Cybersecurity Engineer II

Kirkland and Ellis is seeking a Cybersecurity Engineer II to help safeguard organizational systems, data, and users. In this Chicago-based, onsite role, you will design, implement, and optimize security technologies and controls across PKI, encryption and key management, detection and response, and risk reduction initiatives.

What you’ll do

• Own the full lifecycle of digital certificates, including discovery, issuance, renewal, monitoring, revocation, and automation, while administering Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) environments.
• Administer enterprise encryption key management platforms and Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), supporting secure generation, storage, rotation, archival, and destruction of cryptographic keys.
• Design, implement, maintain, and continuously improve security controls across network, endpoint, cloud, and identity by monitoring, tuning, and automation.
• Optimize Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), and related security platforms to enhance visibility, detection accuracy, and response effectiveness.
• Identify security gaps, control weaknesses, and misconfigurations, then lead remediation efforts and implement long-term improvements that strengthen the security posture.
• Contribute to security initiatives by partnering with IT, architecture, product, and project teams to support secure onboarding and integration of applications and platforms.
• Advance secure endpoint and identity practices in collaboration with infrastructure and business teams to protect critical systems and data.
• Develop and maintain security standards, engineering patterns, and baselines aligned to NIST and CIS frameworks.
• Improve security operations through scripting, workflow automation, telemetry optimization, and continuous process improvement.
• Support team growth by mentoring, documenting, creating reusable solutions, and providing technical guidance to less experienced engineers.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex security issues, contributing to incident response readiness, runbooks, and on-call support processes.
• Research emerging security technologies and recommend solutions to improve operational efficiency and reduce organizational risk.

Required experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 3+ years of experience with a minimum of 5–8+ years in IT overall, including 3–5+ years in cybersecurity engineering or a closely related security-focused role.
• Advanced experience with digital certificate lifecycle management, PKI, Microsoft AD CS, encryption key management platforms, and HSMs.
• Strong knowledge of EDR, SIEM, threat detection, threat hunting, and incident response processes.
• Hands-on experience with technologies including CrowdStrike, Microsoft Sentinel, Google SecOps, Netskope, Cisco Umbrella, BeyondTrust, Cribl, DigiCert, CyberArk Certificate Management (formerly Venafi), and Microsoft Entra.
• Deep understanding of authentication, federation, conditional access, privileged access management, and modern identity platforms.
• Experience implementing and supporting cloud security controls, particularly within Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Entra, with knowledge of Zero Trust and secure architecture practices.
• Ability to improve security operations through automation using PowerShell, Python, and Kusto Query Language (KQL).
• Proven ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex technical and security issues across multiple systems, platforms, and teams.
• Strong ability to translate technical concepts into actionable insights, influence stakeholders, and work across technical and non-technical groups.
• Customer-focused approach balancing security, risk management, and business objectives while managing multiple priorities.

Preferred certifications

• CompTIA Security+, CISSP, Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), SC-200, or AZ-500.

Technologies you’ll work with

• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Microsoft Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
• NIST, CIS, PowerShell, Python, Kusto Query Language (KQL), Microsoft Sentinel, Google SecOps
• CrowdStrike, Netskope, Cisco Umbrella, BeyondTrust, Cribl, DigiCert, CyberArk Certificate Management (formerly Venafi)
• Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Azure, Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), Zero Trust

Location and compensation

Chicago, IL (onsite)

$133,000 - $166,000 base salary range for Chicago (low to high end of the salary band).

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare
• Paid time off
• Retirement
• Personal support
• Tailored learning and development opportunities

How to apply

To apply, click “Apply Now” to complete an application and submit your resume. If you do not meet every requirement but are excited by the role, you are encouraged to apply anyway.