Security Operations Analyst Jobs in California
Security Operations Analyst jobs in California represent one of the most active cybersecurity markets in the country, concentrated in technology, defense contracting, financial services, and healthcare sectors, with openings from entry-level SOC tier-one analyst roles through senior threat detection engineers. The heaviest hiring is in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where employers like Northrop Grumman, Kaiser Permanente, and Wells Fargo maintain large security operations footprints. The most in-demand specialties are SIEM engineering, threat intelligence, and cloud security monitoring. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 6+ Security Operations Analyst jobs
Responsibilities
About the team: The IT security team is responsible for enterprise IT global cyber security, server security, endpoint security, application security construction, and protection work. They work to improve overall IT security capabilities and security posture, providing security processes, security assessments, security operations, and security vulnerability management services. The team also supports IT teams and business departments in meeting their security requirements.
- Monitor security alerts and events generated by various security tools and technologies, such as SIEM, IDS/IPS, firewalls, and endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems.
- Build and tune high-fidelity detections across endpoint, identity, cloud, and SaaS telemetry sources.
- Reduce alert fatigue and false positives through improved severity tagging, disposal logic, and enrichment workflows.
- Conduct threat and scenario-driven threat hunts based on TTPs, anomalies, and threat intelligence.
- Identify and close detection gaps uncovered during incident response or hunting operations.
- Design and maintain SOAR playbooks and automation logic for triage, enrichment, and response.
- Partner with CTI and detection engineers to operationalize threat intelligence and attacker behaviors.
- Develop and maintain detection logic aligned with frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK and MaGMa.
- Contribute scripts and tooling (e.g., Python, PowerShell) to improve investigation and response efficiency.
- Support a global SOC by contributing to alert routing, follow-the-sun workflows, and detection health monitoring. This position is part of a team that provides 24/7 support and requires working scheduled shifts, which may include holidays.
- Assist in post-incident reviews to drive continuous improvement of detection coverage and response workflows.
- Coordinate Security Incident Response lessons learnt and post-mortem activities with XFN stakeholders.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualification(s):
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cyber Security, or STEM field.
- Experience working in or supporting a 24/7 global security operations environment.
- Strong proficiency with SIEM platforms (e.g., Splunk, Chronicle, Elastic) and EDR tools (e.g., SentinelOne, CrowdStrike).
- Hands-on experience writing and tuning detection logic (e.g., Sigma, EQL, KQL, YARA).
- Deep understanding of attacker tactics and techniques (MITRE ATT&CK, threat modeling).
- Scripting ability in Python or similar languages to support automation, enrichment, or detection-as-code workflows.
- Experience conducting investigations using logs from identity providers, endpoints, cloud, and network telemetry.
Preferred Qualification(s):
- Familiarity with SOAR platforms and automation of incident response tasks.
- Experience with detection-as-code pipelines, GitOps, or CI/CD rule deployment.
- Experience contributing to threat hunt frameworks or purple team exercises.
- Knowledge of red teaming, penetration testing, malware analysis, or digital forensics.
- Certifications such as GCIH, GCIA, GCTI, OSCP, or equivalent are a plus.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy – a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
TikTok Accommodation
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually) The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $111600 - $235600 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.
Responsibilities
About the team: The IT security team is responsible for enterprise IT global cyber security, server security, endpoint security, application security construction, and protection work. They work to improve overall IT security capabilities and security posture, providing security processes, security assessments, security operations, and security vulnerability management services. The team also supports IT teams and business departments in meeting their security requirements.
- Monitor security alerts and events generated by various security tools and technologies, such as SIEM, IDS/IPS, firewalls, and endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems.
- Build and tune high-fidelity detections across endpoint, identity, cloud, and SaaS telemetry sources.
- Reduce alert fatigue and false positives through improved severity tagging, disposal logic, and enrichment workflows.
- Conduct threat and scenario-driven threat hunts based on TTPs, anomalies, and threat intelligence.
- Identify and close detection gaps uncovered during incident response or hunting operations.
- Design and maintain SOAR playbooks and automation logic for triage, enrichment, and response.
- Partner with CTI and detection engineers to operationalize threat intelligence and attacker behaviors.
- Develop and maintain detection logic aligned with frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK and MaGMa.
- Contribute scripts and tooling (e.g., Python, PowerShell) to improve investigation and response efficiency.
