Principal IT Cyber Security Engineer

HR Genie; Durban; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology company in Durban is seeking a skilled Principal Engineer to oversee cybersecurity operations. The role emphasizes leadership, pre-sales activities, and collaboration with IT and risk teams. Ideal candidates will have extensive cybersecurity experience, strong technical skills, and relevant certifications. The position offers an opportunity to enhance security strategies and ensure organizational resilience.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in IT and 10+ years in cybersecurity.
• Experience in technical leadership roles.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks and compliance standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead security operations and incident response.
• Collaborate with IT and risk management teams.
• Provide technical guidance and training for security personnel.
• Conduct vulnerability audits and compliance checks.

Skills

Leadership

Cybersecurity expertise

Knowledge of Microsoft security tools

Strong communication

Risk management

Education

Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM)

Tools

Azure Sentinel

Microsoft Defender

Azure Security Center

Job description

The Securelytics Principal Engineer will report to the Securelytics Business Unit Manager and work closely with the Securelytics Team. The job function is split between two areas :

• Solutions Architect for Security - perform a pre-sales function to design, architect and scope security services and solutions. This involves a detailed understanding of the Securelytics offering to the market and service catalogue.
• Delivery - Work with the Securelytics team to deliver projects and services to customers. Act as a senior escalation to the team to assist with incidents and requests.

Work with the team to enhance BCT's security offering, ensuring proactive threat management, effective incident response, and continuous improvement of cybersecurity defences for BC Technologies and its customers. This role requires strong leadership, technical expertise, and collaboration with internal teams and external stakeholders to maintain a robust security posture. This role demands expertise in driving cutting-edge security technology and operations platforms from Microsoft, Fortinet and Sophos.

Duties & Responsibilities

Delivery

• Provide technical guidance support and serve as an escalation point for complex security issues.
• Assist with recruitment, onboarding, and training of security personnel.
• Implement Information Security solutions as needed.
• Support the team in the following :

Security Operations, Threat Detection & Incident Response

• Threat Hunting & Vulnerability Management
• Prevention and Risk Management
• Risk identification and mitigation

Solution Development and Pre-sales

• Provide detailed designs, architectures, bills of materials, high level project plans, scope of works, deliverables for proposals and projects
• Present to customers and complete demonstations, proof of concept tests and assessments
• Provide input into contracts for delivery of services

Stakeholder Collaboration and communication

• Work closely with IT, Security, and Risk Management teams to enhance security strategies.
• Provide regular security reports to stakeholders, detailing progress and risk mitigation efforts.
• Collaborate with project managers, service delivery teams, and sales teams on security-related initiatives.
• Maintain effective communication via company collaboration tools (Teams, CRM, Service Desk).
• Stay updated with the latest security threats, technologies, and best practices.
• Define and Implement standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Conduct vulnerability audits to ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
• Research and recommend innovative security solutions to enhance organisational resilience.
• Provide a quality assurance service to check all outputs of the Security Operations team

Key Performance expectations

• Maintain a strong leadership presence, working in the office at least three days per week.
• Help to Identify and drive key performance metrics for the department
• Achieve and track own billable work hours, CRM tasks and project milestones.
• Help the team to achieve their billable workable hour targets
• Employee Satisfaction Score and staff retention : receive feedback in the upper quartile from the Securelytics team
• Begin with the end in mind. Ensure all work completed is aligned with achieving specific deliverables as outlined in project plans or service level agreements
• Ensure prompt response to requests, security incidents and escalations.
• Keep security documentation and reports up to date.
• Foster a continuous improvement mindset and actively develop leadership skills.
• Drive accountability, ensuring all tasks and security measures are executed effectively.
• High levels of customer satisfaction and retention
• Ensure all risks are highlighted and comminicated
• Comitment to continual professional development

Desired Experience & Qualification

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum of 15 years of experience in Information Technology and 10 years in Cybersecurity
• Proven experience in progressively responsible technical roles, including leadership positions
• Strong expertise in Microsoft security tools (e.g., Azure Sentinel, Microsoft Defender, Azure Security Center).
• In-depth understanding of advanced threat management, including tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
• Proven experience in managing complex security incidents and remediation processes.
• Certifications such as Fortinet FCSS / NSE7, Sophos Architect, CISSP, CISM, CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) or equivalent
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks and compliance standards like Popia, PCI-DSS, GDPR, ISO 27001, CIS and NIST.&

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Principal Engineer • Durban, South Africa