Senior & Principal Security Researcher

Microsoft

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: US
Salary: $119,800–$234,700 / yr
Posted: 169 days ago
Closes: Jul 8, 2026
Nearby: 93 roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $182k

This role $177k

$106k most similar roles pay here $248k

This role pays less than 55% of similar roles. Most pay $151,475–$212,250 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $177k versus about $182k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology leader producing software, hardware, and cloud services including Windows, Office 365, Azure cloud platform, Xbox gaming, and Surface devices. Industry: Software & Cloud Computing

Microsoft currently has 622 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $119,800–$234,700 across 571 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Senior & Principal Security Researcher

Role Posting Log in to save

Join the Global Hunting, Oversight, and Strategic Triage (GHOST) team as a Senior or Principal Security Researcher to tackle cutting-edge security challenges. You will perform deep threat analysis in on-premises and cloud environments, identify potential threats, and develop proactive defense strategies. Your role involves building proof-of-concept tools, automating threat hunting processes, and driving product improvements based on real-world insights. With a focus on enhancing Microsoft’s cybersecurity offerings, you’ll collaborate globally to catalog attacker tactics and notify customers of imminent risks, ensuring they are prepared against advanced threats. Ideal candidates have expertise in security fundamentals across Microsoft platforms, proficiency with SQL or Kusto Query Language (KQL), familiarity with forensic analysis tools, and experience with threat actor evidence like IOCs and TTPs. This role demands a strong analytical background and the ability to work on complex security issues at scale.

Skills

KQL SQL Jupyter Notebooks Python CSharp Azure Windows Server Linux SIEM Splunk Humio Kibana X-Ways_Forensics WinHex EnCase FTK HIDS NIDS CI/CD

What you'll do

Conduct deep analysis of attacker activity in on-premises and cloud environments.
Identify potential threats to enable proactive defense measures.
Develop threat intelligence knowledge transfer programs for customers.
Build proof-of-concept tools and automations for threat hunting.
Drive product improvements by conveying insights from threat hunts.
Create and promote adoption of mitigations for complex security issues.

What we're looking for

Doctorate or Master's degree in a relevant field plus 3+ years of experience in cybersecurity.
Bachelor's degree in a relevant field plus 4+ years of experience in software development lifecycle and threat analysis.
Proven knowledge of security fundamentals across Microsoft platforms including client, server, and cloud environments.
Strong understanding of malware and modern threat landscape, particularly identity-based attacks.
Familiarity with SQL or Kusto Query Language (KQL) for large-scale data querying.
Experience analyzing sophisticated threat actor evidence, including IOCs, IOAs, and TTPs.
Use of forensic analysis tools such as X-Ways Forensics, WinHex, EnCase, FTK.

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