Security Manager - SOC

As a Security Manager within Tesco’s Security Operations
Centre (SOC), focused on transformation and change, you will lead the evolution
of our cyber defence capabilities, ensuring the proactive protection of a
retail ecosystem that serves millions of customers. You will empower and
support the development of a high-performing team of analysts, aligning
operational outcomes with Tesco’s strategic business priorities. This role is
central to maintaining operational resilience whilst driving continuous change
across people, process and technology. Acting as a guardian of both performance
and transformation, you will enable innovation, including the responsible
adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), to deliver a modern, customer-first
cyber defence capability. This role reports to the SOC Manager and forms a key
role within our Investigation & Incident Response management team.

·       Lead
SOC Transformation & Change: Define and deliver the SOC roadmap,
ensuring new capabilities (process, tooling, AI, and operating models) are
effectively scoped, implemented, and embedded without compromising operational
performance.

·       Drive
Operational Excellence: Ensure the SOC operates at high performance,
maintaining strong detection and response capability, service reliability, and
measurable outcomes aligned to business risk.

·       Enable
Innovation: Champion the adoption of Applied AI and automation to optimise
SOC workflows, reduce analyst toil, and improve the quality and speed of
investigation and response.

·      

·       Strengthen
Stakeholder Engagement: Act as a senior interface between Cyber Defence,
Technology, and Business stakeholders, clearly communicating risk, influencing
outcomes, and aligning priorities.

·       Own
Service & Product Mindset: Embed a product and service-oriented
approach within the SOC, ensuring changes are outcome-driven, measurable, and
aligned to customer and organisational needs.

Essential

·       Leadership
& Team Development: Demonstrable experience leading and managing
technical teams, including coaching, performance development, and building
inclusive, high-performing environments.

·       Strategic
Thinking & Problem Solving: Proven ability to define and execute
strategic roadmaps, translating complex challenges into clear, actionable plans
aligned to business objectives.

·       Communication
& Influencing: Strong capability to communicate complex cyber risks
effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, influencing
decisions at senior levels.

·       Operational
Cyber Expertise: Demonstrable understanding of threat detection and
incident response practices, ensuring the SOC delivers effective, timely, and
high-quality defensive outcomes.

·       Change
Leadership: Experience embracing and enabling change, successfully
integrating new tools, processes, and operating models whilst maintaining
service continuity.

·       Operational
Tooling Awareness: Exposure to SOC tooling such as Zendesk and xMatters, and
an understanding of how workflow, escalation, and incident management processes
are orchestrated.

·       Applied
AI Awareness: Foundational understanding of how AI and automation can be
applied to cyber defence operations, particularly in improving efficiency and
decision-making.

·       Technical
Interviewing & Talent Building: Experience in hiring and assessing
technical talent, building teams that meet both current and future capability
needs.

·       Collaboration
& Inclusion: Demonstrable commitment to fostering inclusive teams and
working effectively across diverse technology and security domains.

Desirable

·       Awareness
of core technology landscape and retail systems, and how cyber risk translates
into customer and business impact.

·       Understanding
of cyber incident management models and escalation frameworks across enterprise
environments.

·       Familiarity
with core cyber defence technologies (e.g. SIEM, Endpoint Detection and
Response (EDR), Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR)).

·       Knowledge
of cloud and container security, and modern technology architectures.

·       Experience
with product methodologies and service-oriented delivery models.

·       Exposure
to data analytics and insights to drive operational decision-making and
performance improvement.

·       Experience
managing budgets, vendors, or procurement processes within a technical
environment.

·       Demonstrated
curiosity, learning mindset, and contribution to professional communities.

·       Awareness
of responsible AI governance principles and how they apply to operational
environments.

·       Familiarity
with engineering and development lifecycle concepts to better align security
with technology delivery.

·       GIAC
certification and or relevant certifications such as CISSP or CISM

·       A
relevant degree, with professional experience.

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 20% of base salary.


• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays).


• Private medical insurance.