Security Engineer - Detection Engineering

Tesco Technology; Welwyn Garden City; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus up to 20%

Private medical insurance

Maternity/Adoption leave 26 weeks

Paternity leave 6 weeks

Private GP 24/7

Job summary

Tesco Technology is seeking a Security Engineer to design and implement advanced detection capabilities across a global retail ecosystem. You will develop scalable security monitoring and prevention solutions, bridging core engineering with evolving architecture and automation.

You will work with SOC, Threat Intelligence, and platform teams to mitigate threats before they impact customers or operations. You will apply secure coding, TDD, and cloud security principles, while leveraging AI to

Qualifications

• Demonstrable understanding of software development lifecycles and building production-grade solutions.
• Experience applying secure coding practices and test-driven development in engineering or security contexts.
• Exposure to security platforms (SIEM, EDR) and their role in detection engineering.
• Ability to design and implement scalable detection rules, alerts, and telemetry to identify threats at scale.

Responsibilities

• Engineer and deploy robust security controls and detection logic to proactively identify and mitigate cyber threats across Tesco’s technology landscape.
• Apply secure, test-driven development principles to build resilient, maintainable, and scalable security solutions.
• Leverage automation and Applied AI to enhance detection accuracy, reduce false positives, and optimise response workflows.
• Contribute to hardening of cloud and enterprise environments with innovative detection and prevention mechanisms.
• Collaborate with SOC, Threat Intelligence, and platform engineering teams to deliver integrated, customer-first security outcomes.
• Learn from incidents, research threats, and translate insights into improved detection coverage and engineering practices.

Skills

Security engineering

Threat detection

Software development

Secure coding

TDD

Automation

AI in security

Cloud security

Collaboration

Critical thinking

Tools

SIEM

EDR

GitHub

Jira

Zendesk

xMatters

KQL

SQL

SPL

Job description

As a Security Engineer within Tesco’s Detection Engineering team, you will design and implement advanced security monitoring capabilities that proactively protect a global retail ecosystem serving millions of customers. This role is central to evolving Tesco’s cyber defence posture by deploying scalable, detection and prevention solutions. You will bridge foundational engineering, emerging architecture, embedding automation, innovation, and resilience into the organisation’s security fabric. Operating with a strong engineering mindset, you will help ensure threats are identified and mitigated before they impact customers or operations.

About the role

As a Security Engineer within Tesco’s Detection Engineering team, you will design and implement advanced security monitoring capabilities that proactively protect a global retail ecosystem serving millions of customers. This role is central to evolving Tesco’s cyber defence posture by deploying scalable, detection and prevention solutions. You will bridge foundational engineering, emerging architecture, embedding automation, innovation, and resilience into the organisation’s security fabric. Operating with a strong engineering mindset, you will help ensure threats are identified and mitigated before they impact customers or operations.

You will be responsible for

• Engineer and deploy robust security controls and detection logic to proactively identify and mitigate cyber threats across Tesco’s technology landscape.
• Apply secure, test-driven development principles to build resilient, maintainable, and scalable security solutions.
• Leverage automation and Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance detection accuracy, reduce false positives, and optimise response workflows.
• Contribute to the hardening of cloud and enterprise environments through innovative detection and prevention mechanisms.
• Work closely with Security Operations Centre (SOC), Threat Intelligence, and platform engineering teams to deliver integrated, customer-first security outcomes.
• Actively learn from incidents, research emerging threats, and translate insights into improved detection coverage and engineering practices, fostering an inclusive and innovative team culture.

You will need

• Demonstrable understanding of software development lifecycles, with hands-on exposure to programming and building production-grade solutions.
• Experience applying secure coding practices and test-driven development approaches within an engineering or security context.
• Practical exposure to security platforms (e.g., Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)) and their role in detection engineering.
• Understanding of how custom detection rules, alerts, and telemetry are designed, tested, and implemented to identify malicious activity at scale. Able to reduce noise without impacting visibility, and to sustain detection quality over time,
• Evidence of strong curiosity and commitment to professional development, staying current with evolving threats and technologies.
• Ability to work effectively within diverse, cross-functional teams, contributing to an inclusive and supportive engineering environment.
• Solid critical thinking capability, with the ability to break down complex problems and deliver practical, scalable solutions.

Desirable:

• Exposure to core technology platforms and retail technology environments.
• Understanding of cloud and container security principles.
• Experience in security evaluation, functionality testing, and validation of controls.
• Familiarity with Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) concepts in cyber defence.
• Experience using tools such as Github, Jira, Zendesk, and xMatters for engineering workflow and operational collaboration.
• Experience with a querying language such as SPL, KQL, SQL, etc. In a Security Environment.
• Strong communication and influencing skills within technical teams.
• Awareness of product methodologies and agile delivery approaches.
• Exposure to technical security architecture concepts and data analytics for security.
• Understanding of responsible AI governance and compliance principles.

Whats in it for you?

We’re all about the little helps. That’s why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you – both in and out of work.

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 20% of base salary.
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays).
• Private medical insurance.
• 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (12 months service required at the qualifying date) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave.
• Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing.

About Us

You might know us as a supermarket, technology company or even for our award-winning mobile network. Truth is, we’re all of those things, and much more. Our colleagues work with one goal in mind, helping to make every day a little better for our customers, colleagues and communities all over the world. No two customers are the same, neither are our colleagues.

At Tesco, we champion a balance that lets you thrive both in and out of work. Spend 60% of your week collaborating with colleagues at our office locations or local sites and the rest remotely. Whether you're just kicking off your career, juggling passions, or navigating big life events, we're here to support you. We always welcome a conversation about flexible working, so talk to us throughout your application about how we can support.

We're proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Leader, where everyone’s welcome. That’s why we commit to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process.