Cyber Defense Sr Specialist

We help the world run better

At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed.

What you'll build

Our Global Cyber Security Incident Response and Recovery Investigator are our first line of response for security event and incidents with a global scope. They are responsible for triaging security alerts detected by Enterprise Detection and SIEM, analysing available data to determine scope, severity, and priority to determine follow on actions. In escalation cases, they then work in a supportive capacity to further validate if a cyber-attack is occurring, scoping the extent of a suspected attack, coordinating efforts to contain attacks, supporting forensic investigations to determine the details around an attack, and providing guidance on remediation actions.

In this role, you will:

• Conduct initial assessments and help drive root cause analysis.
• Contribute to the development of attack remediation and response strategies.
• Coordinate escalation handling and communication across teams.
• Triage operational security processes, including phishing response.
• Assist in maintaining and improving incident handling documentation—such as playbooks, runbooks, and standard operating procedures.
• Collaborate with Detection and SIEM teams to enhance detection logic and alert accuracy.
• Support forensic investigations with technical insights and evidence collection.
• Analysing cloud logs and telemetry for signs of compromise (e.g., CloudTrail, VPC Flow Logs, Azure Activity Logs).
• Leverage your offensive knowledge to identify gaps, simulate attacks, and drive improvements in detection, response, and hardening strategies.
• We value hands-on practitioners—our environment includes sandboxing, red vs. blue testing, or adversary emulation frameworks (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK, CALDERA, Atomic Red Team) and opportunities to build tooling or simulate attack chains.

What you bring

We are seeking analytical and detail-oriented critical thinkers who are solution-focused and thrive in dynamic environments. The ideal candidate should be a fast learner with the ability to adapt quickly and respond effectively to changing circumstances.

Preferred Technical Skills and Experience:

• Experience of 8–14+ years in a cyber incident investigation role or equivalent combination of education, certifications, and relevant training.
• Certifications - Industry-recognized certifications such as Security+, GCIA, GCIH, GCFA, GCFE, GREM, CISSP (or equivalent).
• Strong understanding of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors, their tools, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), as well as threat modelling frameworks.
• Proficiency in TCP/IP communications and knowledge of core network protocols and applications such as DNS, HTTP, and SMB.
• Security Infrastructure Tools: (SIEM, IDS, EDR, DNS, other Deception technologies)
• Proficiency in scripting languages such as PowerShell, Python, or Bash.
• Core Forensic Competencies:
• Expertise in memory, disk, and file system forensics across multiple OS platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS).
• Experience performing volatile memory acquisition and analysis (e.g., using Volatility, Plaso, Sleuth Kit, Velociraptor, KAPE).
• Proficient in analysing logs, timelines, and system artifacts to reconstruct attacker activity.
• Proficiency in forensic toolsets such as EnCase, FTK, X-Ways, Autopsy/other.
• Knowledge of file carving, metadata analysis, and data recovery.
• Cloud Forensics & Logging:
• Experience analysing cloud logs (e.g., CloudTrail, Azure Activity Logs, GCP Audit Logs).
• Familiarity with cloud storage and compute forensics (e.g., EC2, Lambda, S3, Blob Storage).
• Ability to investigate container and orchestration layers (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes, EKS/AKS/GKE)

Where you belong

An SAP Global Cyber Senior Incident Response and Recovery Investigator plays a critical role in safeguarding SAP's digital enterprise. As a front-line defender, the Investigator is responsible for triaging security events identified by monitoring tools, analysing data to assess severity and urgency, and conducting initial evaluations to determine whether a cyberattack is underway. When a potential incident is identified, the Investigator works closely with Global Security Operations to scope the impact, coordinate containment efforts, and support forensic investigations to uncover the nature and details of the attack

Bring out your best

SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.

We win with inclusion

SAP's culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone – regardless of background – feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team:

For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local legal requirements.

Successful candidates might be required to undergo a background verification with an external vendor.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

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Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.

Requisition ID: | Work Area: Information Technology | Expected Travel: 0 - 10% | Career Status: Professional | Employment Type: Regular Full Time | Additional Locations: #LI-Hybrid