Senior Security Engineer - SIEM & SOC Operations

Placements24; Sandton; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Retirement benefits

Performance incentives

Training & development

Hybrid work environment

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Security Engineer to strengthen the SOC for a leading financial institution in Sandton, Gauteng. You will design, deploy and optimize SIEM infrastructure and security tooling, monitor threats, and drive incident response.

The role combines hands-on engineering with collaborating across IT teams in a hybrid setup, with office time in Sandton and remote flexibility. Ideal candidates have 5+ years in security operations and strong SIEM expertise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5 years of security operations, SIEM administration, or security engineering.
• Proven expertise in managing and tuning SIEM platforms, including rule development and log source integration.
• Strong understanding of network protocols, operating systems, and common attack techniques.
• Experience with scripting languages (Python, PowerShell) for automation is a plus.
• Familiarity with threat intelligence feeds and their integration into SIEM.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical findings clearly.
• Relevant security certifications (e.g., GIAC GSEC, GCIA, Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin) are advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and manage SIEM solutions (e.g., Splunk, QRadar, ELK Stack) for log aggregation, correlation, and alerting.
• Develop and optimize SIEM use cases, detection rules, and dashboards to identify security incidents.
• Perform threat hunting and analysis of security events to uncover sophisticated threats.
• Provide Tier 3 support for SOC analysts, assisting with complex incident investigations.
• Collaborate with IT infrastructure and application teams to ensure proper logging and event data collection.
• Stay current with emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and security technologies.
• Contribute to the automation of security operations tasks and workflows.
• Participate in incident response activities and provide technical expertise.
• Document security processes, configurations, and procedures.

Skills

Threat hunting

Incident response

Security monitoring

Communication

Python

PowerShell

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Information Security

Tools

Splunk

QRadar

ELK Stack

Python

PowerShell

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a leading financial institution, is seeking a highly motivated Senior Security Engineer to enhance their Security Operations Center (SOC) in Sandton, Gauteng, ZA. This role is crucial for the ongoing development, implementation, and maintenance of their Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) infrastructure and associated security tools. You will be instrumental in detecting, analyzing, and responding to security threats, ensuring the continuous protection of critical assets. This hybrid role requires dedicated time in the Sandton, Gauteng, ZA office, alongside remote flexibility. The ideal candidate possesses deep technical expertise in SIEM technologies and a strong understanding of security monitoring, threat hunting, and incident response processes. You will contribute significantly to maintaining a robust security posture against sophisticated cyber threats.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and manage SIEM solutions (e.g., Splunk, QRadar, ELK Stack) for log aggregation, correlation, and alerting.
• Develop and optimize SIEM use cases, detection rules, and dashboards to identify security incidents.
• Perform threat hunting and analysis of security events to uncover sophisticated threats.
• Provide Tier 3 support for SOC analysts, assisting with complex incident investigations.
• Collaborate with IT infrastructure and application teams to ensure proper logging and event data collection.
• Stay current with emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and security technologies.
• Contribute to the automation of security operations tasks and workflows.
• Participate in incident response activities and provide technical expertise.
• Document security processes, configurations, and procedures.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in security operations, SIEM administration, or security engineering.
• Proven expertise in managing and tuning SIEM platforms, including rule development and log source integration.
• Strong understanding of network protocols, operating systems, and common attack techniques.
• Experience with scripting languages (e.g., Python, PowerShell) for automation is a plus.
• Familiarity with threat intelligence feeds and their integration into SIEM.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical findings clearly.
• Relevant security certifications (e.g., GIAC GSEC, GCIA, Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin) are advantageous.
• Ability to work effectively in a hybrid model in Sandton, Gauteng, ZA.

Benefits

Our client offers a competitive salary, comprehensive medical and retirement benefits, performance-based incentives, ongoing training and development opportunities, and a supportive hybrid work environment.

Join a team dedicated to cybersecurity excellence in Sandton, Gauteng, ZA and advance your career in a leading financial organization.