Security Operations Lead

Sharp & Carter; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Sharp & Carter in Melbourne is seeking an experienced Security Operations Lead to drive hands-on technical leadership within our growing cyber security function. The role combines incident response, detection engineering and security operations leadership, with a focus on Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR and managed detection and response services.

You will mentor SOC analysts, support day‑to‑day operations and drive continuous improvement across security monitoring, detection and incident

Qualifications

• Minimum five years in cyber security or SOC operations.
• Experience as Senior SOC Analyst, L3 Analyst or tech lead.
• Hands-on incident response, threat detection and investigations.
• Experience in 24x7 SOC or MDR environment.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, Entra ID and Azure security.
• Strong KQL skills and automation experience with SOAR and Logic Apps.
• Familiarity with MITRE ATT&CK, NIST IR, Essential Eight and ISO 27001.
• Excellent communication and mentoring abilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on technical leadership across security operations and incident response.
• Lead Level 2/3 security investigations and response activities.
• Support 24x7 MDR service delivery and continuous improvement.
• Develop and optimise detection capabilities across Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR.
• Create/refine KQL queries, detection rules and automated response workflows.
• Leverage SOAR and Azure Logic Apps to streamline operations.
• Mentor SOC analysts and coordinate across teams.
• Identify opportunities to improve detection coverage and service performance.

Skills

SOC operations

Incident response

Technical leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Tools

Microsoft Sentinel

Defender XDR

Azure

KQL

SOAR

Azure Logic Apps

MITRE ATT&CK

NIST

ISO 27001

Job description

Security Operations Lead

Melbourne | Hybrid | Permanent

An exciting opportunity is available for an experienced Security Operations Lead to take on a hands‑on technical leadership role within a growing cyber security function.

This position offers a combination of incident response, detection engineering and security operations leadership, working extensively across Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR and managed detection and response services.

You’ll play a key role in supporting day‑to‑day SOC operations, mentoring analysts and driving continuous improvement across security monitoring and incident response capabilities.

Reporting to the Security Operations Manager, you will provide technical and operational leadership across the Security Operations Centre, supporting the delivery of 24×7 managed detection and response services.

Key responsibilities include:

• Provide hands‑on technical leadership across security operations and incident response activities.
• Lead complex Level 2 and Level 3 security incident investigations, escalations and response activities.
• Support the delivery and continuous improvement of 24×7 managed detection and response services.
• Develop, maintain and optimise security detection capabilities across Microsoft Sentinel and Defender XDR.
• Create and refine KQL queries, detection rules and automated response workflows.
• Leverage SOAR and Azure Logic Apps to improve security operations and incident response processes.
• Mentor SOC analysts, provide technical guidance and support operational coordination.
• Identify opportunities to improve detection coverage, incident response processes and service performance.

About You To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• A minimum of five years of experience in cyber security or SOC operations.
• Previous experience as a Senior SOC Analyst, L3 Analyst or technical team leader.
• Strong hands‑on experience in incident response, threat detection and security investigations.
• Experience working within a 24×7 SOC or managed detection and response environment.
• Deep technical knowledge of Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, Entra ID and Azure security.
• Strong KQL skills and experience with SOAR, automation and Logic Apps.
• Working knowledge of MITRE ATT&CK, NIST incident response frameworks, Essential Eight and ISO 27001.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to mentor analysts and coordinate operational activities.

Microsoft SC-200 certification is required, with the expectation of achieving SC-100 within three months of commencement. Additional certifications such as CISSP, GIAC or CISM will be highly regarded.