Security Operations Leader & Incident Response

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Belfast City District; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private healthcare

25 days annual leave

Pension

Community initiatives

Annual bonus

PA share ownership

Tax efficient benefits

Job summary

PA Consulting is seeking a Security Operations Manager to lead SOC analysts and incident response specialists within our Digital Trust & Cyber Security practice. You will manage live incidents, guide day-to-day SOC operations, and help clients modernise their security operations, improving SIEM, SOAR and EDR capabilities.

You will work with cross-disciplinary teams across sectors, mentor colleagues, and shape modern Security Operations services.

Qualifications

• Experience leading or supervising a SOC, CSOC, or Incident Response team.
• Practical experience managing live cyber incidents (e.g., ransomware, account takeovers).
• Direct experience with major SIEM/SOAR tools (e.g., Microsoft Sentinel, Splunk) and EDR/XDR platforms (e.g., Defender for Endpoint, CrowdStrike).
• Solid understanding of MITRE ATT&CK, NIST CSF, NCSC Caf v4.0 and ISO 27001.
• Ability to write concise incident reports and communicate with engineers and leaders.
• Experience in management consulting, MSSP, or client-facing advisory roles.
• Experience in regulated UK environments (Central Government, Defence, CNI).
• Hands-on familiarity with cloud security monitoring (AWS, Azure, GCP).

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop SOC analysts and incident responders with clear operational direction.
• Hands-on leadership during cyber security incidents for containment, eradication, and recovery.
• Help clients assess and improve Security Operations capabilities across people, processes, and technology.
• Advise on evolving SIEM, SOAR, EDR to strengthen detection and response.
• Develop incident playbooks and automated response workflows.
• Share expertise through coaching, mentoring, and knowledge sharing across the Digital Trust & Cyber Security community.

Skills

SOC Leadership

Incident Response

Technical Stack

Security Frameworks

Communication

Consulting Experience

UK Residency

Tools

SIEM/SOAR tools

EDR/XDR Platforms

Cloud security monitoring

Job description

PA Consulting is seeking a Security Operations Manager to lead SOC analysts and incident response specialists within our Digital Trust & Cyber Security practice. You will manage live incidents, guide day-to-day SOC operations, and help clients modernise their security operations, improving SIEM, SOAR and EDR capabilities.

You will work with cross-disciplinary teams across sectors, mentor colleagues, and shape modern Security Operations services.