Technology and Cyber Services – Security Operations Manager

United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory Limited; Workington; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Family-friendly policies

Competitive pension plans

Annual leave 25.5+ days

Gym discounts

Employee bonus

Learning and development

Employee assistance

Cycle to work

Life assurance

Sick pay

Mydiscounts access

Job summary

UK National Nuclear Laboratory Limited is seeking a Security Operations Manager to lead a SecOps team and mature end-to-end security operations. The role focuses on preventing, detecting, responding to, and recovering from cyber threats across regulated infrastructure.

The role requires strong incident response, threat hunting, vulnerability management, and experience with regulators and audits. Location flexibility supports Risley, Workington or Preston sites.

Qualifications

• Experience in cyber security operations within regulated or critical infrastructure environments.
• Proven leadership of security operations teams and/or managed security services (SOC/MSOC).
• Experience managing security incidents and crisis-level response; able to operate under pressure.
• Strong understanding of incident response and digital forensics.
• Strong understanding of threat intelligence and threat hunting.
• Strong understanding of vulnerability management and security controls.
• Strong understanding security testing, assurance, and audit practices.
• Experience working with regulators, auditors, and compliance frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into operational capability.
• Experience managing third-party suppliers and service providers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Sec Ops team and provide direction, coaching and mentorship.
• Align SecOps activities to risk appetite and CISO strategy.
• Represent SecOps in governance and security meetings.
• Maintain governance, reporting and performance management frameworks.
• Oversee end-to-end security monitoring, detection and response with internal and external partners.
• Lead operational management of security incidents when required and support post-incident learning.
• Define and deliver a structured security testing and exercising programme.
• Drive maturity of security operations including processes, tooling and resources.
• Develop roadmaps aligned to objectives and emerging threats.
• Collaborate with other cyber/security sections to manage risk and ensure regulatory compliance.

Skills

Cyber security operations

Security leadership

Incident response

Digital forensics

Threat intelligence

Vulnerability management

Security testing

Regulatory compliance

Vendor/third-party management

Operational strategy

Education

Degree or higher in a related subject

Job description

Summary

Job Description for Technology and Cyber Services – Security Operations Manager:

There’s never been a more exciting time to be part of the nuclear sector. New opportunities are being created all the time. At UKNNL, you’ll be in the ideal place to capitalise on this momentum, face new challenges and develop a long, successful and meaningful career.

We’re an organisation that’s here to experiment and push the limits of what’s possible. So, if you’re keen to excel in your chosen field, this is the place to do it. Because at UKNNL, anything is possible.

The Security Operations Manager, working within UKNNL’s Technology and Cyber Services (TCS) team, is accountable for leading, developing, and continuously improving UKNNL’s end-to-end security operations capability, ensuring the organisation can effectively prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber and information security threats.

The location for this role is flexible and can be based at Risley, Workington or Preston.

Main Responsibilities for Technology and Cyber Services – Security Operations Manager:

• Manage a small SecOps team, providing support, direction, leadership, coaching and mentoring to maximise performance and ensure team wellbeing.
• Help ensure SecOps activities are prioritised and aligned to organisational risk appetite and CISO strategy.
• Act as a leader within the Sec Ops area – possibly deputising if required for the wider section Head; also providing SME advice as required to the TCS senior team. This will include representing SecOps at related UKNNL governance and security meetings.
• Maintain and develop governance, reporting, and performance management frameworks to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Own and continuously improve UKNNL’s end-to-end security monitoring, detection, and response capability, ensuring effective coordination between internal teams and external providers. This includes strong emphasis on understanding Security Operations best practice and emerging best practice, and being able to help drive performance and value from security partners and suppliers (intelligent customer) – the role will require the ability to represent UKNNL at performance review meetings with key SecOps partners.
• If required, lead the operational management of security incidents, including larger incidents, helping ensure timely containment, recovery, and communication. Support post-incident learning to strengthen resilience and reduce future risk.
• Define and help deliver a structured security testing and exercising programme to validate the effectiveness of security controls across people, process, and technology.
• Lead the ongoing maturity and evolution of security operations capabilities, including processes, tooling, and resources; this will include understanding baseline activity to help further develop detection rules and process.
• Develop and implement roadmaps aligned to strategic objectives and emerging threats – being actively aware of threat landscape, vulnerabilities, risks, and mitigations.
• As required, operate flexibly, to provide input and support to other cyber and information security sections of TCS, helping manage risk, remain compliant and support business delivery.

