Security Operations Center Analyst
5 days ago
Stoke-On-Trent
SOC Analyst Location: Stoke-on-Trent (on-site) Salary: From £30,000- £55,000 + 40% shift allowance Clearance: DV required (UK Sole National) Job Description: Exceptional opportunity for experienced Security Analysts, including Service Leavers and Veterans stepping into mid-level cyber roles We are seeking a highly capable Tier 2 SOC Analyst to take a lead role within our 24x7 Security Operations Centre. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced cybersecurity professional — or for a Service Leaver with strong practical cyber, communications, intelligence or security operations experience — to step into a position with real technical ownership. About the Role: You will take charge of medium to high-severity incidents, lead investigations, support containment and remediation efforts, and act as an escalation point for Tier 1 analysts. You will also contribute to detection engineering, threat hunting, SIEM improvements and continuous SOC maturity initiatives. This is a hands-on, impactful role where your decisions directly improve the organisation’s security posture. What You will Be Doing: • Leading triage, investigation and classification of security events, • Taking ownership of incident containment, recovery and root cause analysis, • Acting as a technical escalation point for junior analysts, • Conducting threat intelligence analysis and sharing insights, • Tuning SIEM rules, improving detection capability and reducing false positives, • Supporting onboarding of new data sources and improving correlation logic, • Leading post-incident reviews, reporting and service review summaries, • Supporting vulnerability lifecycle management, remediation guidance and patch validation, • Contributing to continuous improvement, automation, MITRE ATT&CK mapping and threat modelling What We are Looking For: • 1–5 years’ SOC experience or similar operational cyber background, • Strong hands-on experience with SIEM platforms (LogRhythm, Elastic, Sentinel etc.), • Ability to manage and resolve complex incidents end-to-end, • Solid understanding of network protocols, firewalls, IDS/IPS and endpoint security, • Strong analytical mindset and clear written and verbal communication, • Interest or experience in scripting/automation is highly beneficial, • Certifications such as Security+, CEH, CISSP, CCSP, BTL1/2 are desirable but not essential. Why this is a great role for Service Leavers This role suits ex-military individuals with experience in: • Defensive cyber, • Communications / CIS, • Intelligence analysis, • Security operations, • Technical leadership, • Incident response environments Your ability to stay calm under pressure, interpret complex information quickly and lead others makes you particularly well suited to this Tier 2 environment. You will have the chance to mentor junior analysts, influence security strategy and work in a structured, operationally mature team where your experience will be valued and respected.
