About the role

Home Office Digital designs, builds and develops services for the rest of the department and for government. Every year our systems support up to 3 million visa applications, checks on 100 million border crossings, up to 8 million passport applications and deliver 140 million police checks on people, vehicles and property.

As a Senior Response Manager within the Home Office Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) you will be expected to plan, implement and operate capabilities to detect, contain and remediate incidents, identify opportunities to improve detection, response and automation capabilities.  You will also support organisational readiness through co-ordinating preparedness exercises and red team activity. The Response function also advises product and service owners on potential mitigations and supports the continuous improvement of security operations through monitoring, detection and standardisation of security practices.

You’ll be joining an expert team of cyber professionals, committed to reducing the exposure to cyber-attack of new and existing digital systems. You’ll be aided in your role by a diverse and supportive organisational culture, and a commitment to further your continuous development.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. Where this is the case, employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in the office. Applicants can raise any queries to the email address at the bottom of the advert.   

Watch this short video to hear from members of Home Office Digital talking about the projects they work on and their experience of working here: Working for Home Office Digital. 

Job description

We are seeking a Senior Response Manager to join the Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) as a Senior Technical Detection Analyst. This role focuses on improving SIEM detection and monitoring capabilities. You will develop, test, maintain and improve SIEM monitoring and detection content, using threat intelligence and operational insights to improve detection coverage, accuracy and the identification of cyber threats.

You will apply and refine threat-informed detection engineering practices, standards and quality controls, strengthening the organisation’s ability to identify and respond to cyber threats.

As a Senior Response Manager your main responsibilities will be to;

• Carry out security monitoring, detection and response activities in line with agreed standards, providing advice on mitigation, escalation and risk reduction.
• Identify, analyse and investigate indicators of malicious activity across networks, systems and applications, supporting effective threat detection and incident response.
• Triage security events and alerts, supporting investigations and recommending improvements to monitoring controls, detection coverage and overall security posture.
• Support incident response activities, including red teaming and threat hunting exercises, communicating investigation outcomes and contributing to lessons learned and post-incident reviews.
• Develop, review and continuously improve monitoring use cases, detection content and alert effectiveness across a range of security technologies.
• Define and enhance processes, tooling and security controls to identify emerging threats, strengthen detection capabilities and implement effective mitigation strategies.
• Drive service and process improvements by applying industry best practice, sound judgement and problem-solving skills to support efficient security operations and investigations.

Working Pattern 

This role is available on a full-time basis with the option of compressed hours working.  This role is also suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 4 days/ 30 hours per week due to business requirements. 

Person specification

Essential Skills

You will have a demonstrable passion for Cyber Security, Detection and Response with the following skills, knowledge or experience; 

• Conducting investigations and working in a ‘Security Operations Centre’ environment, including the identification and analysis of potentially malicious activity.
• Developing, maintaining or improving SIEM monitoring and detection content, using threat intelligence and operational insights to improve detection coverage, accuracy and the identification of cyber threats. 
• Communicating in a verbal and written manner, and a good understanding of the use of different channels and formats for different audiences
• Building strong partnerships with peers across an organisation and navigating the complex landscape of technologies, 3rd party suppliers, and other teams
• Managing a team in a technical environment