Job Description
Overview We are seeking an experienced Security Purple Team Lead to support a leading financial services organisation in enhancing its advanced threat defence capability. This contract role will focus on driving collaboration between Red and Blue teams, executing adversary simulation exercises, and improving detection and response effectiveness across a complex, regulated environment. The role will also play a key part in integrating AI-driven security techniques into threat detection, hunting, and response strategies.
Key Responsibilities Lead and deliver Purple Team engagements, aligning offensive and defensive security capabilities Design and execute adversary simulation exercises mapped to MITRE ATT&CK Translate Red Team findings into enhanced detection use cases, controls, and playbooks Partner with SOC, Threat Intelligence, and Incident Response teams to improve detection and response maturity Develop and optimise SIEM/XDR detection rules and threat hunting capabilities Apply AI/ML techniques to improve threat detection, anomaly identification, and response automation Provide expertise in securing AI/LLM environments, including identifying emerging risks such as prompt injection and model abuse Deliver clear reporting and metrics to demonstrate improvements in security posture Support regulatory, audit, and risk requirements within a financial services context Mentor internal teams and uplift Purple Team capability
Key Skills & Experience Proven experience in a Purple Team, Red Team, or advanced Blue Team role within enterprise environments Strong knowledge of MITRE ATT&CK, adversary simulation, and detection engineering Hands-on experience with SIEM and EDR/XDR platforms such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, or Elastic Experience in threat hunting, incident response, and security operations Exposure to cloud security across AWS, Azure, or GCP
AI & Emerging Technology Experience (Desirable) Practical experience applying AI/ML in cybersecurity, including behavioural analytics and anomaly detection Understanding of AI/LLM security risks and appropriate controls Experience with AI-assisted SOC or security tooling
Domain Experience Strong background within banking or financial services Understanding of regulatory frameworks, operational resilience, and risk management Experience working in highly regulated, complex environments
Certifications Relevant certifications such as OSCP, Crest, GIAC, CISSP or equivalent experience
Key Deliverables Successful execution of Purple Team exercises with measurable improvements in detection coverage Enhanced threat detection use cases and response playbooks Improved SOC effectiveness and threat hunting capability Clear reporting and metrics demonstrating security uplift Integration of AI-driven approaches into security operations
Why This Role Opportunity to work on a cutting-edge Purple Team programme within a Tier 1 financial environment Exposure to AI-driven cybersecurity innovation High-impact role with visibility across security leadership and engineering teams Immediate start on a critical security transformation initiative