IT Security Lead

Watson Farley & Williams is an international law firm advising on complex disputes and transactions through local knowledge and an integrated international network. We have a strong sector focus, combining our technical excellence with deep industry knowledge across Energy, Transport and associated Infrastructure. The firm has achieved rapid expansion and year-on-year growth owed almost entirely to a focused strategy, strong leadership and the quality of its people. The next stage in the firm’s growth plan is to achieve full-service strength within core sectors across the global platform. We strive for excellence in all that we do and view investment in our people as key to achieving our business goals and values, which rest on developing deep and long-lasting relationships externally and internally through respect, sharing, communication and integrity. Our global practice is integrated across our offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and North America delivering consistently high levels of service across borders and locally through a deep understanding of local business customs and culture. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace to attract and retain the most talented people from all backgrounds and cultures. We believe in celebrating difference and that people from any background can rise to the top, ensuring opportunities to develop and progress are available for all.

Role overview

We are seeking an experienced IT Security Lead to help us maintain security in our corporate digital systems, networks, infrastructure components and cloud environments. The responsibilities of this role will include protecting system boundaries, securing highly sensitive data, and keeping our systems and networked devices hardened against attacks. Reporting to the Infrastructure Manager, the ideal candidate will have strong BAU security incident prevention, monitoring and response skills combined with security architecture and project experience, and be able to engage with external vendors and senior management.

Key activities/responsibilities:

• Monitor and analyse network traffic, systems, and logs for signs of unusual or malicious activity.
• Conduct regular security assessments and audits to identify vulnerabilities, risks, and potential areas for improvement.
• Identify, define, document system security requirements.
• Implement and maintain security tools and protocols, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and endpoint protection.
• Investigate security incidents, respond to potential breaches, and document all relevant findings and actions.
• Report possible threats or issues.
• Track the performance of existing security measures.
• Research security weaknesses to find cost-effective solutions to them.
• Develop security policies, standards and best practices for the organisation.
• Act as a technical SME and escalation point for operational network and security issues and project delivery teams.
• Test software, firmware, and firewalls.
• Document and address the organisation’s information security, cybersecurity architecture, and systems security engineering requirements – including new solutions through projects.
• Managing relationships with security vendors & service providers.

Skills and experience – essential:

• Significant experience in a Security focused role.
• Experience building, operating, and maintaining security systems.
• Experience with firewalls, intrusion detection systems, antivirus software, authentication systems, content filtering, and log management.
• Experience with network security and networking technologies.
• Knowledge of database and operating system security.
• Knowledge of the latest security principles, techniques, and protocols.
• Knowledge of security frameworks and certifications - NIST, ISO27001, Cyber Essentials etc.
• Understanding of basic coding e.g. Powershell.
• Strong problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Education and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field.
• Preferably a Professional certification such as CISSP, GSEC, CEH, or CISM.

Skills and experience – desired:

• Relevant certifications (e.g., CompTIA Security+, CISSP, CISM) are a plus.
• Experience managing outsourced security/SOC services.

We offer a competitive benefits and wellbeing package for all employees.

Additional information

The Firm promotes a culture of agility and flexibility and is fully supportive of flexible working arrangements where these can be accommodated. Equal opportunities Respect for different backgrounds and perspectives is at the heart of our firm’s core values and we recognise the importance of fostering an inclusive environment that allows everyone to reach their full potential. This is a key feature of our Global Code of Conduct, which places diversity and inclusion at the centre of our firm’s ways of working. We believe that exceptional client service can only be delivered by exceptional people. For this reason, we aim to attract, retain and develop the best talent from a wide range of backgrounds. All decisions relating to employment will be objective and based on merit and ability. We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are as inclusive and barrier-free as possible. This includes making adjustments for candidates with a disability or long-term health condition. If you require adjustments to be made at any stage of the recruitment process, we’d encourage you to get in touch with a member of our team who would be happy to discuss options with you.