Head of Security Operations - FTSE 100

Head of SOC Operations - URGENT

Start date: ASAP

Location: London (1-2 days a week in the office)

Contract length: 6 Months initially (likely to extend)

Company: FTSE 100 Company

How you will contribute..

The Head of SOC Operations will play a critical role in, overseeing the 24/7/365 monitoring, detection, and response to cybersecurity threats and incidents, ensuring operational excellence, threat intelligence integration, and alignment with the organization's security objectives.

The ideal candidate is a proven cybersecurity leader with a deep understanding of security operations, threat landscapes, incident response, and team leadership. This individual will play a key role in shaping the future of our cyber defense capabilities.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage the daily operations of the Security Operations Center, including managing a multi-tiered team of managers, analysts, and incident responders.
• Develop and execute SOC strategy, goals, and KPIs in alignment with organizational cybersecurity and business objectives.
• Oversee incident detection, triage, investigation, and coordinated response efforts to mitigate threats in real time.
• Ensure continuous improvement of security monitoring tools, automation, playbooks, and threat detection capabilities.
• Collaborate with other cybersecurity teams, IT, legal, compliance, and business units to ensure an integrated approach to incident handling and threat mitigation.
• Manage relationships with third-party vendors, MSSPs, and threat intelligence providers.
• Prepare and present metrics, risk assessments, and incident reports to executive leadership and board-level stakeholders.
• Lead post-incident reviews to improve processes and resilience.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of the threat landscape, emerging technologies, and compliance requirements.
• Develop training and professional development plans to continuously grow team capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field (Master's preferred).
• Extensive experience in cybersecurity leadership within a SOC or incident response function.
• Strong knowledge of security technologies, SIEM platforms (e.g., Chronicle, Splunk, QRadar), EDR tools, firewalls, and network security.
• Experience with security frameworks and regulations (NIST, ISO 27001, MITRE ATT&CK, CIS, etc.).
• Demonstrated experience leading security incident investigations and crisis response.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and project management skills.
• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, GIAC, or equivalent are highly preferred.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience managing global SOC operations.
• Familiarity with cloud security operations (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Proficiency with automation and orchestration tools (SOAR platforms).
• Strong analytical mindset and the ability to make high-pressure decisions.

If interested, please apply and a consultant will be in touch asap! GCS is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.