Analyst, Cyber Defense

Company Description

Job Description

Job Description:

Company Description:

McDonald's growth strategy, Accelerating the Arches, encompasses all aspects of our business as the leading global omni-channel restaurant brand. As the consumer landscape shifts we are using our competitive advantages to further strengthen our brand. One of our core growth strategies is to Double Down on the 3Ds (Delivery, Digital and Drive Thru). McDonald's will accelerate technology innovation so 65M+ customers a day will experience a fast, easy experience, whether at one of our 25,000 and growing Drive thrus, through McDelivery, dine-in or takeaway.

McDonald's Global Technology is here to power tomorrow's feel-good moments.

That's why you'll find us at the forefront of transformative technology, exploring new and innovative ways to serve our millions of customers and spread happiness one delicious Hot Fudge Sundae-dipped fry at a time. Using AI, robotics and emerging tech, we're digitizing the Golden Arches. Combine that with our unparalleled global scale, and we're reshaping all areas of the business, industry and every community that is home to a McDonald's restaurant. We face complex tech challenges every day. But that's where our diverse and talented teams come in. They're made up of the best and brightest from all over the globe, and they thrive in the space where feel-good meets fast-paced.

Check out the McDonald's Global Technology Technical Blog to learn how technology and our global team are directly enabling the Accelerating the Arches strategy.

Department Overview

As a Detection & Response Analyst within the 24/7 Global Security Operations Center (GSOC), your responsibilities include using defensive measures and information gathered from various sources to identify, analyze, and report cybersecurity events, ensuring the protection of McDonalds information assets. You play a crucial role in supporting the Incident Response process, responding to crisis situations, and mitigating immediate and potential cyber threats. Your expertise in security operations, event monitoring, and incident response will be key in this role. The role works directly within Global Cyber Security (GCS), the organization responsible for our Cyber Defense & Incident Response program and critical services, ensuring our leadership makes informed risk-based decisions.

You will collaborate closely with the Incident Response and Cyber Defense teams, working on long-term projects to strengthen our security posture. We are moving fast and are adding to our best-in-class team and joining McDonalds means thinking big every day and preparing for a career that will impact the world. We are customer-obsessed and committed to being leaders in our industry.

McDonalds is investing heavily in technology to drive our growth. We are looking at how to use technology to improve the customer experience and build new customer experiences. We are also exploring technologies that can help us reduce or eliminate repetitive tasks and make employees' jobs more exciting and rewarding. With all the new projects and initiatives, it is an exciting time to be on the cybersecurity team, helping to make a safer and Better McDonalds.

Duties

• Continuously monitor and analyze system activity using security operations tools to identify malicious activity.
• Characterize and analyze network traffic and logs to identify potential threats to McDonald's assets.
• Analyze network alerts from various sources within the enterprise to determine their root cause.
• Provide timely detection, identification, and analysis of possible attacks and intrusions, differentiating them from benign activities.
• Collaborate with the Incident Response (IR) team, market stakeholders, and SOC to validate security events and provide tuning input.
• Perform event correlation to gain situational awareness and assess the effectiveness of observed attacks.
• Conduct security operations and incident response trend analysis and reporting.
• Assist in constructing signatures for defense network tools in response to new or observed threats.
• Assist in eDiscovery and Forensic investigations
• Monitor external data sources to stay informed about cyber defense threat conditions.
• Offer cybersecurity recommendations to leadership based on significant threats and vulnerabilities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to resolve computer security incidents and ensure vulnerability compliance.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate for this role should possess a solid understanding of cybersecurity practices, cloud technologies, detection and response frameworks, and incident handling procedures (containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned). They should be skilled in adhering to established incident response playbooks and practices, have a strong attention to detail, and work collaboratively across global cross-functional teams. The candidate must have:

• Proficiency in computer networking concepts, protocols, and network security methodologies.
• Strong ability to analyze cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
• Competence in authentication, authorization, and access control methods.
• Proficiency in utilizing intrusion detection methodologies and techniques for detecting host and network-based intrusions.
• In-depth knowledge of system and application security threats and vulnerabilities.
• Advanced understanding of network attacks and their relationship to threats and vulnerabilities.
• Proficiency in adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the stages of a cyber attack.
• Proficiency with Windows, MacOS, and/or Linux operating systems.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or Computer Engineering.
• 2+ years of experience working in a security operations or incident response role.

Desired Skills:

• Professional certification such as GIAC, GCIH, GCIA.
• Experience working from Incident Response Playbooks.
• Experience working with case management tools, SOAR, email security solutions, SIEM, and EDR technologies.
• Experience with network/data analysis, packet capture analysis, malware detection, custom intrusion signature development, and advanced information assurance.
• Experience developing automation through scripting languages such as Python.

Compensation

Bonus Eligible: YES

Long - Term Incentive: NO

Benefits Eligible: YES

Salary Range

The expected salary range for this role is $104,482.00 - $130,602.00 per year

The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we may also consider your experience, and other job-related factors.

Additional Information:

Benefits eligible: This position offers health and welfare benefits, including but not limited to comprehensive health insurance, which includes medical, prescription drug, mental health, dental and vision coverage, as well as, life insurance.

Bonus eligible: This position is eligible for a bonus, calculated based on individual and company performance.

McDonald's is an equal opportunity employer. We promote an inclusive work environment that creates feel-good moments for everyone. McDonald's provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities as part of the application or hiring process or to perform the essential functions of their job. If you need assistance accessing or reading this job posting or otherwise feel you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process, please contact mcdhrbenefits@us.mcd.com. Reasonable accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

McDonald's provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to sex, sex stereotyping, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin, age, disability status, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, protected military or veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Nothing in this job posting or description should be construed as an offer or guarantee of employment.

Qualifications

Additional Information

Job Details

Categories

• Cyber Defense
• Corporate

Categories ID Categories URL Job title Analyst, Cyber Defense Position Type Date Posted 10/29/2026 Primary Quest ID Second Quest ID Job Classification

Location(s) Chicago, IL, 60607, US

Job ID 5451

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