SOC Team Lead Location: Newcastle (Hybrid – 3 days onsite)
Salary: £65,000 – £70,000 per annum
Clearance: DBS Required
Type: Full-time, Permanent
I’m working with a well-established UK cyber security business that’s scaling its Security Operations Centre and looking to hire a SOC Team Lead. This is a great opportunity for someone ready to lead a 24x7 operational team, support complex incidents, and influence both technical capability and team development within a CREST-aligned MDR environment.
About the Role
As SOC Team Lead, you’ll manage a skilled team of security analysts protecting global organisations from evolving threats. You’ll be responsible for technical escalations, operational planning, and supporting continuous improvements across detection, response, and tooling. This role combines leadership, process ownership, and hands-on incident response responsibilities.
We are happy to look at people who have come from a senior background looking for the next step in their career, or established SOC Leads who are looking for a fresh challenge!
Key Responsibilities
Lead day-to-day operations of a 24x7 Security Operations Centre
Act as the senior escalation point for investigations and incident response
Support the development and refinement of playbooks, SOPs, and detection rules
Ensure coverage planning and shift rotations are in place for round-the-clock response
Mentor and guide analysts through regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and career planning
Champion collaboration across threat detection, DFIR, red team, and engineering teams
Collaborate with vendors and partners to ensure tooling and integrations remain effective
Track and report on performance metrics and recommend areas for improvement
Contribute to technical input across RFPs, client proposals, and internal documentation
Evaluate new tools and processes for SOC scalability and resilience
Desired Experience
Proven experience leading or mentoring SOC or IR teams in an enterprise or MSSP environment
Strong understanding of EDR, SIEM, and XDR platforms and their role in threat detection
Familiarity with CREST, NCSC IR Level 2, or equivalent frameworks
Ability to translate technical findings into business impact for internal and external stakeholders
Exposure to threat hunting, DFIR, or security engineering is a plus
Strong organisational and communication skills, with a focus on collaboration and mentorship
Any previous public contributions (blogs, speaking, community involvement) are a bonus
What’s on Offer
Hybrid working setup in a central Newcastle
Access to both offensive (red team) and defensive (SOC/DFIR) capabilities
Supportive team culture with genuine career progression pathways
Regular training and development from day one
Input into tools, tech, and process decisions
Unfortunately our client is unable to offer sponsorship for this role