Essential Criteria for Technology and Cyber Services – Security Operations Manager:

• Experience in cyber security operations within regulated or critical infrastructure environments.
• Proven leadership of security operations teams and/or managed security services (SOC/MSOC).
• Experience managing security incidents and crisis-level response; able to operate under pressure.
• Strong understanding of incident response and digital forensics.
• Strong understanding of threat intelligence and threat hunting.
• Strong understanding of vulnerability management and security controls.
• Strong understanding security testing, assurance, and audit practices.
• Experience working with regulators, auditors, and compliance frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into operational capability.
• Experience managing third-party suppliers and service providers.
• Degree or higher in a related subject.
• Evidence of related relevant operations certifications and training.
• Ability to obtain SC level security clearance (this includes but is not limited to identity, employment, financial and criminal record checks plus 5 years’ worth of UK residency).

Desirable Criteria for Technology and Cyber Services – Security Operations Manager:

• Membership of a cyber security or related professional body.

Why join us?

UKNNL isn’t just a place where you can do career-defining work that makes a real-world impact. It’s also a place where you’ll feel appreciated and valued. We’re creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is free to be themselves and feel like they belong. We put your wellbeing first, we push you to reach your potential, and we do everything possible to help you feel safe, supported and inspired.

We also offer a range of employee benefits:

• Sector leading Family-Focused Policies: celebrate life events, including enhanced maternity and paternity leave and a week off for your marriage.
• UKNNL offers attractive pension plans. If you contribute 5%, UKNNL contributes 15%. Alternatively, if you choose not to contribute (0%), UKNNL will still contribute 10%.
• Annual Leave: Benefit from 25.5 days of leave, plus 4 extra days to be taken during Christmas shutdown, plus Bank Holidays.
• Reduced gym membership with discounts of up to 25% from 3,700 gym and leisure providers across the UK
• Company Bonus: Be rewarded for your contributions.
• Learning Opportunities: Enhance your skills through excellent development programmes.
• Employee Assistance: Access support for personal and professional challenges.
• Cycle to Work: Stay active and eco-friendly.
• Life Assurance: Ensure peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
• Enhanced Sick Pay Benefits: Receive support during illness or injury.
• Access to ‘Mydiscounts’ which has a range of special offers and discounts from more than 200 suppliers, including medical insurance and dental insurance.
• Health Care: Health savings plan which allows you to claim money back on visits to the dentist, optician and/or physiotherapist (limits apply).

About The Company

UKNNL is an incredible place to work. A place where people do things that have never been done before. A place where people push boundaries to further themselves, the business and society as a whole.

This is a place where personal and professional opportunities are limitless. If you want to change the world, if you want to tackle climate change, if you want to help advance medical science, if you want to help put things in space, if you want to answer the big questions, if you want to work with extraordinary materials, if you want to meet great people, learn new skills, challenge yourself, work flexibly, and build a long successful career with the power to make a real impact… you can do it all here.

Recruitment Agency Notice

We operate a strict Preferred Supplier List (PSL) for the provision of recruitment services. Only agencies on our PSL may provide CVs and only when the role is released to them by our recruitment team. We will not accept unsolicited CVs from suppliers not currently on our PSL. We explicitly reserve the right to add candidate details from unsolicited CVs from non-PSL agencies into our own candidate database and to pursue/hire such candidate(s) without any obligation, financial or otherwise, to the agency concerned.