Senior Specialist, Cyber Security Defence Centre (CSDC)

CIMB Bank Berhad; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Senior Specialist, Cyber Security Defence Centre (CSDC) at CIMB Bank Berhad leads 24×7 SOC operations, driving monitoring effectiveness, alert triage, and timely escalation of cybersecurity incidents.

You will oversee SOC performance, implement playbooks, coordinate with CERT and Threat Intelligence teams, and develop analyst capability through coaching while ensuring regulatory and internal policy compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, cybersecurity, or related field.
• Relevant security certifications preferred (e.g., CISSP, CISM).
• Minimum 7 years of cybersecurity operations experience with SOC exposure.
• Minimum 3 years of SOC leadership or supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee 24×7 SOC operations and ensure effective monitoring and escalation.
• Lead SOC processes, playbooks, and shift handover practices.
• Coordinate incident escalation with CERT, threat intel, and engineering teams.
• Develop analyst capability through training and coaching.
• Prepare SOC reporting on trends, SLA, and risks.

Skills

SOC operations

Incident response

Threat hunting

Threat intelligence

Leadership

Stakeholder mgmt

Education

Bachelor's Degree in IT/Cybersecurity

Tools

SIEM

EDR

Firewall

Job description

Senior Specialist, Cyber Security Defence Centre (CSDC)

Security Operations Center Manager is responsible for overseeing 24×7 SOC operations, ensuring effective security monitoring, timely alert triage, and appropriate escalation of potential cybersecurity incidents.

The role provides leadership and operational governance across the SOC, including analyst performance, service delivery, incident coordination, reporting, and continuous improvement of SOC processes and capabilities, in support of organizational and regulatory requirements.

Job Description *

Manage and continuously improve SOC operational capabilities across in-house and outsourced resources to ensure effective 24×7 monitoring, alert triage, escalation, and operational support.

Lead day-to-day SOC operations, ensuring cybersecurity alerts are identified, assessed, prioritised, investigated, and escalated appropriately based on severity, risk, asset criticality, and business impact.

Oversee SOC service performance, including shift coverage, operational discipline, service quality, SLA fulfilment, analyst performance, and escalation effectiveness.

Establish and maintain SOC processes, procedures, investigation playbooks, shift handover practices, escalation criteria, and operational workflows.

Monitor SOC KPIs and operational trends, identify gaps, and drive improvements in monitoring effectiveness, alert quality, response time, and analyst productivity.

Coordinate with CERT, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Threat Hunting, SOC Engineering, technology teams, and relevant stakeholders on incident escalation, detection improvement, and operational follow-up.

Develop SOC analyst capability through training, coaching, and reinforcement of monitoring procedures, investigation practices, escalation requirements, security tools, and shift handover standards.

Ensure SOC operations comply with applicable regulatory, internal policy, governance, and information security requirements, including continuous and proactive monitoring obligations.

Prepare and present SOC operational reporting to management, covering alert trends, SLA performance, major escalations, operational risks, service quality, and improvement initiatives.

Job Specification *

Bachelor's Degree or professional qualification in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Security, or a related discipline.

Relevant security certifications such as CISSP, CISM, GIAC, CEH, CompTIA Security+, or equivalent are preferred.

Networking certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, or equivalent are an added advantage.

Minimum 7 years of relevant cybersecurity operations experience, including SOC operations, incident response, threat hunting, cyber threat analysis, or cyber threat intelligence.

Minimum 3 years of SOC leadership or supervisory experience, with demonstrated people-management responsibilities.

Experience in banking, financial services, telecommunications, or other regulated environments is an added advantage.

Technical/Functional skills

Strong understanding of SOC operations, including 24×7 monitoring, alert triage, incident escalation, shift management, investigation workflow, and operational reporting.

Good knowledge of enterprise IT and security technologies, including Windows/Linux, Active Directory, firewalls, proxies, endpoint security, SIEM, IPS, DNS security, and cloud security logs.

Experience in improving SIEM use cases, detection logic, SOC playbooks, incident response procedures, dashboards, and operational processes.

Familiarity with cybersecurity frameworks and regulatory expectations, including MITRE ATT&CK and technology risk management requirements.

Strong ability to assess SOC performance, monitor service levels, identify operational gaps, and drive continuous improvement.

Strong analytical, prioritisation, decision-making, and communication skills.

Personal skills (Soft Competencies [Core/Leadership])

Strong leadership and people-management capability, with the ability to supervise analysts and manage competing priorities.

Effective stakeholder management across internal teams, vendors, service providers, and management.

Strong planning, organization, and coordination skills.

Results-oriented, accountable, and able to work independently.

• Strong teamwork and relationship-building skills.

Banking & Credit More than 10,000 employees

CIMB is one of ASEAN’s leading banking groups and Malaysia’s second largest financial services provider, by assets. Listed on Bursa Malaysia via CIMB Group Holdings Berhad, it had a market capitalisation of approximately RM81.6 billion as at 31 March 2026. It offers consumer banking, commercial banking, wholesale banking, transaction banking, Islamic banking and asset management products and services. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the Group is present across ASEAN in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Beyond ASEAN, the Group has market presence in China, Hong Kong and UK.

CIMB is one of ASEAN’s leading banking groups and Malaysia’s second largest financial services provider, by assets. Listed on Bursa Malaysia via CIMB Group Holdings Berhad, it had a market capitalisation of approximately RM81.6 billion as at 31 March 2026. It offers consumer banking, commercial banking, wholesale banking, transaction banking, Islamic banking and asset management products and services. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the Group is present across ASEAN in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Beyond ASEAN, the Group has market presence in China, Hong Kong and UK.