Security Operations Engineer

About SmartNews

News can change the world, save lives, and bring us all closer together through empathy and understanding—but not if no one reads it. Out of the hundreds of millions of articles and posts published, how do we deliver the information that matters the most?

Founded in 2012 in Tokyo, SmartNews is a leading global information and news discovery company dedicated to delivering quality information to the people who need it. We provide news that matters to millions of users thanks to our unique machine learning technology and relationships with over 3,000 global publisher partners. Our SmartNews app, available on iOS and Android, is currently used in over 150 countries worldwide.

But we’re only just getting started, and that’s why we need someone like you.

If you’re looking for a company that’s small enough so that your contributions have a visible impact on the company and product but large enough to have you tackling exciting and challenging problems, then SmartNews is the place for you. Join us and wake up every day energized, knowing that you’re delivering the news people need.

Responsibilities

• Create techniques and tools for the automated detection of malicious activities
• Work with engineering stakeholders to securely design systems and fix security issues
• Create workflows and processes to intake, triage, and resolve security issues
• Execute proactive threat modeling and implement measures to strengthen the preventative controls of our cloud infrastructure
• Coordinate our response procedures during active security incidents
• Empower engineers by conducting regular security incident response trainings creating an environment of security awareness
• Support vulnerability scanning and remediation
• Desire to work at a fast-paced startup

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Practical knowledge of AWS cloud services and structure
• Networking fundamentals at both WAN and LAN
• Microservice architecture fundamentals, including K8 and Docker
• Experience in vulnerability management, risk quantification, and remediation
• Ability to perform root cause analysis on past security incidents to recommend improvements, or prior SOC and incident response
• Skills in at least one programming or scripting language, such as Go, Java, Python, JavaScript, or Ruby
• High English Fluency

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Japanese or Mandarin fluency
• Program Management or Data Science experience
• Network detection experience at various TCP/IP layers
• Strong knowledge of the AWS suite of security-related services with a certification as an AWS Security Specialist
• Experience with the operation of cloud-based infrastructure and API security using services such as AWS EC2 security groups, AWS Web Application Firewall, or AWS Shield
• Past work experience with cloud-based security services like AWS Security Hub, Amazon GuardDuty, Amazon Inspector, Amazon Detective, or AWS Config
• Skills in infrastructure-as-code technologies, such as Terraform or CloudFormation
• Blue Team or exploit development experience

Benefits

Perks and Benefits at the SmartNews Tokyo Office

• Support program for employees’ self-development and well-being
• Healthy lunches are prepared on-site daily in our SmartKitchen, located in our West Office building. You can even see the cooks at work!
• Need a pick-me-up? Stop by ChikyuCoffee, our in-house coffee shop located in both the East and West Office buildings, and get a cup of gourmet coffee, espresso-based beverage, or other seasonal drink!
• SmartNews provides all healthcare and social insurance benefits required by Japanese labor law

Visa Sponsorship and Relocation Support

SmartNews can sponsor visas for candidates who meet eligibility requirements.

To support a smooth transition for candidates who are moving to Japan from overseas, SmartNews partners with a travel service provider.