Senior Security Operations Engineer Jobs in California
Senior Security Operations Engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in cybersecurity-intensive sectors including defense contracting, financial services, technology, and healthcare across a market that ranges from mid-level analysts stepping into senior roles through principal engineers leading SOC strategy. The largest hiring concentrations sit in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where employers such as Northrop Grumman, Wells Fargo, and Palo Alto Networks maintain significant security operations footprints. The most in-demand specialties across these markets are threat detection and incident response, SIEM engineering, and cloud security operations. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 8+ Senior Security Operations Engineer jobs
Who we are
Samsara (NYSE: IOT) is the pioneer of the Connected Operations™ Cloud, which is a platform that enables organizations that depend on physical operations to harness Internet of Things (IoT) data to develop actionable insights and improve their operations. At Samsara, we are helping improve the safety, efficiency and sustainability of the physical operations that power our global economy. Representing more than 40% of global GDP, these industries are the infrastructure of our planet, including agriculture, construction, field services, transportation, and manufacturing — and we are excited to help digitally transform their operations at scale.
Working at Samsara means you'll help define the future of physical operations and be on a team that's shaping an exciting array of product solutions, including Video-Based Safety, Vehicle Telematics, Apps and Driver Workflows, and Equipment Monitoring. As part of a recently public company, you'll have the autonomy and support to make an impact as we build for the long term.
About the role:
As a member of our Security Operations Team, you will collaborate with a global team of engineers to monitor and respond to security events, lead security incidents as Incident Commander, and lead digital forensic investigations in support of Employee Relations, Legal, Compliance, or Information Security cases.
Although you will be focused on security incident response, you will also have the opportunity to create and maintain runbooks, and automated workflows, and assist in process refinement and implementation. You will collaborate with a diverse team of analysts, engineers, and key stakeholders on security initiatives across the company. Above all, your focus is bringing Security expertise to the table in a collaborative, humble, and practical manner.
This role is open to candidates residing in the US in the Pacific Time Zone.
You should apply if:
- You want to impact the industries that run our world: Your efforts will result in real-world impact – helping to keep the lights on, get food into grocery stores, reduce emissions, and most importantly, ensure workers return home safely.
- You are the architect of your own career: If you put in the work, this role won't be your last at Samsara. We set up our employees for success and have built a culture that encourages rapid career development, countless opportunities to experiment and master your craft in a hyper growth environment.
- You're energized by our opportunity: The vision we have to digitize large sectors of the global economy requires your full focus and best efforts to bring forth creative, ambitious ideas for our customers.
- You want to be with the best: At Samsara, we win together, celebrate together and support each other. You will be surrounded by a high-calibre team that will encourage you to do your best.
In this role, you will:
- Monitor security events and provide technical analysis on alerts
- Lead information security incidents and employee investigations by developing the incident response strategy, lead the execution through incident closure, while providing incident updates to key stakeholders throughout the incident
- Deliver security guidance clearly and concisely for incident response and insider threat initiatives
- Coordinate the building of services, capabilities, integrations, and implementations of technologies to support security operations, incident response, and insider threat
- Champion, role model, and embed Samsara's cultural principles (Focus on Customer Success, Build for the Long Term, Adopt a Growth Mindset, Be Inclusive, Win as a Team) as we scale globally and across new offices
Minimum requirements for the role:
- 5+ years of experience in Security Incident Response
- Ability to communicate investigative findings and strategies to technical staff, executive leadership, and legal
- Ability to build scripts or tools to support Samsara's investigation processes, with proficiency in Python
- Mentor and train security operation engineers on data collection, analysis, and reporting technical analysis
- Practical experience acting as a lead during security incident response, including monitoring and triaging alerts, and coordinating across teams
- Understanding of analysis and forensics techniques on macOS, Windows, and Linux
- Experience utilizing SIEM tools to perform log reviews
- Experience in cloud architecture and security (AWS, GCP) and cloud-based services
- This role will be part of our Pacific Time Zone shift and therefore must reside in the Pacific Time Zone, Mountain Time Zone or Central Time Zone of the United States or Canada
An ideal candidate also has:
- 3+ years of experience working on insider threat initiatives or employee investigations
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field - or relevant industry experience
- GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) Certification
- Familiarity with common security frameworks and standards, including NIST Cybersecurity Framework, ISO 27001, FedRAMP
Total Rewards
At Samsara, we build for the people who keep the global economy moving. We want owners, not passengers, which is why our rewards are designed to fuel high-impact builders. Our compensation program delivers above-market total compensation through a combination of base salary, performance-based bonus/variable pay, and equity (for eligible roles) in a high-growth public company. We meaningfully differentiate pay for our top performers, who have the opportunity to earn above-market compensation that can outpace the broader market over time.
