Principal Analyst – Cyber Security (Microsoft Sentinel): Virgin Atlantic

Manor Royal Business District; Crawley; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading airline company in Crawley is seeking a Principal Security Analyst to enhance their cyber operations. This role involves leading incident response, developing threat detection capabilities, and utilizing Microsoft Sentinel and other tools. The ideal candidate has senior-level experience in cyber operations and a strong understanding of security architecture. Join a forward-thinking team committed to innovation and resilience.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a senior-level SOC, cyber operations, or incident response role.
• Strong hands-on expertise in Microsoft Sentinel and broader Microsoft security tools.
• Deep technical understanding of security architecture.

Responsibilities

• Lead incident detection and response activities from triage to post-incident reviews.
• Develop and mature threat hunting and detection capabilities.
• Monitor and analyze threat intelligence feeds.

Skills

Senior-level SOC experience

Hands-on expertise in Microsoft Sentinel

Deep understanding of Windows and Linux systems

Threat hunting methodologies

Leading incident response investigations

Knowledge of compliance frameworks

Education

Relevant security certifications (CISSP, GIAC, etc.)

Tools

Microsoft Sentinel

Defender XDR

Job description

Job Details

Hours:37.5 per week, Monday to Friday

Location: Flexible hours Up to 3 days a week at our VHQ, Crawley

Contract :Permanent

In a nutshell

We’re looking for an experienced and technically strongPrincipal Security Analystto join our Cyber Operations Team. This senior-level role is central to our capability to detect, contain, and respond to security incidents. You will drive maturity across threat detection, hunting, and response—particularly through Microsoft security technologies, including Microsoft Sentinel.

You’ll play a leading role in shaping how we stay ahead of threats, with hands-on work across SIEM tuning, threat intel, incident response, and the development of use cases and automation playbooks.

Day to day

• Lead incident detection and response activities from triage through to post-incident reviews.
• Develop and mature our threat hunting and threat detection capabilities, using industry frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK.
• Design and implement custom Microsoft Sentinel use cases, analytics rules, workbooks, and automation playbooks.
• Tune and optimize our SIEM and log management pipelines to reduce false positives and maximize threat visibility.
• Monitor and analyse threat intelligence feeds, integrating insights to enhance protective controls.
• Produce actionable reports and dashboards on threat trends, vulnerabilities, and emerging risks.
• Contribute to tabletop exercises, red/blue team simulations, and incident readiness planning.
• Provide guidance on security architecture and work closely with engineering teams to reduce our attack surface.

About You

• Proven experience in a senior-level SOC, cyber operations, or incident response role.
• Strong hands-on expertise in Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, and broader Microsoft security tools.
• Deep technical understanding of Windows and Linux systems, networking, and security architecture.
• Familiarity with threat hunting methodologies, and endpoint/network security tools.
• Experience leading complex incident response investigations and containment efforts.
• Solid understanding of threat actor tactics and frameworks (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK, Cyber Kill Chain).
• Knowledge of standards and compliance frameworks like NIST, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, and GDPR.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, GIAC, OSCP, CREST) are desirable.

Why join us?

You’ll be joining a forward-thinking security team committed to innovation and resilience. As a Principal Analyst, your expertise will directly shape our threat detection and response capabilities, helping protect critical systems and services.

Be yourself

Our customers come from all walks of life and so do our colleagues. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds. At Virgin Atlantic, we believe everyone can take on the world - no matter your age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or beliefs. We celebrate difference and everything that makes our colleagues unique by upholding an inclusive environment in which we can all thrive. So that everyone at Virgin Atlantic can be themselves and know they belong.

To make your journey with us accessible and individual to you, we encourage you to let us know if you’d like a little extra help with your application, or if you have any individual requirements at any stage along your recruitment journey. We are here to support you, so please reach out to our team,([e-mail])feeling confident that we’ve got your individual considerations covered.