly rate of $35-$45/hour. The contractor will be hired through a third party, Noor. Macmillan Publishers is the U.S. trade company that is part of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned group of media companies headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's publishing companies include prominent imprints around the world that publish a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats. U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, The St. Martin's Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, companies in the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group publish under the Pan Macmillan name. The German publishing company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are actively seeking job applicants who reflect a broad representation of differences, including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, physical ability, neurodiversity, age, family status, economic background and status, geographical background and status, and perspective. We believe that the best companies reflect the incredible diversity in viewpoints, backgrounds, and identities of the world in their staffs, and are committed to inclusive hiring across departments and levels. The successful candidate for this position will be an employee of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.