- Support a global SOC by contributing to alert routing, follow-the-sun workflows, and detection health monitoring. This position is part of a team that provides 24/7 support and requires working scheduled shifts, which may include holidays.
- Assist in post-incident reviews to drive continuous improvement of detection coverage and response workflows.
- Coordinate Security Incident Response lessons learnt and post-mortem activities with XFN stakeholders.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualification(s):
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cyber Security, or STEM field.
- Experience working in or supporting a 24/7 global security operations environment.
- Strong proficiency with SIEM platforms (e.g., Splunk, Chronicle, Elastic) and EDR tools (e.g., SentinelOne, CrowdStrike).
- Hands-on experience writing and tuning detection logic (e.g., Sigma, EQL, KQL, YARA).
- Deep understanding of attacker tactics and techniques (MITRE ATT&CK, threat modeling).
- Scripting ability in Python or similar languages to support automation, enrichment, or detection-as-code workflows.
- Experience conducting investigations using logs from identity providers, endpoints, cloud, and network telemetry.
Preferred Qualification(s):
- Familiarity with SOAR platforms and automation of incident response tasks.
- Experience with detection-as-code pipelines, GitOps, or CI/CD rule deployment.
- Experience contributing to threat hunt frameworks or purple team exercises.
- Knowledge of red teaming, penetration testing, malware analysis, or digital forensics.
- Certifications such as GCIH, GCIA, GCTI, OSCP, or equivalent are a plus.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy – a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
TikTok Accommodation
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually) The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $111600 - $235600 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.
See All 6 Security Operations Analyst Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsSecurity Operations Analyst Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Security Operations Analyst Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Obsidian Security2
- COGENT SECURITY1
- Point Loma Nazarene University1
- TikTok1
- WaveStrong1
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software4
- Cybersecurity1
- Education1
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in security operations analyst jobs across California.
- CompTIA Security+ or equivalent certification recognized by California employers
- Hands-on experience with SIEM platforms such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or IBM QRadar
- Demonstrated ability to monitor, triage, and investigate security alerts in a SOC environment
- Familiarity with NIST, MITRE ATT&CK, and California Consumer Privacy Act compliance frameworks
- Experience with endpoint detection and response tools and network traffic analysis
- Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, computer science, information systems, or a related field
Security Operations Analyst Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a security operations analyst in California?
Start with a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, computer science, or information systems, then earn a foundational certification such as CompTIA Security+ or Certified SOC Analyst. California has no state-issued license specific to this role, but many employers require familiarity with the California Consumer Privacy Act. Building hands-on experience through internships, home labs, or entry-level IT support roles at California technology firms or defense contractors is the most common path into a first analyst position.
How much do security operations analysts make in California?
Security operations analysts in California earn a median of about $138,570 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $66,070 for the lowest 10% to over $221,000 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire security operations analysts in California?
Employers hiring security operations analysts in California right now include Obsidian Security, COGENT SECURITY, and Point Loma Nazarene University, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. California's concentration of defense contractors in San Diego and aerospace firms in the Los Angeles basin makes it one of the few states where cleared and non-cleared SOC roles exist side by side.
Which California cities have the most security operations analyst jobs?
Palo Alto, Los Angeles, and San Diego account for the largest share of security operations analyst openings in California. The San Francisco Bay Area drives volume through its dense concentration of technology companies and financial institutions, Los Angeles pulls demand from entertainment, aerospace, and healthcare sectors, and San Diego's defense contracting and biotech industries anchor hiring in the southern part of the state.
Are there remote security operations analyst jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 0% of security operations analyst openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting how much of the core work involves monitoring dashboards and analyzing logs through cloud-based SIEM platforms. Roles requiring on-site presence are most common at regulated industries such as defense contractors or healthcare systems that handle sensitive data under strict compliance requirements.
How can I get hired as a security operations analyst in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a tier-one SOC analyst role, which most large California technology companies and managed security service providers fill with candidates who hold CompTIA Security+ and can demonstrate hands-on lab work. Lateral moves from IT helpdesk or systems administrator roles are common because the networking and triage skills transfer directly. Employers like large Bay Area technology firms and Southern California healthcare systems run associate analyst and rotational cybersecurity programs for candidates without prior SOC experience.
Where can I find and apply to security operations analyst jobs in California?
You can find and apply to security operations analyst jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings. Find roles that fit your experience and location, then apply directly to each employer through the listing.
See All 6 Security Operations Analyst Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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