Principal, Security Operations

Pearson; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Pearson is seeking a Senior Director of Security Operations to lead the SOC, drive detection engineering and automation, and align security posture with Pearson standards across environments. You will coordinate incident response, governance, and executive reporting in a fast-paced, regulated setting.

The role requires collaboration with internal and external partners, 24x7 on-call readiness, and strong communication to translate risk into actionable plans.

Qualifications

• Experience in regulated environments or government clients.
• 4+ years in security operations, incident response, and detection engineering.
• Hands-on with SOAR, EDR, NDR, and SIEM technologies.
• Experience with cloud providers AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Strong multitasking, adaptability, and communication with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and operate advanced SOC activities, including incident detection, triage, containment and root-cause analysis.
• Develop, implement and optimize detection logic and automated response playbooks.
• Continuously improve SOC processes and procedures to address evolving threats.
• Engage stakeholders, translating technical risk into actionable insights and reports.
• Ensure compliance with applicable standards and Pearson policies; deliver risk-based reporting.

Skills

Security operations

Incident response

Communication & stakeholder mgmt

Multitasking & adaptability

Regulated environments / government

Detection engineering

Tools

SOAR

EDR

NDR

SIEM

Job description

Skip-Level Manager: Senior Director of Security Operations

Role Summary:

The Security Operations Center (SOC) is seeking a highly skilled and proactive Senior Security Analyst to lead day-to-day security operations, drive continuous process improvement, and advance detection engineering across Pearson’s environments. This role is pivotal in safeguarding critical assets through rapid incident response, automation, and collaboration with internal and external partners. You will be responsible for refining SOC processes, developing detection capabilities, and ensuring alignment with Pearson’s security standards and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

Security Operations Leadership:

Lead and execute advanced SOC operations, including incident detection, triage, containment, and root cause analysis across Pearson environments. Requirement to work on-call schedule to ensure 24x7 coverage during non-office hours.

Detection Engineering & Automation:

Develop, implement, and optimize detection logic, playbooks, and automated response workflows to reduce mean time to containment and improve SOC efficiency.

Process Improvement:

Continuously assess and enhance SOC processes and procedures, ensuring best practices and alignment with evolving threat landscapes.

Collaborate with threat intelligence teams to analyze emerging risks and integrate relevant TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) into SOC operations.

Stakeholder Engagement:

Act as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders, translating technical findings into actionable insights and ensuring transparency throughout security operations.

Compliance & Governance:

Ensure all SOC activities comply with relevant standards (e.g., NCSC, Cyber Essentials Plus) and internal Pearson policies.

Reporting & Metrics:

Deliver executive-level reporting, risk assessments, and metrics to demonstrate the effectiveness of SOC operations.

Required Skills & Experience:

• Must have experience working with regulated environments or government clients.
• Proven experience in security operations, incident response, and detection engineering (4+ years)
• Hands-on expertise with SOAR, EDR, NDR, and SIEM technologies
• Experience with one or more Cloud Service Providers (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Strong background in multitasking, adapting, and thriving in fast-paced environments
• Excellent communication skills, especially in stakeholder management and translating technical risk to non-technical audiences

Preferred Qualifications:

• US – Strong understanding of FedRAMP, GovRAMP and StateRAMP policies and practices.
• UK – Strong understanding of UK GDPR, Cyber Essentials and NCSC Guidance.
• Knowledge of cloud security (AWS, Azure, GCP) and hybrid infrastructure

Experience collaborating with red/purple teams and defensive teams

Who we are:

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. We are the world's lifelong learning company. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are. To learn more: We are Pearson.

Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

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