Infrastructure Security Operations Manager - 19659 in London

Here at SMBC Group, we want to help you find the next step in your career so read on to discover if this opportunity is the one for you. We like to recognise potential in our people, so we welcome your application even when your experience doesn’t perfectly align with the job description. Whilst we’ll always strive to be better, we’re proud of our inclusive culture, and encourage our applicants and colleagues to be their authentic, unique selves.

Who we are

United by a sense of purpose towards our customers – to be a trusted partner for the long-term – and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.

Role Summary

We are establishing an Infrastructure Security Operations function within Technology Infrastructure to respond to the increasing regulatory, security, and operational demands across our estate. This role will lead the creation and execution of a dedicated capability focused on infrastructure security operations, including vulnerability management, patching, platform hardening, and associated reporting. Operating centrally across all infrastructure platforms, the function will work in close alignment with IT Risk and IT Security Engineering, executing against defined security policies and standards.

The successful candidate will be responsible for building the function from inception, initially leading a small team of contractors to address priority risks, and transitioning to a lean, permanent team. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring both technical depth and the ability to establish structure, process, and measurable outcomes in a regulated financial services environment.

Position Description

The role is accountable for establishing and leading the Infrastructure Security Operations function within Technology Infrastructure, executing security controls in line with CISO-defined policies and regulatory expectations. This includes owning end‑to‑end vulnerability management across all infrastructure platforms, defining and driving a structured, risk‑based patching strategy, and improving the cadence and consistency of remediation while maintaining platform stability and service availability. The role partners closely with infrastructure architecture, engineering, platform and SRE teams to implement hardening standards, embed security remediation into BAU operations, and balance security requirements with operational resilience and business needs.

Responsibilities also include leading the operation of key infrastructure security technologies (including firewalls, SSE and micro‑segmentation), building effective reporting and assurance frameworks for senior stakeholders, driving automation across patching and reporting processes, ensuring compliance with internal standards and regulatory requirements (including DORA, ECB and PRA), acting as the primary infrastructure interface into security, and contributing to incident response and post‑incident reviews where infrastructure vulnerabilities are a factor.

• Proven experience in infrastructure security, vulnerability management, or infrastructure engineering within a complex enterprise environment
• Strong understanding of infrastructure platforms including compute, virtualisation, storage, and networking
• Experience designing and implementing patch management and vulnerability remediation frameworks at scale
• Demonstrated ability to operate in regulated environments, ideally within financial services
• Experience working in alignment with a central security / CISO function, executing against defined policies and controls
• Track record of improving security posture through measurable reduction in vulnerabilities and improved compliance metrics
• Experience building or maturing operational functions, including defining processes, governance, and reporting

What we offer

For all the expertise and experience you bring to help us make a difference, it’s only sustainable if we support you to build your career and be your best self so we offer competitive company benefits, centred around promoting positive well-being and work-life balance. We also believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, where all team members' perspectives and contributions are valued. Initiatives in place which promote a diverse and inclusive culture and healthy work life balance include hybrid working, Sport & Social Clubs and Diversity and Inclusion networks.

As an employee of SMBC you have access to a host of both useful and exciting benefit offerings. See below some of the benefits on offer to you:

• Hybrid and flexible working
• Competitive paid leave days
• Benefits to support your physical wellbeing, including private medical insurance and life and invalidity insurance
• Various policies to support your mental wellbeing, including a robust behavioural health network with counselling and coaching services
• Access a wide range of learning and development opportunities and career progression opportunities
• Ambitious remuneration package

So, if you like a challenge and want to continuously grow and develop in a role where you will be supported along the way by a dynamic and diverse team, apply today!! We recognise our role as a bank to support social change and welcome all applications, including those from groups often under-represented in financial services. We value the uniqueness of professional and personal backgrounds and perspectives as they play a vital role in continuing the sustainable growth of our organisation. We’ll ensure reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process are offered due to a disability or long-term condition whenever requested.