Senior Security Incident Responder

Avalara is looking for an experienced Senior Security Incident Responder to join the Detection and Response Team. You will have a track record in incident response, demonstrating advanced technical expertise and leadership capabilities. As a Senior Security Incident Responder, you will help protect Avalara. This includes detecting, investigating, and mitigating security incidents. You will also be an important contributor in improving our incident response capabilities. This is a remote position.

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• →Strengthen Avalara's security posture, operational resilience, and regulatory standing by increasing the Detection and Response team's investigative capacity, programmatic, and sustainable coverage across an evolving enterprise threat landscape.
• →Detect, investigate, and contain security incidents within SLA to protect Avalara's customers, revenue, and compliance standing.
• →Accelerate capability across the team by delivering runbooks, detection improvements, and automation.
• →Embed AI-augmented investigation practices that improve analytical speed, confidence, and scale.
• →Improve investigation quality by setting a visible standard of analytical depth and thorough documentation.
• →Actively develop the analysts around you by sharing techniques and providing feedback.
• →Identify and lead improvements to how the team operates, strengthening response workflows, cross-functional coordination, and metrics that demonstrate security impact to leadership.
• →Represent the Detection and Response function with confidence in cross-functional engagements, audits, and stakeholder discussions — reinforcing trust in Avalara's security posture across the organization.

• Execute incident response activities and lead related workstreams as the Senior Security Incident Responder.
• Continuously monitor security systems, including Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) platforms, software firewalls, and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms. Gather and analyze evidence from affected systems, logs, and network traffic.
• Conduct detailed investigations of security incidents to determine the root cause, scope, and impact. Document all aspects of security incidents, including timelines, actions taken, and lessons learned.
• Develop, document, and implement strategies, runbooks, capabilities, and techniques for incident response.
• Perform forensic analysis of compromised systems to identify the techniques and tactics used by attackers, or as directed by Legal.
• Work cross-functionally with security engineering and other teams to build solutions for analyzing security events at scale and protecting Avalara from threats.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including IT, Security Operations, Legal, HR, and Compliance to manage and mitigate incidents effectively.
• Strengthen KPIs and metrics for measuring response effectiveness and provide detailed reporting to internal stakeholders.
• Stay up to date with the latest security threats, vulnerabilities, and incident response techniques through ongoing training and professional development.
• Act as a subject matter expert in incident response, representing the team in meetings, audits, and presentations.
• Participate in rotating On Call shifts that utilize a paging system in case a security event requires attention.

• Operates independently across the full incident lifecycle: detection, containment, recovery, and remediation — with quality security ticket notes.
• Demonstrate working knowledge of Avalara's core products, infrastructure, and internal systems.
• Have contributed to the team's collective defense capability through playbooks, knowledge base articles, detection rules, and automation.
• Establish productive working relationships with Insider Threat, Detection Engineering, and Threat Intelligence teams.
• Cross-functional trust and effective communications with IT, Legal, HR, Governance, and Product Stakeholders.

Avalara hires people who make the teams they join measurably stronger. As a Senior Security Incident Responder, you will bring expertise, analytical rigor, and collaborative energy. This elevates the Detection and Response team's collective capability, strengthening how Avalara investigates against an evolving threat landscape.

• 5+ years' experience in Security Incident Response.
• Experience across the information security domain, including familiarity with endpoint, email, network, cloud security, vulnerability management, incident response, and threat intelligence.
• Experience with log analysis, network security, digital forensics, and incident response investigations.
• Leverages advanced data analysis to diagnose root causes, optimize processes, and deliver high-impact solutions.
• Effectively collaborate with different stakeholders.
• Perform and coordinate tasks during high-pressure situations.
• Proficiency in leveraging AI tools within security operations is a plus.
• Ability to script / code using Python or an equivalent language is a plus.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information security, or relevant experience.
• Certifications related to digital forensics and incident response is a plus.

We’re defining the relationship between tax and tech.

We’ve already built an industry-leading cloud compliance platform, processing over 54 billion customer API calls and over 6.6 million tax returns a year. Our growth is real - we're a billion dollar business - and we’re not slowing down until we’ve achieved our mission - to be part of every transaction in the world.

We’re bright, innovative, and disruptive, like the orange we love to wear. It captures our quirky spirit and optimistic mindset. It shows off the culture we’ve designed, that empowers our people to win. We’ve been different from day one. Join us, and your career will be too.

The base pay range(s) below are provided in compliance with state specific laws. Pay ranges may be different in other locations.

Colorado $148,800-$245,600 (annually)

Washington $148,800-$271,500 (annually)

California $148,800-$297,300 (annually)

NYC $164,500-$297,300 (annually)

The pay range above is the general base pay range for you in the state listed. Your actual salary/wage may be based on several factors, such as geographic location, candidate experience and qualifications, market and business considerations. This role is eligible for an annual bonus based on company performance, depending on the terms of the applicable plan and your role.

AI is embedded in our workflows, decision-making, and products.  Success here requires embracing AI as an essential capability.

• You’ll bring experience using AI and AI-related technologies, ready to thrive here.

• You’ll apply AI every day to business challenges - improving efficiency, contributing solutions, and driving results for your team, our company, and our customers.

• You’ll grow with AI by staying curious about new trends and best practices, and by sharing what you learn so others can benefit too.

Total Rewards 

In addition to a great compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave, many Avalara employees are eligible for bonuses. 

Health & Wellness 
Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance. 

Inclusive culture and diversity 
Avalara strongly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is committed to integrating them into our business practices and our organizational culture. We also have a total of 8 employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and exec sponsorship. 

Supporting diversity and inclusion is a cornerstone of our company — we don’t want people to fit into our culture, but to enrich it. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, national orientation, disability, sexual orientation, US Veteran status, or any other factor protected by law. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.