Security Engineer - Detection Engineering

Tesco Technology; Welwyn Garden City; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus up to 20%

25 days holiday + personal day

Private medical insurance

Maternity/adoption leave & paternity

24/7 virtual GP & EAP

Job summary

Tesco Technology is seeking a Security Engineer to join the Detection Engineering team. You will design and implement advanced security monitoring to protect Tesco's global retail ecosystem.

The role focuses on scalable detection, automation, and resilient security solutions across cloud and on-prem environments. You will collaborate with SOC, Threat Intelligence, and platform engineering to deliver customer-first security outcomes, while continuously researching threats and improving detection

Qualifications

• Hands-on programming across production-grade software.
• Experience with secure coding practices and test-driven development.
• Experience with security platforms (SIEM/EDR) in detection engineering.
• Ability to design scalable detection rules and telemetry.
• Curiosity and commitment to threat research and learning.

Responsibilities

• Engineer and deploy robust security controls and detection logic across Tesco’s tech landscape.
• Apply secure, test-driven development to build resilient, scalable security solutions.
• Leverage automation and AI to improve detection accuracy and reduce false positives.
• Hardening cloud and on-prem environments with innovative detection/prevention mechanisms.
• Collaborate with SOC, Threat Intelligence, and platform teams for integrated security outcomes.
• Continuously learn from incidents and translate insights into better detection practices.

Skills

SDLC knowledge

Secure coding

Threat detection

Cross-functional

Critical thinking

Threat research

Tools

Github

Jira

Zendesk

xMatters

SPL

KQL

SQL

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.

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.

The above information is a shortened summary, refer to our policies for full details.

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. If you need support with your application, And if you're interested in joining our team but don't tick every box, don't let that hold you back from applying.