Beyond compensation, we provide the foundations that enable long-term success: a flexible, employee-led remote model, a professional development stipend, comprehensive health and parental leave plans, and more. If you're ready to build for the long term and own the outcome, your journey starts here.
Flexible Working
At Samsara, we embrace a flexible working model that caters to the diverse needs of our teams. Our offices are open for those who prefer to work in-person and we also support remote work where it aligns with our operational requirements. For certain positions, being close to one of our offices or within a specific geographic area is important to facilitate collaboration, access to resources, or alignment with our service regions. In these cases, the job description will clearly indicate any working location requirements. Our goal is to ensure that all members of our team can contribute effectively, whether they are working on-site, in a hybrid model, or fully remotely. All offers of employment are contingent upon an individual's ability to secure and maintain the legal right to work at the company and in the specified work location, if applicable.
Belonging at Samsara
At Samsara, we welcome everyone regardless of their background. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, and other characteristics protected by law. We depend on the unique approaches of our team members to help us solve complex problems and want to ensure that Samsara is a place where people from all backgrounds can make an impact.
Accommodations
Samsara is an inclusive work environment, and we are committed to ensuring equal opportunity in employment for qualified persons with disabilities. Please email accessibleinterviewing@samsara.com or click here if you require any reasonable accommodations throughout the recruiting process.
Our Commitment to Authenticity
We use Tofu, a fraud detection tool, to validate the authenticity of applications and protect against identity fraud. This ensures we are connecting with real people and allows us to prioritize genuine candidates. Please see Samsara's Candidate Privacy Notice for more information.
Fraudulent Employment Offers
Samsara is aware of scams involving fake job interviews and offers. Please know we do not charge fees to applicants at any stage of the hiring process. Official communication about your application will only come from emails ending in @samsara.com, @us-greenhouse-mail.io or @mail3.guide.co. For more information regarding fraudulent employment offers, please visit our blog post here.
Who we are
Samsara (NYSE: IOT) is the pioneer of the Connected Operations™ Cloud, which is a platform that enables organizations that depend on physical operations to harness Internet of Things (IoT) data to develop actionable insights and improve their operations. At Samsara, we are helping improve the safety, efficiency and sustainability of the physical operations that power our global economy. Representing more than 40% of global GDP, these industries are the infrastructure of our planet, including agriculture, construction, field services, transportation, and manufacturing — and we are excited to help digitally transform their operations at scale.
Working at Samsara means you'll help define the future of physical operations and be on a team that's shaping an exciting array of product solutions, including Video-Based Safety, Vehicle Telematics, Apps and Driver Workflows, and Equipment Monitoring. As part of a recently public company, you'll have the autonomy and support to make an impact as we build for the long term.
About the role:
As a member of our Security Operations Team, you will collaborate with a global team of engineers to monitor and respond to security events, lead security incidents as Incident Commander, and lead digital forensic investigations in support of Employee Relations, Legal, Compliance, or Information Security cases.
