Cybersecurity Operations Lead (Security Operations Services and Out-Tasking)

The Cybersecurity Operations Lead is responsible for overseeing and continuously improving the organization’s cybersecurity operations. This role ensures effective detection, response, and prevention of cyber threats across networks, systems, endpoints, and cloud environments.

A key focus of the position is evaluating, designing, and managing out-tasked Security Operations Services, ensuring that external providers deliver high-quality monitoring, incident response support, vulnerability management, and threat intelligence capabilities aligned with organizational risk and compliance requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Threat Monitoring and Detection

• Ensure continuous monitoring of networks, systems, cloud services, and applications to identify security threats and suspicious activity.
• Manage and optimize Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) capabilities, including log ingestion, alert tuning, and detection engineering.
• Define monitoring coverage requirements and ensure adequate visibility across the enterprise.

Incident Response and Security Event Handling

• Lead the development and execution of cybersecurity incident response plans, playbooks, and escalation procedures.
• Coordinate containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident activities, including root cause analysis and lessons learned.
• Work closely with IT, legal, compliance, and business stakeholders during major incidents.
• Ensure effective collaboration with external SOC providers and forensic partners when required.

Vulnerability Management

• Oversee vulnerability scanning, assessment, and reporting processes across infrastructure, endpoints, cloud, and applications.
• Drive prioritization of remediation based on risk, exploitability, and business impact.
• Partner with infrastructure and application teams to ensure patching, mitigation, and configuration improvements are executed.

Threat Intelligence and Proactive Defense

• Gather and analyze threat intelligence relevant to the organization’s industry, geography, and technology stack.
• Translate intelligence into actionable detections, prevention measures, and response improvements.
• Ensure proactive defense controls are deployed and maintained, including firewalls, IDS/IPS, endpoint protection, and cloud security controls.

Security Policy Enforcement and Compliance Support

• Ensure enforcement of organizational security policies, standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Validate access controls, encryption standards, and security baselines.
• Support audits and compliance initiatives by providing evidence, reports, and operational metrics.

Log Management and Analysis

• Ensure consistent collection, normalization, retention, and analysis of logs from critical systems and services.
• Identify anomalies, suspicious patterns, and emerging risks through log analytics and monitoring.
• Drive continuous improvement of log coverage and alert quality.

Security Awareness and Stakeholder Engagement

• Promote cybersecurity awareness across the organization, including targeted training for high-risk roles.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to reduce human error and strengthen security culture.
• Provide operational reporting and risk-based insights to leadership.

Out-Tasking and Vendor Management (Core Focus)

• Assess which security operations activities are suitable for out-tasking and define scope, deliverables, and service levels.
• Select, onboard, and manage external Security Operations Service providers.
• Ensure SLAs and KPIs are met (e.g., detection coverage, alert handling times, response times, quality of reporting).
• Establish clear operational governance, escalation paths, and continuous improvement processes with vendors.
• Maintain accountability for outcomes, even when execution is performed by third parties.

Required Skills and Experience

• Strong hands-on understanding of security operations, SOC processes, and incident response.
• Experience with SIEM platforms and security monitoring workflows.
• Solid knowledge of endpoint security, network security, and cloud security fundamentals.
• Familiarity with vulnerability management tools and remediation lifecycle processes.
• Ability to translate technical security events into business risk and executive-level reporting.
• Proven ability to manage vendors and outsourced security services with clear accountability and measurable outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications such as CISSP, CISM, GIAC (GCIH/GCIA), CEH, or equivalent.
• Experience in regulated environments (e.g., finance, healthcare, government).
• Experience implementing or managing SOC outsourcing or co-managed SOC models.
• Familiarity with MITRE ATT&CK and threat intelligence frameworks.

Key Success Metrics

• Reduced mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR).
• Increased detection coverage and reduction of false positives.
• Improved vulnerability remediation time and risk reduction.
• Strong vendor performance against SLAs and measurable service outcomes.
• High-quality incident handling and post-incident improvements.
• Improved security awareness and reduced user-driven incidents.