SOC Operations Technical Lead

Job ID:43649
Location:LRQA Nettitude:Birmingham :1, Birmingham : 1 Trinity Park : Bi  
Position Category:Information Technology
Position Type:Employee Regular

Role objective

The purpose of this role is to lead a team of SOC analysts, who are collectively operating on a 24/7/365 basis. Technical and client-oriented SOC Operations Technical Lead role plays a pivotal senior role within our Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) environment. This role reports to Head of SOC Operations.

This hands-on position serves as the senior technical authority for SOC operations, driving excellence in threat detection, incident response, and security operations across a diverse multi-client portfolio.

You will combine deep technical proficiency with strong consulting skills to mentor analysts, manage shift rotations, optimise SOC processes and tools, lead complex incident escalations, and act as a trusted advisor.

Although you will manage team of SOC analysts, this is not a purely managerial role; you will remain deeply involved in technical work while elevating team capabilities and delivering strategic value to our clients.

In this role you will be accountable for the effective functioning of your team, ensuring high performance standards while continuously developing their skills as part of a high trust, high performing security service.

You will leverage your combined experience in leadership and security operations to enable the smooth delivery of our award-winning defensive monitoring service, supporting proactive detection and response for clients across the globe.

You will be expected to contribute, hands on, technically where and when needed, including deep dive investigations, incident response escalations, threat hunting, tuning detections, delivering technical training, and driving process and capability improvements.

Strong technical knowledge is essential to mentor junior analysts, develop their capabilities, and ensure the team remains at the forefront of security operations. 

You must proactively initiate actions and work independently to quickly mitigate threats, set an example, maintain operational continuity, make informed decisions, and ensure team efficiency under pressure.

The roles and responsibilities are reviewed annually to ensure alignment with current organisational needs, emerging threats, and industry best practice.

 Collaboration with other teams

• As SOC Operations Technical Lead, you will be working closely with Threat Intelligence, Engineering and Incident Response teams as this is essential to strengthen the SOC’s ability to detect, investigate, and respond to emerging threats. This collaboration ensures timely sharing of actionable intelligence, refinement of detection rules, improvement of security tools, and alignment of operational processes, ultimately enhancing overall organisational security posture.

Continual improvement

• This role drives continuous improvement within the SOC by identifying gaps in processes, detection capabilities, and team performance, and implementing solutions to enhance operational efficiency.
• The SOC Operations Technical Lead evaluates incidents and alerts to refine triage and response workflows, ensuring lessons learned are translated into updated playbooks and best practices.
• By monitoring emerging threats, tuning detections, and adopting new tools and techniques, the role strengthens the SOC’s proactive defence posture.

Role details

Team Leadership & Operations Oversight

• Lead day-to-day activities of the SOC analysts across all shifts (24/7 operations through and on call rotation).
• Manage team scheduling, shift handovers, and always ensure proper coverage.
• Act as the first point of escalation for security events and staff queries during shifts.
• Aim to ensure high-quality incident triage, investigation, and response by team members, following predefined and agreed SOC processes.
• Coordinate with other shifts to maintain operational continuity and consistent processes.
• Lead and Facilitate the Development of the wider monitoring team through technical training courses, workshops and exercises.
• Applicable department objectives and projects are completed within specification, deadline and budgetary constraints.
• Ensure completion of all HALO case management on time and with accurate and timely results.

Technical Leadership & Operations Excellence

• Provide technical leadership and guidance to SOC analysts on alert triage, investigation, threat hunting, and incident response.
• Function as the primary technical escalation point for complex, high-severity, or novel security alerts across multiple client environments.
• Drive continuous improvement of SOC processes, playbooks, detection rules, and automation to enhance efficiency, reduce false positives, and accelerate response times.
• Evaluate, recommend, and support the implementation and optimization of SOC technologies (SIEM, EDR/XDR, SOAR, threat intelligence platforms) across heterogeneous client stacks.
• Develop and maintain advanced detection content, custom queries, correlation rules, and use cases tailored to client environments and emerging threats.

Consulting & Client Engagement

• Serve as a trusted technical consultant to clients, participating in security reviews, root cause analyses, and recommendations for security posture improvements.
• Translate complex technical findings and recommendations into clear, actionable insights for both technical and executive client stakeholders.

Team Development & Mentorship

• Mentor and coach SOC analysts, fostering technical growth, best practices, and a high-performance culture.
• Conduct technical training sessions, knowledge-sharing workshops, and skills assessments.
• Support performance management, including goal setting and feedback for direct or matrix team members.

Strategic & Operational Contributions

• Identify opportunities to enhance MSSP service offerings through new capabilities, automation, or methodology improvements.
• Monitor industry trends, threat intelligence, and tool advancements to keep SOC operations at the cutting edge.
• Ensure compliance with SLAs, internal standards, and relevant regulatory requirements.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 7+ years of experience in Security Operations, with at least 3–4 years in a senior/lead technical role within a SOC (preferably in an MSSP or multi-client environment).
• Strong hands-on expertise with industry-leading tools:
• SIEM platforms (Microsoft Sentinel, CrowdStrike)
• EDR/XDR solutions (CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, Carbon Black)
• SOAR, threat intelligence platforms, and network security tools.
• Proven experience in advanced threat hunting.
• Solid automation skills to improve SOC efficiency.
• Experience designing and tuning detection rules, use cases, and correlation logic in multi-tenant environments.
• Demonstrated consulting skills and ability to communicate effectively with clients, present findings, and provide strategic security advice.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant certifications: CISSP, GIAC (GCIH, GCIA, GREM), SC-200, SC-300 or equivalent.
• Experience with cloud security operations environments.
• Background in professional services, consulting, or MSSP delivery.
• Familiarity with ITIL, NIST, ISO27001 or other security frameworks in a service provider context.

Key Competencies

• Exceptional technical depth combined with the ability to explain complex concepts simply.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical thinking, and decision-making under pressure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including client-facing presentation abilities.
• Leadership presence with a collaborative, mentoring approach.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and thrive in a fast-paced, 24/7 MSSP environment.

Pre-Employment Checks 

If you are successful in securing a role with us, we will carry out preemployment checks in accordance with what is permitted under local law. 

These checks may include, where legally allowed: right to work, identification, verification of employment history, education, and criminal record checks. 

We will engage our thirdparty background screening provider, Cfirst to conduct these checks on our behalf. Cfirst performs all processing in full compliance with applicable data protection laws and adheres to strict legal, regulatory, and ethical obligations in handling personal data. 

Any personal information collected for the purpose of these checks will be used solely for evaluating your suitability for employment and will be retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil these purposes and meet legal requirements. 

Your data will be stored securely and managed in accordance with all relevant privacy legislation. 

If you have any questions or concerns about the preemployment checks please contact us at Onboarding@lrqa.com  

If you have any questions or concerns on how your data will be handled, please contact us as dataprotection@lrqa.com 

Diversity and Inclusion at LRQA:

We are on a mission to be the place where we all want to work and we are passionate about embracing different perspectives because we understand the value this brings to our business, our clients and each other. We are all about creating a safer and more sustainable future and our inclusive culture is right at the heart of our business.

Together our employees make our communities better and we want you to be part of our diverse team!

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