Although you will be focused on security incident response, you will also have the opportunity to create and maintain runbooks, and automated workflows, and assist in process refinement and implementation. You will collaborate with a diverse team of analysts, engineers, and key stakeholders on security initiatives across the company. Above all, your focus is bringing Security expertise to the table in a collaborative, humble, and practical manner.
This role is open to candidates residing in the US in the Pacific Time Zone.
You should apply if:
- You want to impact the industries that run our world: Your efforts will result in real-world impact – helping to keep the lights on, get food into grocery stores, reduce emissions, and most importantly, ensure workers return home safely.
- You are the architect of your own career: If you put in the work, this role won't be your last at Samsara. We set up our employees for success and have built a culture that encourages rapid career development, countless opportunities to experiment and master your craft in a hyper growth environment.
- You're energized by our opportunity: The vision we have to digitize large sectors of the global economy requires your full focus and best efforts to bring forth creative, ambitious ideas for our customers.
- You want to be with the best: At Samsara, we win together, celebrate together and support each other. You will be surrounded by a high-calibre team that will encourage you to do your best.
In this role, you will:
- Monitor security events and provide technical analysis on alerts
- Lead information security incidents and employee investigations by developing the incident response strategy, lead the execution through incident closure, while providing incident updates to key stakeholders throughout the incident
- Deliver security guidance clearly and concisely for incident response and insider threat initiatives
- Coordinate the building of services, capabilities, integrations, and implementations of technologies to support security operations, incident response, and insider threat
- Champion, role model, and embed Samsara's cultural principles (Focus on Customer Success, Build for the Long Term, Adopt a Growth Mindset, Be Inclusive, Win as a Team) as we scale globally and across new offices
Minimum requirements for the role:
- 5+ years of experience in Security Incident Response
- Ability to communicate investigative findings and strategies to technical staff, executive leadership, and legal
- Ability to build scripts or tools to support Samsara's investigation processes, with proficiency in Python
- Mentor and train security operation engineers on data collection, analysis, and reporting technical analysis
- Practical experience acting as a lead during security incident response, including monitoring and triaging alerts, and coordinating across teams
- Understanding of analysis and forensics techniques on macOS, Windows, and Linux
- Experience utilizing SIEM tools to perform log reviews
- Experience in cloud architecture and security (AWS, GCP) and cloud-based services
- This role will be part of our Pacific Time Zone shift and therefore must reside in the Pacific Time Zone, Mountain Time Zone or Central Time Zone of the United States or Canada
An ideal candidate also has:
- 3+ years of experience working on insider threat initiatives or employee investigations
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field - or relevant industry experience
- GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) Certification
- Familiarity with common security frameworks and standards, including NIST Cybersecurity Framework, ISO 27001, FedRAMP
Total Rewards
At Samsara, we build for the people who keep the global economy moving. We want owners, not passengers, which is why our rewards are designed to fuel high-impact builders. Our compensation program delivers above-market total compensation through a combination of base salary, performance-based bonus/variable pay, and equity (for eligible roles) in a high-growth public company. We meaningfully differentiate pay for our top performers, who have the opportunity to earn above-market compensation that can outpace the broader market over time.
Beyond compensation, we provide the foundations that enable long-term success: a flexible, employee-led remote model, a professional development stipend, comprehensive health and parental leave plans, and more. If you're ready to build for the long term and own the outcome, your journey starts here.
Flexible Working
At Samsara, we embrace a flexible working model that caters to the diverse needs of our teams. Our offices are open for those who prefer to work in-person and we also support remote work where it aligns with our operational requirements. For certain positions, being close to one of our offices or within a specific geographic area is important to facilitate collaboration, access to resources, or alignment with our service regions. In these cases, the job description will clearly indicate any working location requirements. Our goal is to ensure that all members of our team can contribute effectively, whether they are working on-site, in a hybrid model, or fully remotely. All offers of employment are contingent upon an individual's ability to secure and maintain the legal right to work at the company and in the specified work location, if applicable.
