SOC Operations Manager

SOC Operations Manager – Sopra Steria

Location: Hemel Hempstead, ON-SITE

Employment Type: Full Time, Permanent

Security Clearance Level: Ideally SC or DV Cleared, willing to obtain DV clearance

Recruiter: Lee

Salary: Negotiable on experience

Benefits: £6,600 car allowance, 25 days annual leave with optional purchase, private health care, life assurance, pension, generous flexible benefits fund

Dynamic and experienced SOC Operations Manager to lead and shape the delivery of our Security Operations Centre (SOC) services. Based on-site in Hemel Hempstead, this role ensures the SOC operates at peak performance while driving continual improvement, aligned with ITIL service management principles and CREST standards. Key responsibilities include communications with business partners regarding risks, threats, and SOC performance.

• Lead, mentor, and develop SOC analysts and incident responders.
• Provide technical direction, conduct performance reviews, and foster continuous improvement.
• Oversee full lifecycle of security incidents from detection to resolution.
• Ensure compliance with SLAs and escalation protocols.
• Maintain and enhance incident response plans and procedures.
• Direct threat intelligence collection and analysis.
• Manage vulnerability assessments and coordinate remediation.
• Monitor and analyse security events across multiple platforms.
• Identify, assess, and escalated threats and vulnerabilities.
• Maintain and evolve SOC operational documentation and processes.
• Deliver training, mentorship, and knowledge sharing across the team.
• Ensure tool proficiency and promote a culture of continuous learning.
• Communicate effectively with senior stakeholders on risks and incidents.
• Provide regular SOC performance reports and updates.
• Ensure SOC operations adhere to CREST and ITIL standards.
• Support accreditation maintenance and operational readiness.

• Demonstrated experience leading SOC teams in a 24×7 environment, driving operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Ability to harness data analysis to detect threats, identify trends, and deliver actionable security insights.
• Strong track record in threat detection, incident management, and escalation handling.
• Hands‑on experience managing SIEM and SOAR platforms such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or Elastic.
• Skilled in coaching analysts, building high‑performing teams, and managing effective shift models.
• Confident communicator with the ability to translate complex technical risks into clear business impacts for senior stakeholders.
• Familiarity with NIST Cybersecurity Framework and MITRE ATT&CK.
• Understanding of ISO 27001 standards and compliance best practices.
• Working knowledge of the CREST SOC Maturity Model.
• Experience applying ITIL processes across incident, problem, and change management.

• Vendor‑specific accreditations (for example, Splunk Certified, Microsoft SC‑200).
• Relevant security or management certifications.

If you are interested in this role but not sure if your skills and experience are exactly what we’re looking for, please do apply – we’d love to hear from you!

Sopra Steria’s Aerospace, Defence and Security business designs, develops and deploys digital solutions to Central Government clients. The work we do makes a real difference to the client’s goal of National Security, and we operate in a unique and privileged environment. We are given time for professional development activities, and we coach and mentor our colleagues, sharing knowledge and learning from each other.

We foster a culture in which employees feel valued and supported and have pride in their work for the customer, delivering outstanding rates of customer satisfaction in the UK’s most complex safety‑ and security‑critical markets.

We welcome applications from people with a diverse variety of backgrounds and identities. We are committed to equality of opportunity for all and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. If you require adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know when completing your application. We participate in the Disability Confident scheme and are committed to offering an interview to any candidate with a disability who meets the minimum criteria for the role.