Cyber Defense Engineer

Position Title: Cyber Defense Engineer
Position Type: Regular - Full-Time
Grade: Grade 04
Requisition ID: 42936
In every role, McCainers are ambitious, curious, and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences - together. With a customer-first mindset, we make doing business with McCain easy.
About the role .
We are seeking a hands-on Cyber Defense Engineer to help evolve our Security Operations capability from a traditional monitoring model to a modern, engineering-driven detection and response function.
This role sits within our Cyber Security Operations team and will focus on designing, building, and optimizing cloud-native security capabilities in Microsoft Azure, while working closely with our MDR partner and internal stakeholders.
This is an opportunity to build-not just run-security operations, shaping how we detect, respond to, and mitigate threats across a global food enterprise.
What you'll be doing.
Detection & Response Engineering

• Design, develop, and tune detection use cases in Microsoft Sentinel and Defender
• Build and maintain analytics rules, KQL queries, and alerting logic
• Improve signal-to-noise ratio by tuning detections and reducing false positives

Security Automation & Integration

• Develop automation playbooks (Logic Apps / SOAR) to streamline response actions
• Integrate security tooling across Azure, M365, and enterprise platforms
• Enable end-to-end detection-to-response workflows

Cloud Security (Azure Focus)

• Implement and enhance Azure-native security controls (Defender for Cloud, Entra ID, etc.)
• Monitor and secure cloud workloads, identities, and data flows
• Partner with cloud/platform teams to embed security-by-design

Threat-Informed Defense

• Translate threat intelligence into actionable detections
• Map detections to frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK
• Continuously improve coverage against priority threat scenarios (e.g., identity compromise, ransomware)

MDR & SOC Collaboration

• Work closely with our MDR partner to:
• Improve detection quality
• Define escalation paths
• Drive continuous improvement
• Act as a technical bridge between internal teams and external providers

What you'll need to be successful.

• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Security Stack, including Sentinel (SIEM)
• Strong working knowledge of Azure security services:
• Defender for Cloud
• Microsoft Defender XDR
• Entra ID (Azure AD)
• Proficiency in KQL (Kusto Query Language)
• Experience building SOAR playbooks (Logic Apps preferred)

Engineering Mindset

• Experience in detection engineering, automation, or security tooling development
• Ability to design and build solutions, not just operate tools
• Familiarity with scripting (Python, PowerShell, or similar)

Security Operations Knowledge

• Understanding of SOC processes, incident response, and threat detection
• Experience working with or alongside an MDR/SOC provider is an asset
• Familiarity with frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK, NIST CSF

About the team.
This role is part of the Cyber Security Operations team, collaborating closely with cloud engineering, platform teams, and business stakeholders, as well as an external MDR partner. The team is focused on transforming from a traditional SOC model to a proactive, engineering-led cyber defense capability, enabling stronger protection across a global food enterprise.
About McCain .
Click Here to learn more about McCain and how we provide you with opportunities to make an impact that matters.
Leadership principles .
At McCain, our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers, collaborate as a team, and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs, driving innovation, empowering people, and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.
The McCain experience .
We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust, empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here, you'll find opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and experience why we're better together.
Compensation Package : $69,700.00 - $93,000.00 . CAD annually + Bonus Eligibility
The above reflects the target compensation range for the position at the time of posting. Hiring compensation will be determined based on experience, skill set, education and training, and other organizational needs. This posting is for an existing vacancy.
Benefits: At McCain, we're on a mission to create a winning culture that puts employee safety and well-being at the heart of what we do, every day. We understand and appreciate that each person's needs are unique and ensure our benefits & well-being programs reflect that. Employees are eligible for the following benefits: health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription drug), retirement savings benefits, and leave support including medical, family and bereavement. Well-being programs include vacation and holidays, company-supported volunteering time, and mental health resources. Coverages are aligned with country, provincial and state governing plans and can vary by work level, location and nature of the role. Additional benefit detail available during the application process.
Your well-being matters to us, and we're here to provide you with the necessary resources to support you in being your best self at work - and at home.
McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company, we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know , and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions.
Your privacy is important to us. By submitting personal data or information to us, you agree this will be handled in accordance with McCain's Global Privacy Policy and Global Employee Privacy Policy , as applicable. McCain leverages AI in the hiring process, though all final decisions are made by humans. You can understand our approach to AI and how your personal information is being handled here .
Job Family: Information Technology
Location(s): CA - Canada : Ontario : Toronto
Company: McCain Foods (Canada)