Director, Cyber Defense Engineering

Nscale is the GPU cloud engineered for AI. We provide cost‑effective, high‑performance infrastructure for AI start‑ups and large enterprise customers. Nscale enables AI‑focused companies to achieve superior results by reducing the complexity of AI development. Our GPU cloud bolsters technical capabilities and directly supports strategic business outcomes, including cost management, rapid innovation, and environmental responsibility.

We thrive on a culture of relentless innovation, ownership, and accountability, where every team member takes pride in their work and drives it with excellence and urgency. As an Nscaler, you’ll build trust through openness and transparency, where everyone is inspired to do their best work. If you join our team, you’ll be contributing to building the technology that powers the future.

About the Role (Job Purpose)

Nscale is seeking a Director, Cyber Defense Engineering to lead our global cyber defense strategy and operations.

Reporting to the CISO, this executive will oversee Security Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, Red Team, Detection Engineering, and our 24x7 Global Security Operations Center (SOC). You will be responsible for building and scaling a world‑class cyber defense capability capable of protecting a rapidly expanding AI infrastructure platform operating across multiple regions.

This role requires a strategic and operational leader with deep technical credibility, experience defending large‑scale cloud or critical infrastructure environments, and the ability to operate effectively in high‑stakes situations.

Please apply only if you have hands‑on experience designing and implementing AI‑driven cybersecurity programs, and can demonstrate prior work (e.g., case studies, architectures, or deployed solutions).

What You’ll be Doing (Responsibilities)

Global Security Operations

• Lead and scale a 24x7 follow‑the‑sun SOC supporting global operations.
• Establish operational excellence across monitoring, triage, escalation, and response.
• Define KPIs, SLAs, and executive reporting for cyber defense performance.

Incident Response & Crisis Management

• Own the end‑to‑end security incident response program.
• Lead high‑severity investigations and coordinate cross‑functional crisis response.
• Develop and test incident response playbooks across infrastructure, cloud, and corporate environments.
• Conduct post‑incident reviews and drive systemic improvements.

Detection & Response Engineering

• Oversee detection strategy and engineering across infrastructure, cloud, and identity systems.
• Improve signal‑to‑noise ratio through automation, enrichment, and threat‑informed detection design.
• Ensure telemetry coverage across endpoints, network, cloud control planes, and production systems.
• Establish SIEM, EDR, NDR, and SOAR capabilities.

Threat Intelligence

• Establish a threat intelligence program aligned to AI cloud and critical infrastructure risk.
• Track relevant nation‑state, cybercriminal, and emerging threat actor activity.
• Integrate intelligence into detection, red teaming, and defensive strategy.

Red Team & Adversary Simulation

• Lead adversary emulation and red team programs to proactively identify weaknesses.
• Conduct threat‑informed testing across infrastructure, identity, and production systems.
• Partner with engineering teams to remediate findings and improve resilience.

Team Leadership & Strategy

• Build and lead a high‑performing global cyber defense organization.
• Recruit, mentor, and retain top‑tier security talent.
• Partner closely with Platform Engineering, Infrastructure, IT, Legal, and Product teams.
• Contribute to overall security strategy in partnership with the CISO.

About You (Skills / Qualifications)

Required

• 12+ years of progressive experience in cyber security, with significant leadership in cyber defense or security operations.
• Experience leading global SOC and incident response teams in cloud, hyperscale, or critical infrastructure environments.
• Deep understanding of:
  • Modern attack techniques and threat actor tradecraft
  • Detection engineering methodologies
  • Cloud and infrastructure security telemetry
  • Incident response at scale
• Experience managing high‑severity security incidents with executive visibility.
• Strong technical credibility with engineering teams.
• Proven ability to scale global teams across multiple time zones.

Nice to Have

• Experience securing AI, GPU, HPC, or cloud‑native infrastructure.
• Background in threat intelligence or adversary emulation.
• Experience working in regulated or critical infrastructure sectors.
• Public speaking or industry contributions in cyber defense.

Who You Are

• Calm and decisive under pressure.
• Technically credible and operationally rigorous.
• Able to balance strategic leadership with tactical execution.
• Focused on continuous improvement and measurable outcomes.
• Comfortable operating with executive visibility.

What We Can Offer You

At Nscale, you'll find a collaborative, supportive, and innovative environment where your contributions spark real impact. We're building something extraordinary, and we want you at the core.

• Highly competitive package (base + equity) with reviews every 12 months.