Elastic, the Search AI Company, enables everyone to find the answers they need in real time, using all their data, at scale — unleashing the potential of businesses and people. The Elastic Search AI Platform, used by more than 50% of the Fortune 500, brings together the precision of search and the intelligence of AI to enable everyone to accelerate the results that matter. By taking advantage of all structured and unstructured data — securing and protecting private information more effectively — Elastic’s complete, cloud-based solutions for search, security, and observability help organizations deliver on the promise of AI.
What is The Role
Elastic Security is hiring a VP of Threat Research to own the research agenda for what our platform detects, prevents, and publishes, and to serve as the public voice of that work.
This role reports directly to the GM of Elastic Security. It is a senior individual contributor leadership role for someone with deep technical credibility who wants to shape direction through expertise, judgment, and influence. You will decide what the team builds and why: setting priorities across detection engineering, threat research, endpoint protections, and security ML, while partnering closely with delivery leaders who own execution and people management.
This is also a highly visible, outbound role. You will represent Elastic with customers, at industry conferences, with press and analysts, and in the broader security research community. We are looking for someone who wants to elevate Elastic’s research brand, guide the technical agenda, and help define how the industry thinks about modern threat detection and prevention.
What You Will Be Doing
- Define the research and detection agenda across SIEM, endpoint, threat research, and security ML
- Set the quality bar for what Elastic detects, prevents, and publishes
- Decide where the team should invest next across malware detection, ransomware and memory protections, and AI-driven security capabilities
- Shape the publishing strategy for Elastic Security Labs, including original research, malware analysis, and conference content
- Act as the external face of the organization with customers, analysts, press, and the security community
- Partner with engineering, product, and delivery leadership to turn research priorities into shipped protections
- Help advance Elastic’s point of view on open and transparent security, including public detections and explainable AI-driven protections
- Lead thinking on how AI changes both threat research and attacker behavior, and how Elastic should respond
What You Bring
- Deep credibility in threat research, detection engineering, endpoint security, or security ML
- Hands-on technical experience doing the work yourself, not only leading teams
- The ability to operate as a senior IC leader who sets direction through technical depth and strong judgment
- Strong public communication skills and enthusiasm for customer engagement, speaking, and industry visibility
- A clear belief in open, transparent security and the value of publishing detections and research openly
- Strong judgment and the ability to lead through influence, expertise, and vision
- Experience setting strategy across technical security domains and translating that into clear priorities
- A thoughtful point of view on AI in security, including both its promise and its risks
- Willingness to travel regularly for customer meetings, conferences, and external engagements
Bonus Points
- Experience leading or contributing to publicly recognized threat research or detection content
- Familiarity with open detection ecosystems, GitHub-based research workflows, or community-driven security programs
- Experience spanning both endpoint protections and SIEM detections
- Background working with malware models, behavioral detections, or small language models in security use cases
- Existing presence in the security community through talks, publications, or media engagement
Compensation for this role is in the form of base salary. This role does not have a variable compensation component.
The typical starting salary range for new hires in this role is listed below. In select locations (including Seattle WA, Los Angeles CA, the San Francisco Bay Area CA, and the New York City Metro Area), an alternate range may apply as specified below.
These ranges represent the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the ranges may be modified in the future.
An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.
Elastic believes that employees should have the opportunity to share in the value that we create together for our shareholders. Therefore, in addition to cash compensation, this role is currently eligible to participate in Elastic's stock program. Our total rewards package also includes a company-matched 401k with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6% of eligible earnings, along with a range of other benefits offered with a holistic emphasis on employee well-being.
The typical starting salary range for this role is:
$312,000—$493,600 USD
The typical starting salary range for this role in the select locations listed above is:
$374,600—$592,600 USD
Additional Information - We Take Care of Our People
As a distributed company, diversity drives our identity. Whether you’re looking to launch a new career or grow an existing one, Elastic is the type of company where you can balance great work with great life. Your age is only a number. It doesn’t matter if you’re just out of college or your children are; we need you for what you can do.
We strive to have parity of benefits across regions and while regulations differ from place to place, we believe taking care of our people is the right thing to do.
- Competitive pay based on the work you do here and not your previous salary
- Health coverage for you and your family in many locations
- Ability to craft your calendar with flexible locations and schedules for many roles
- Generous number of vacation days each year
- Increase your impact - We match up to $2000 (or local currency equivalent) for financial donations and service
- Up to 40 hours each year to use toward volunteer projects you love
- Embracing parenthood with minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave
Different people approach problems differently. We need that. Elastic is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance or regulation.
We welcome individuals with disabilities and strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all individuals. To request an accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email candidate_accessibility@elastic.co. We will reply to your request within 24 business hours of submission.
Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws, view posters linked below: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Poster; Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision Poster; Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster and Know Your Rights (Poster)
Elasticsearch develops and distributes technology and information that is subject to U.S. and other countries’ export controls and licensing requirements for individuals who are located in or are nationals of the following sanctioned countries and regions: Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, or Russia, including the Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia (The Crimea region of Ukraine, The Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), The Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), Kherson or Zaporizhzhia). If you are located in or are a national of one of the listed countries or regions, an export license may be required as a condition of your employment in this role. Please note that national origin and/or nationality do not affect eligibility for employment with Elastic.
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