Security Engineer (Site Reliability Engineering)

Sanderson Government & Defence; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 101,000 - 109,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson Government & Defence in London is seeking two experienced Security Engineers (SRE) to join as contractors delivering cyber security services across government projects. You will design, implement, and maintain secure, scalable systems while embedding security best practices.

Active SC clearance is required, with hands-on security engineering and threat monitoring experience. You will work with engineering, operations, architecture, DevSecOps and security teams to protect critical apps

Qualifications

• Active SC Clearance required.
• Design, implement and maintain security controls across enterprise platforms.
• Experience with Splunk, SIEM and security analytics.
• Cloud, infrastructure and application security experience.
• Ability to lead security engineering initiatives and collaborate across teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, implement and maintain security controls across enterprise platforms, applications and infrastructure.
• Protect systems, services, networks and data from cyber threats and risks.
• Ensure security is integrated throughout SDLC and operations.
• Promote Secure by Design and Secure by Default principles.
• Collaborate with engineering, DevSecOps and security teams to embed controls.
• Lead continuous improvement of security capabilities and monitoring.

Skills

Security Engineer

SRE

Security Architecture

Splunk

SIEM

Threat Intelligence

Cloud Security

Kubernetes Security

Terraform

Tools

Splunk Enterprise Security

SOAR

IAM

AWS Security

Azure Security

Docker Security

Kubernetes Security

Terraform (IaC)

Job description

Security Engineer (Site Reliability Engineering) x2

Location: UK (Hybrid, London 3 days per week)
Security Clearance: Active SC Clearance Required
Contract Length: 6-18 Months
Rate: £545-£590 per day (Inside IR35)
Positions Available: 2

About the Role

We are seeking two experienced Security Engineers (SRE) to join a specialist consultancy delivering cyber security services across a portfolio of government projects and digital transformation programmes.

This role is ideal for security professionals with strong experience in security engineering, platform security, enterprise security architecture, and operational resilience. You will play a pivotal role in designing, implementing, and maintaining secure, scalable, and resilient systems while ensuring security best practices are embedded across complex technology environments.

Working alongside engineering, operations, architecture, DevSecOps, and security teams, you will help protect critical applications, infrastructure, data, and services against evolving cyber threats. You will be expected to operate independently, provide technical leadership, and contribute to the continual improvement of security capabilities across multiple client engagements.

Key Responsibilities

Security Engineering & Platform Protection

• Design, build, implement, and maintain security controls across enterprise platforms, applications, and infrastructure.
• Protect systems, services, networks, and data from cyber threats and security risks.
• Ensure security is integrated throughout the system development and operational lifecycle.
• Promote Secure by Design and Secure by Default principles across technology solutions.

Security Architecture

• Apply Enterprise Security Architecture principles to support secure solutions and services.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of security architecture strategies and standards.
• Review solution designs and provide security recommendations aligned to business and regulatory requirements.
• Support architectural decision-making to ensure platforms remain secure, scalable, and resilient.

Splunk Engineering & Security Monitoring

• Develop and maintain security monitoring capabilities using Splunk.
• Create dashboards, alerts, reports, and use cases to enhance threat detection and security visibility.
• Support log ingestion, optimisation, data onboarding, and security analytics.
• Collaborate with SOC and Threat Intelligence teams to improve monitoring and response capabilities.

Security Assessments & Risk Management

• Conduct security assessments, reviews, and audits to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
• Assess risks and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Support vulnerability management and remediation activities.
• Validate the effectiveness of implemented security controls.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with engineering, operations, architecture, DevOps, and security teams to embed security controls throughout the environment.
• Act as a trusted security advisor to project teams and stakeholders.
• Participate in technical workshops, design reviews, and architecture discussions.
• Provide expert security guidance and contribute to key technical decisions.

Continuous Improvement

• Monitor emerging threats, vulnerabilities, technologies, and industry trends.
• Identify opportunities to improve security capabilities, automation, resilience, and operational efficiency.
• Support the development of security standards, policies, and best practices.
• Drive continual improvements across security engineering and platform security functions.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Strong experience as a Security Engineer, Security-focused SRE, Platform Security Engineer, or similar role.
• Advanced knowledge of Enterprise Security Architecture principles.
• Hands-on experience withSplunk, including:
  • Security monitoring
  • Dashboard development
  • Alerting and reporting
  • Log analysis
  • Security analytics
• Experience implementing security controls across cloud, infrastructure, and application environments.
• Strong understanding of security architecture and secure design principles.
• Experience conducting security assessments, audits, and risk reviews.
• Knowledge of vulnerability management and remediation processes.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to work independently and provide technical leadership.
• Active SC Clearance.

Technical Experience

Experience with some of the following technologies would be advantageous:

Security & Monitoring

• Splunk Enterprise Security
• SIEM & Security Analytics Platforms
• SOAR Technologies
• Identity & Access Management (IAM)

Cloud & Infrastructure

• AWS Security Services
• Microsoft Azure Security
• Kubernetes Security
• Docker Security
• Terraform (Infrastructure as Code)

Preferred Certifications

The following certifications would be advantageous:

• CISSP
• CCSP
• SABSA
• GIAC Certifications
• AWS Security Specialty
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
• Security+ or equivalent

Reasonable Adjustments

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.