Job Description
SOC Shift Lead – Defence & National Security
On-site | 24×7 Operations
Up to £70,000 + shift allowance + bonus
DV Clearable.
An opportunity to step into a front-line leadership role within a high-profile, mission-critical Cyber Security Operations Centre, supporting defence and national security operations.
As a SOC Shift Lead, you’ll take ownership of live operations on shift — leading analysts, maintaining operational discipline, and ensuring security events are handled calmly, consistently, and professionally in a real-world threat environment.
This role is ideal for a senior analyst or deputy lead ready to take the next step into shift leadership within a defence-grade SOC.
As the SOC Shift Leader, you will:
* Owning SOC operations during your shift, ensuring continuity, quality, and clean handovers
* Leading and supporting Tier 1 and Tier 2 analysts in a 24×7 environment
* Enforcing standards across alert triage, investigation, response, and documentation
* Acting as the first point of escalation for non-critical incidents
* Coaching analysts through investigations and supporting ongoing skills development
* Working closely with the SOC Manager, CTI, and Incident Response teams
* Feeding back operational improvements into SOPs, playbooks, and workflows
If your SOC role includes this could be the next step for you.
* Proven experience working in a SOC environment across network, infrastructure, and OS security
* Confidence leading teams on shift and keeping standards high under pressure
* Experience mentoring analysts, supporting QA, or peer review processes
* Strong written and verbal communication skills
* Solid understanding of the OSI model and core protocols
* (DNS, HTTP/S, SMTP, SSL, FTP/S, LDAP/S)
* Hands-on exposure to SIEM platforms and/or packet capture tools
Why consider this role?
* Genuine leadership responsibility in a defence-critical SOC
* Exposure to real-world threats, not simulated environments
* Clear pathway into SOC management or senior operations roles
* Work that directly contributes to national security
If you’re ready to step into a shift leadership role with real responsibility and real impact, this is absolutely worth a conversation.