Security Operations Lead

We are Digital Science and we are advancing the research ecosystem. We are a pioneering technology company, and our vision is of a future where a trusted and collaborative research ecosystem drives progress for all. We believe in better, open, collaborative and inclusive research. In creating the next generation of tools and working in partnership with the community we tackle some of the biggest challenges to research. In order to achieve our vision, we need innovative, inspiring and dynamic people to join our team.

Your new role

As our Security Operations Lead, you will be part of our Group Information Security team, leading and evolving our Security Operations function to deliver best-in-class technical security architecture, compliance, incident response, and risk management. This Group Information Security team partners all areas of Digital Science and adds value through delivering all aspects of Information Security, contributing to our strategic growth plans. Our Security Operations Lead will be a key point of coordination for cyber security control implementation and effectiveness reviews. In this role, you will report to our Deputy CISO and work alongside our Technology, Legal team, Operations team and you have contact with all functional units within Digital Science. In this role, you will be responsible for the smooth running of our Security Operations Centre, the trusted advisory and cyber security partnership for the organisation. This is a prominent role with broad Security Operations accountabilities with professional development objectives to achieve that aim.

Please note - due to business need, we can only accept applications from candidates who reside in the following locations where we have established legal entities: UK, Spain, Germany and Romania. If you apply from outside of these areas, your application will not be considered. Please be aware that we may close this position early if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply promptly.

What you’ll be doing

• Work with various stakeholders from across the group, to ensure security operations practices, policies, and systems are robust, pragmatic and aligned with strategic objectives.
• Define, build, and maintain a comprehensive security operations architecture that addresses current and emerging threats.
• Manage delivery of cyber security projects and co-ordinate business security initiatives to support the organisation’s security posture and strategic goals.
• Provide expert consultancy to technology teams on both reactive (day-to-day issues) and proactive (strategic) security matters.
• Maintain Security Operations documentation, records and evidence to support security assessments, audits, and compliance with legal, regulatory and customer requirements.
• Oversee and enforce adherence to technical security policies, standards, best practices, and customer requirements.
• Lead the monitoring, detection, and investigation of security events & alerts; maintain and improve security control automation, logging, alerting, vulnerability scanning and threat detection capabilities.
• Own incident response procedures; coordinate incident handling, ensure relevant stakeholders and third parties are engaged, lead follow-up actions until resolution.
• Manage and oversee security testing: internal automated technical controls capture and scans, third-party assessments, penetration tests, ensuring findings are tracked and remediated.
• Ensure security controls and processes are integrated across systems, applications, and cloud infrastructure.
• Develop KPIs, SLAs, dashboards to measure and report performance, including response times, false positives, remediation progress etc.
• Stay up-to-date with regulatory/compliance frameworks (e.g. EU Cyber Resilience Act, EU AI Act, ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI-DSS, NIST, NCSC), threat landscape changes and emerging technologies.
• Work across the organisation and beyond to promote best practice across Digital Science, making recommendations for improvements to cyber security practices in line with industry standards and learnings from security incidents.
• Prepare cyber security responses and evidence for internal and external parties.
• Take an active role in information security forums, councils and communities within and outside of the organisation.

What you’ll bring to the role

• You’re experienced with implementing and managing SIEM, SOAR, EDR/XDR, vulnerability scanners, DLP, firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, data loss prevention etc.
• You have knowledge of cloud platforms, virtualization, logging infrastructure etc and the ability to tune alerts, reduce noise, monitor logs, detect anomalies.
• You are familiar with known frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK, OWASP, etc.
• You are highly experienced with responding to security events/incidents, coordinating with stakeholders, executing post-incident reviews, documenting lessons learned.
• You will have knowledge and experience of designing secure system architecture (networks, applications, identity and access), drafting and enforcing security policies and standards.
• You will have experience with delivering security-related change programmes, procured or internal, managing 3rd parties or vendors; ability to scope, plan and track projects.

Desirable / Nice-To-Haves

• Relevant professional certifications.
• Experience working in/with a 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC).
• Experience integrating threat intelligence and/or using external sources of threat feeds.
• Scripting or automation skills (Python, PowerShell, Terraform etc.) to automate repetitive tasks.
• Prior experience where regulatory and customer trust are critical.

Don't worry if you don't meet every qualification—let us be the judge! Studies show that many qualified candidates from under-represented groups hesitate to apply unless they meet every single requirement. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive team and strongly encourage you to submit your application.

Living our Values

We invest in, nurture and support innovative businesses and technologies that make all parts of the research process more open, efficient and effective. The talent we secure is fundamental to us achieving our vision and our growth plans. The values we live by are:

• We are brave in the pursuit of better.
• We are collaborative and inclusive.
• We are always open-minded.
• We are from and for the community.

At Digital Science, our vision is to see research flow seamlessly – trusted, collaborative, and accessible – fueling breakthroughs that push humanity forward. This ambitious mission is one we achieve together, by enabling open, collaborative, inclusive research. We firmly believe that to truly innovate and solve the complex challenges faced by our customers, from researchers and universities to funders and publishers, we need diverse perspectives, experiences, and ideas. A rich mix of voices drives quality insights, fosters enhanced collaboration, and ultimately pushes knowledge forward more effectively. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to building and nurturing a workplace where every individual feels valued and belongs. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. Beyond recruitment, we strive to cultivate an environment where inclusivity is woven into the fabric of our culture, enabling everyone to be their best self and do their best work.