Chief Security Engineer - FinTech, Cape Town

Placements24; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

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Medical and dental coverage

Pension fund contributions

Travel opportunities

Professional development budgets

Job summary

Placements24 in Cape Town, Western Cape, is seeking a Lead Security Engineer to spearhead cybersecurity efforts for a fast-growing FinTech. You will design, implement, and manage security infrastructure to protect sensitive financial data and ensure regulatory compliance.

The ideal candidate has 7+ years in information security, deep expertise across network and cloud security, and strong leadership. You will mentor a team, drive DevSecOps, and help shape the security roadmap in a dynamic

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
• At least 7 years of progressive information security engineering and architecture experience.
• Proven experience leading security teams and initiatives.
• Deep expertise in network security, cloud security (AWS, Azure, GCP), application security, and cryptography.
• Hands-on experience with SIEM, SOAR, EDR, firewalls, and vulnerability management tools.
• Strong threat modeling, penetration testing methodologies, and incident response frameworks.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• CISSP, CCSP, or OSCP certifications are highly preferred.
• Experience in FinTech or financial services is advantageous.
• Must be legally authorized to work in South Africa and willing to relocate to Cape Town.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, and deploy robust security solutions across the organization's network, cloud, and application environments.
• Lead the development and implementation of security policies, standards, and procedures.
• Oversee SOC functions, including threat detection, incident response, and forensic analysis.
• Manage and optimize security technologies such as firewalls, WAFs, IDS/IPS, SIEM, and EDR systems.
• Conduct regular penetration testing and vulnerability assessments, and oversee remediation efforts.
• Develop and deliver security awareness training to all employees.
• Collaborate with development and operations to embed security in the DevOps pipeline (DevSecOps).
• Mentor and guide junior security engineers and analysts.
• Ensure compliance with POPIA, PCI DSS, and other relevant regulations.
• Evaluate and recommend new security technologies and solutions.

Skills

Security architecture

Network security

Cloud security (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Threat modeling

Incident response

Penetration testing

SOC operations

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Cybersecurity

CISSP

CCSP

OSCP

Tools

SIEM

SOAR

EDR

Firewalls

Job description

Placements24 in Cape Town, Western Cape, is seeking a Lead Security Engineer to spearhead cybersecurity efforts for a fast-growing FinTech. You will design, implement, and manage security infrastructure to protect sensitive financial data and ensure regulatory compliance.

The ideal candidate has 7+ years in information security, deep expertise across network and cloud security, and strong leadership. You will mentor a team, drive DevSecOps, and help shape the security roadmap in a dynamic