Information Security Technical Lead

The Information Security Tech Lead is responsible for owning and driving the end-to-end information security programme across Asta and its client base. This role is technical and leads a team of Engineers, providing authoritative security direction across PAM, EDR, SIEM, DLP, identity governance, vulnerability management and regulatory compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Security Leadership & Team Management
  • Lead a team of engineers, setting direction, managing workloads, and developing capability.
  • Act as the primary security escalation point across the Infrastructure function.
  • Own the InfoSec roadmap aligned to Asta’s IT transformation programme.
• Infrastructure Security Engineering & Hardening
  • Implement and maintain security controls across infrastructure and systems.
  • Harden infrastructure by applying best practices for IAM, PIM, PAM encryption and network security.
  • Review and implement security tooling recommendations including AD hardening tools like Ping Castle and Semperis Lightening, as well as vendor solutions and systems.
  • Collaborate on implementing security controls into pipelines, including security scans, policy enforcement and dependency checking.
• Security Monitoring & Incident Response
  • Monitor security alerts and events from SIEM, EDR, firewall, IDS/IPS and other security tools.
  • Triage and prioritise alerts based on severity and impact.
  • Investigate security incidents and suspicious activities using log analysis, packet captures and forensic techniques.
  • Lead containment, eradication and recovery during incidents.
  • Maintain alerting for security events and integrate with SIEM/SOAR platforms.
• Security Strategy & Programme Delivery
  • Define, own and drive delivery of Asta’s end‑to‑end security programme spanning PAM, EDR, NDR, SIEM, penetration testing, DLP and compliance.
  • Translate regulatory obligations (FCA/PRA, Lloyd’s Principle 12, CBEST, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials) into actionable technical controls and measurable outcomes.
• Client Security Services
  • Provide security advisory and managed security services to 20+ syndicate and MGA clients including Carbon Underwriting, Dale Underwriting Partners and Beat Capital.
  • Conduct client security reviews, Secure Score assessments, Semperis/Entra evaluations and PAM deployment planning.
  • Act as the security escalation point for client‑facing incidents and assurance requests.
• Threat Intelligence & Detection
  • Stay current with emerging threats, vulnerabilities, attack techniques and security trends.
  • Apply threat intelligence to improve detection capabilities, identify indicators of compromise and contribute to threat hunting activities and proactive monitoring.
• Compliance & Documentation
  • Support compliance and audits for ISO 27001, NIST, SOC2, Lloyd’s Principle 12 and other standards.
  • Prepare incident reports, timelines, reviews and maintain event logs.
  • Contribute to security documentation, runbooks and standards.
  • Produce metrics and quarterly reports on security posture and incidents for senior management.
  • Coordinate Cyber Essentials certification and audits.
  • Handle security requests and data sharing from third parties.
• Operational Resilience & Disaster Recovery
  • Support operational resilience and business continuity planning activities including scenario testing and disaster recovery exercises.
  • Participate in post‑incident reviews and implement lessons learned.
• Phishing Campaign Management
  • Design, implement and manage simulated phishing campaigns to test and improve staff awareness of social engineering threats.
  • Analyse results, identify training needs and track metrics on phishing resilience and user security awareness.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• 7+ years of hands‑on experience, including at least 3–4 years in a lead, management or principal role in cybersecurity, combining security engineering, SOC operations or incident response within a regulated industry.
• Demonstrable experience leading and developing a security team.
• Confident communicator able to translate complex security risk into business language for C‑suite and board audiences.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles, attack vectors, defense strategies, OWASP Top 10 and the Mitre Attack framework.
• Experience with cloud security (Azure/AWS), IAM, secrets management, encryption and certificate management.
• Experience with the Microsoft 365 security suite including Microsoft Defender, Azure AD Identity Protection, threat analytics and security compliance tools.
• Hands‑on experience with SIEM platforms such as Splunk, Crowdstrike Falcon, LogRhythm, Sentinel and Microsoft Defender.
• Experience working with tools such as Varonis, Tenable, Pentera and external and internal SOC processes.

Job Benefits

• At Asta, you’ll enjoy a market‑leading benefits package that puts your wellbeing, career development and financial future first.
• We combine flexible working, strong family‑friendly policies and exceptional rewards to create a supportive, inclusive and high‑performing workplace.
• Work‑life balance you can rely on: 35‑hour working week with hybrid and flexible working.
• Generous holiday allowance that increases with service.
• Your health & wellbeing covered: Private medical insurance with virtual GP access, annual health screening, dental cover and eye care, subsidised gym or sports club membership.
• Support for you and your family: Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental pay.
• Rewarding your contribution: Highly competitive pension with up to 13% employer contribution, life assurance and income protection, discretionary annual bonus scheme, interest‑free season ticket loan and salary sacrifice schemes.