UK CTAC Analyst Tier 2

Location: Onsite in Erskine or Farnborough. Shift pattern: 12‑hour rotational shift on a 4 on 4 off pattern.

Candidate eligibility: Candidates must be a sole UK national or British citizen and have resided in the UK for the past five years to meet current security clearance requirements.

The Tier 2 Cyber Security Analyst is a mid‑tier position within the Cyber Threat Analysis Centre (CTAC), responsible for advancing the initial work conducted by Tier 1 Analysts and providing more in‑depth analysis of potential threats to the organization. This role is crucial in escalated investigation, triage, and response to cyber incidents while supporting the development and training of Tier 1 Analysts. The Tier 2 Analyst works closely with senior and junior analysts to ensure a seamless SOC operation and acts as a bridge between foundational and advanced threat detection and response functions.

• Conduct escalated triage and analysis on security events identified by Tier 1 analysts, determining threat severity and advising on initial response actions.
• Apply expertise in SIEM solutions utilizing Kusto Query Language (KQL) to perform log analysis, event correlation, and thorough documentation of security incidents.
• Identify and escalate critical threats to Tier 3 Analysts with detailed analysis for further action, ensuring rapid response and adherence to service Tier objectives (SLOs).
• Investigate potential security incidents by conducting deeper analysis on correlated events and identifying patterns or anomalies that may indicate suspicious or malicious activity.
• Use OSINT to enrich contextual data and enhance detection capabilities, contributing to a proactive stance on emerging threats.
• Monitor the threat landscape and document findings on evolving threat vectors, sharing relevant insights with CTAC teams to enhance overall situational awareness.
• Follow established incident response playbooks, providing feedback for enhancements and suggesting updates to streamline CTAC processes and improve threat response times.
• Coordinate with Tier 3 Analysts and management to refine detection and response workflows, contributing to continuous SOC maturity.
• Collaborate with Tier 3 Analysts on tuning SIEM and detection tools to reduce false positives and improve alert fidelity, submitting tuning requests and testing configurations when necessary.
• Identify gaps in current detection content and work with Senior Analysts to develop and validate new detection rules and use cases tailored to the organization’s threat profile.
• Act as a mentor to Tier 1 Analysts, offering guidance on triage and analysis techniques and facilitating on‑the‑job training to elevate their technical skills and operational efficiency.
• Assist in training sessions and knowledge‑sharing activities, providing feedback on areas for growth and contributing to a supportive learning environment within the SOC.

• Some exposure to additional analysis tools such as basic XDR platforms.
• Demonstrates proficient knowledge using Kusto Query Language (KQL) to search and filter logs effectively.
• Familiar with open‑source intelligence (OSINT) techniques to aid in identifying potential threats and gathering information.
• Communicates clearly and efficiently with team members and stakeholders, both internally and externally, under direction from senior analysts.
• Explains simple technical issues to non‑technical individuals in a clear and understandable way.
• Creates concise, structured reports that outline findings from preliminary investigations and daily monitoring activities.
• Manages personal workload effectively to ensure timely completion of assigned tasks within the SOC.
• Collaborates with team members, accepting guidance and learning from more experienced analysts.
• Shows initiative in learning new technologies and techniques, leveraging internal resources and training to grow professionally.
• Functions efficiently during high‑pressure situations, following procedures to ensure consistent performance in incident management.

• Other IT certifications or experience such as CISSP, COMPTIA CySA+, GCIA, GCIH.