Head of SOC (Cybersecurity & Security Operations) | Innovations Group | Abu Dhabi, UAE

Innovations Group; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Innovations Group seeks an on-site Head of SOC in Abu Dhabi to lead 24/7 security operations, threat detection, and incident response across the enterprise. You will direct SOC analysts, drive strategy, and ensure regulatory alignment while engaging with executive stakeholders.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in cybersecurity with strong leadership, architectural vision for SIEM/SOAR, and budget governance across global financial services environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, IT, Cybersecurity or related field.

Responsibilities

• Direct and oversee all regional SOC functions and incident response lifecycles.

Skills

Leadership

Cybersecurity strategy

Incident response

Stakeholder comms

Budget management

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity

Tools

SIEM

SOAR

EDR

Threat intelligence platforms

Job description

Position Summary

Driving advanced cybersecurity operations, security orchestration, and threat intelligence leadership in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Innovations Group is actively seeking an accomplished Head of SOC for a yearly renewable project professional engagement. In this vital executive leadership role, you will take full operational, tactical, and strategic ownership of Security Operations Center (SOC) management, threat detection engineering, incident response governance, and SOC analyst team development. Bringing 10+ years of progressive professional experience in cybersecurity and enterprise security operations, you will empower a premier multinational financial and corporate enterprise to achieve uncompromised threat visibility, rapid incident mitigation, and robust regulatory compliance. This prestigious career opportunity offers competitive executive remuneration, international project exposure, and career growth within a leading global technical recruitment and consulting enterprise.

Detailed Job Description

As a Head of SOC supporting Innovations Group on an on-site basis in Abu Dhabi, UAE, you will take full operational, tactical, and strategic ownership of 24/7 security monitoring, threat hunting protocols, SIEM/SOAR platform optimization, and cross-functional leadership. Your day-to-day responsibilities include directing skilled SOC analysts and security engineers, formulating enterprise SOC strategies, overseeing incident lifecycle management, interfacing with executive banking stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct and oversee all regional Security Operations Center (SOC) functions, threat intelligence operations, and incident response lifecycles.
• Lead, mentor, and manage multidisciplinary teams of SOC analysts, threat hunters, and security engineers across 24/7 rotational shifts.
• Architect, implement, and optimize enterprise security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) platforms.
• Drive proactive threat detection, vulnerability analysis, forensic investigation, and rapid incident containment protocols.
• Establish and enforce rigorous SOC strategies, operational governance frameworks, key performance indicators (KPIs), and service level agreements (SLAs).
• Collaborate seamlessly with enterprise risk management, IT infrastructure squads, compliance officers, and executive banking stakeholders.
• Ensure strict adherence to global cybersecurity frameworks, regulatory standards, and financial sector security baselines.
• Maintain meticulous executive security reports, incident post-mortem ledgers, threat intelligence feeds, and operational runbooks.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, or related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 10+ years of progressive professional hands-on experience in cybersecurity, with at least 5 years in a managerial or Head of SOC leadership role.
• Strong, demonstrable operational expertise in SOC operations, threat detection engineering, and incident response management.
• Comprehensive working knowledge and practical proficiency in SIEM, SOAR, EDR, and modern threat intelligence platforms.
• Deep practical experience managing SOC analysts, security engineers, and operational budgets in high-stakes enterprise environments.
• Solid practical grasp of international cybersecurity frameworks (NIST, ISO 27001, CIS Controls) and banking security standards.
• Exceptional leadership aptitude, crisis management capabilities, and professional stakeholder communication skills.
• Mandatory legal work authorization and physical availability for on-site executive leadership operations in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Professional premier cybersecurity certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), SANS GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH), or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).
• Prior professional working experience in top-tier multinational banking institutions, financial services organizations, or specialized cybersecurity managed service providers (MSPs).
• Hands-on familiarity with cloud security architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP) and container security.
• Experience utilizing enterprise agile tracking and IT service management (ITSM) platforms (Jira, ServiceNow).
• Active participation in regional cybersecurity forums, information sharing and analysis centers (ISACs), or executive security roundtables.

Application Information

• Recruiter: Innovations Group Recruitment Division
• Contact Name: S.P. Hariharan (Recruitment Leadership)
• Email: [e-mail]
• Phone:
• Company Website: https://www.innovationsglobal.com
• Salary/Rate: Market Competitive / Executive Cybersecurity Package
• Deadline: Open until filled (Urgent Abu Dhabi Head of SOC Opening)
• Notice Period: Immediate to 30 Days Preferred
• Contract Duration: Yearly Renewable Project / Full-Time On-Site Executive Engagement (Abu Dhabi)