Security Operations Consultant

Are you an experienced cyber security professional passionate about leading Security Operations Centre (SOC) teams, managing complex cyber incidents and helping organisations strengthen their cyber resilience? We are looking for a Security Operations Manager to join a growing cyber security consulting practice, working with enterprise and public sector clients to improve their security operations, modernise detection and response capabilities, and respond effectively to evolving cyber threats.

This is a varied, client-facing role combining hands-on operational leadership with strategic advisory work. You will lead SOC analysts and incident response specialists while helping clients assess, transform and optimise their security operations. Key responsibilities Lead, mentor and develop SOC analysts and incident response specialists, providing clear operational direction and technical guidance. Coordinate live cyber security incidents, including investigation, containment, eradication, recovery and post-incident reviews.

Advise enterprise and public sector clients on SOC maturity, operational effectiveness and cyber resilience. Assess and optimise SIEM, SOAR and EDR/XDR technologies to improve threat visibility, detection accuracy and response efficiency. Develop incident response playbooks, standard operating procedures, automated response workflows and tabletop exercises. Identify gaps across people, processes and technology, translating findings into practical improvement roadmaps. Work closely with client stakeholders, technical teams and senior leadership to communicate risks, incidents and recommendations.

Contribute to the development of modern security operations services, consulting propositions and internal capability. About you You will bring a combination of operational security expertise, leadership capability and strong client-facing consulting skills. Essential experience:
Experience leading or supervising a SOC, cyber security operations team or incident response function. Practical experience managing cyber security incidents, such as ransomware, account compromise or significant security breaches. Hands-on experience with SIEM and security analytics platforms, such as Microsoft Sentinel or Splunk.

Experience with EDR/XDR solutions such as Crowd Strike Falcon or Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Strong understanding of threat detection, incident investigation and response processes. Knowledge of security frameworks and standards, including MITRE ATT&CK, NIST CSF, NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework and ISO 27001. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently with engineers, clients and senior business stakeholders. Desirable experience:
Previous experience in cyber security consulting, management consulting or a managed security services provider (MSSP). Experience advising clients on SOC transformation, security maturity assessments or operational improvement programmes. Familiarity with cloud security monitoring across AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud Platform. Experience working with UK government, defence, regulated industries or Critical National Infrastructure.