Belonging at Samsara
At Samsara, we welcome everyone regardless of their background. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, and other characteristics protected by law. We depend on the unique approaches of our team members to help us solve complex problems and want to ensure that Samsara is a place where people from all backgrounds can make an impact.
Accommodations
Samsara is an inclusive work environment, and we are committed to ensuring equal opportunity in employment for qualified persons with disabilities. Please email accessibleinterviewing@samsara.com or click here if you require any reasonable accommodations throughout the recruiting process.
Our Commitment to Authenticity
We use Tofu, a fraud detection tool, to validate the authenticity of applications and protect against identity fraud. This ensures we are connecting with real people and allows us to prioritize genuine candidates. Please see Samsara's Candidate Privacy Notice for more information.
Fraudulent Employment Offers
Samsara is aware of scams involving fake job interviews and offers. Please know we do not charge fees to applicants at any stage of the hiring process. Official communication about your application will only come from emails ending in @samsara.com, @us-greenhouse-mail.io or @mail3.guide.co. For more information regarding fraudulent employment offers, please visit our blog post here.
See All 8 Senior Security Operations Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsSenior Security Operations Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Senior Security Operations Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Banking & Financial Services
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in senior security operations engineer jobs across California.
- Active CISSP, CISM, or equivalent certification recognized by California employers
- Five or more years of hands-on security operations or SOC engineering experience
- Deep proficiency with SIEM platforms such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or Chronicle
- Experience leading incident response efforts and managing security tooling at enterprise scale
- Familiarity with cloud security principles across AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud environments
- Strong working knowledge of threat intelligence frameworks including MITRE ATT&CK
Senior Security Operations Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a senior security operations engineer in California?
The typical California path starts with a bachelor's degree in computer science, information security, or a related field, followed by several years in security operations, SOC analysis, or network security roles. California does not require a state-issued license for this role, but industry certifications such as CISSP or CISM are effectively required by most California employers at the senior level. Large California defense contractors and technology firms often promote from within their SOC analyst ranks, making internal advancement a realistic route to senior positions.
How much do senior security operations engineers make in California?
Senior security operations engineers in California earn a median of about $134,440 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $58,340 for the lowest 10% to over $222,690 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire senior security operations engineers in California?
Employers hiring senior security operations engineers in California right now include Samsara, Brex, and Everpure, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. California's concentration of defense contractors in the greater Los Angeles and San Diego areas, alongside major financial institutions and technology headquarters in the Bay Area, makes the state one of the deepest hiring pools in the country for this role.
Which California cities have the most senior security operations engineer jobs?
The cities with the most senior security operations engineer openings in California are Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Palo Alto. The Bay Area's density of technology and financial services headquarters drives the highest volume, while Los Angeles and San Diego reflect the strong presence of defense contractors and federal civilian agency satellite offices, making Southern California a distinct and consistently active market for this specialization.
Are there remote senior security operations engineer jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most technical roles. About 100% of senior security operations engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting how much of the work involves monitoring dashboards, managing cloud-based tooling, and coordinating distributed incident response teams. The roles most likely to remain fully on-site are those tied to classified government programs or environments requiring hands-on access to on-premises security infrastructure.
How can I get hired as a senior security operations engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is starting as a SOC analyst or junior security analyst, roles that California employers including Northrop Grumman, Kaiser Permanente, and large Bay Area technology companies post regularly for candidates with foundational certifications such as CompTIA Security+ or Google's Cybersecurity Certificate. From there, lateral moves from IT help desk, network administration, or systems administration roles are common stepping stones. Building hands-on experience through home labs, open-source SIEM projects, or California community college cybersecurity programs strengthens a candidate's profile considerably before targeting senior-level openings.
Where can I find and apply to senior security operations engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to senior security operations engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings updated regularly. Search the available roles, find the ones that match your experience and location preferences, and apply directly to the employers posting them.
See All 8 Senior Security Operations Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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