SOC Shift Lead

Claranet; Leeds; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid charity leave

TC4RE member company

Fundraising events support

Job summary

Claranet is seeking a SOC Shift Lead to supervise a team of SOC Analysts across shifts, ensuring consistent incident handling and SLA compliance. You will be the escalation point and drive quality, process improvements and stakeholder communication.

You will lead QA efforts, mentor analysts, and support threat hunting activities, with a focus on developing capabilities and maintaining high security standards.

Qualifications

• Lead shift operations, ensuring SLA alignment and incident handling quality.
• Provide escalation point and guidance to SOC Analysts.
• Mentor and develop SOC team; drive training and certifications.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and coordinate shift operations and incident responses.
• Review alerts and incidents, triage, and escalate when needed.
• Contribute to QA of tickets and process improvements.
• Mentor analysts and promote skill development.
• Support threat hunting and monthly reporting.

Skills

Shift leadership

Incident triage

Quality assurance

Team mentoring

Customer communication

Scripting/automation

Threat hunting

Security frameworks (MITRE ATT&CK/Cy-K

Tools

SIEM platforms

Endpoint security tools

Ticketing systems

Job description

Position Summary

As a SOC Shift Lead, you build on your solid experience as a SOC Analyst by supervising and guiding a team of SOC Analysts during your assigned shift. You ensure quality and consistency across all alerts and incidents handled by the team while serving as the primary point of escalation. In this role, you support team development, drive process improvements, and maintain clear, customer-centric communication with all stakeholders. You also lead quality assurance efforts and ensure that service-level agreements (SLAs) are met.

Objectives & Key Results

Key Responsibilities

• Shift Leadership and Team Coordination – You run shift operations, ensuring compliance with SLAs and maintaining high-quality incident handling. You set shift agendas, balance workloads, and promptly address any process or staffing issues. You also maintain effective, customer-centric communication with internal teams (including Security Optimisation and Engineering), customers, and their incident response partners
• Incident Triage and Investigation – You review and prioritise new alerts, taking initial ownership of high-priority or complex incidents, and ensure proper escalation to customers and Senior SOC Analysts. You make sound, data-driven decisions to facilitate effective triage, investigation, and escalation in line with operational standards
• Quality Assurance and Documentation – You conduct regular quality assurance (QA) of tickets to ensure SOC procedures and documentation standards are met, providing clear, constructive feedback to team members to improve technical skills and workflow consistency
• Collaboration and Mentorship – You mentor SOC Analysts in your team by offering regular, constructive feedback on triage processes and best practices. You encourage targeted training initiatives, including relevant certifications, to support career progression within the SOC
• Service Improvement – You contribute to ongoing service improvement through participation in supporting threat hunting activity led by Senior SOC Analysts, rule tuning, and process refinement initiatives. You assist in monthly reporting and post-incident reviews to drive improvements that reflect our commitment to transparent and reliable performance

Required Qualifications & Experience

• You may be required to hold or obtain UK Non-Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV) and/or a Security Check (SC) clearance as part of this role
• Willingness to work towards or obtain intermediate cybersecurity certifications (e.g. SBT BTL2, CREST Registered Intrusion Analyst)
• Proficiency with SIEM platforms, endpoint security tools, and ticketing systems, with an ability to make clear, data-driven decisions under pressure

Critical Competencies – Technical Fit

• Operating Systems - Possess detailed knowledge of Windows and Linux system architectures, with a clear understanding of how event logs (e.g., Windows Event Viewer, Syslog) reflect system security posture
• Networking and Protocols - Have a comprehensive understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, DCHP, VPNs, SSL/TLS, and network forensics concepts to validate network-based alerts and anomalies
• Cybersecurity Frameworks - Deeply understand and be able to articulate the elements of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, and Cyber Kill Chain; know how adversary tactics and techniques translate into observable indicators
• SIEM and Security Tools - Know the theoretical underpinnings of SIEM operations, including alert correlation, the design of automated detection rules, and the interpretation of aggregated security data
• Incident Triage - Understand the principles behind effective triage, including the rationale for using standardised playbooks and the criteria for escalating incidents without undertaking complex forensic analysis
• Threat Intelligence Integration - Be knowledgeable about the role and structure of threat intelligence – how feeds are sourced, what constitutes actionable information, and how malware indicators are defined
• Scripting and Automation - Understand the concepts behind using scripting for automating regular data extraction and log analysis, and the benefits such tools being to maintaining consistency in alert handling

Benefits

• At Claranet, we go the extra mile with our people—because we believe in building a workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.
• What makes us unique is Team Claranet, our internal community that supports causes close to our employees’ hearts. We offer paid charity leave, support local charities across our offices, and host annual fundraising events, all backed by a dedicated committee.
• We’re proud founding members of TC4RE (Technology Community for Racial Equality) working collectively to build a more diverse and inclusive tech industry.

About Claranet

Founded at the beginning of the dot com bubble in 1996, our CEO Charles Nasser had a light bulb moment to develop a truly customer-focused IT business. Since then, Claranet has grown from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the UK to being one of the leading business modernisation experts, who deliver solutions across 11+ countries.

Equal Opportunities Statement

Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of what we value as an organisation.

Claranet is an equal opportunities employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other status protected by law.

Our recruitment team are happy to support any reasonable adjustments that are needed within the recruitment process.