Senior Security Design Consultant in Manchester

Version 1 has celebrated 30 years in business and continues to be trusted by global brands to deliver technology and transformation solutions that drive customer success. We foster strong partnerships with global technology leaders including Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, Red Hat, OutSystems, Snowflake, ensuring that our customers are provided with the highest quality solutions and services.

We are seeking a hands-on Security Consultant who can combine deep technical delivery capability with strong client-facing consulting skills. The ideal candidate will be comfortable assessing, designing, improving and governing security controls across cloud environments, applications, APIs, infrastructure and enterprise security domains.

This role requires someone who can challenge customer security assumptions, influence stakeholders, and lead difficult but constructive conversations to drive secure outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess current-state security maturity, identify control gaps, and define pragmatic remediation roadmaps aligned to business priorities.
• Lead and support security architecture reviews across cloud, applications, infrastructure, IAM, data protection and detection/response domains.
• Provide expert consulting to customers on security strategy, risk reduction, control design, and security operating model improvements.
• Challenge weak security assumptions with confidence, using evidence-based recommendations and clear communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Design and review secure cloud landing zones, network segmentation, identity models, logging/monitoring patterns, and guardrails.
• Partner with engineering, platform, DevOps and operations teams to embed security into delivery pipelines and infrastructure as code practices.
• Contribute to security standards, policies, patterns, reusable accelerators, and client-facing deliverables including assessments, risk registers and executive summaries.

Cloud Security (preferably AWS)

• Hands-on experience securing cloud environments, preferably AWS, including core services, networking, identity, logging, encryption and security monitoring.
• Experience reviewing or implementing secure cloud architectures, landing zones, account/project structures, and preventative/detective controls.
• Knowledge of cloud-native security services and best practices for workload, storage, network and platform protection.

Application / API Security

• Experience identifying and mitigating application and API security risks across the software delivery lifecycle.
• Understanding of secure design principles, common web/API vulnerabilities, authentication/authorization models, secrets management and secure SDLC practices.
• Ability to work with development teams to improve application security posture and shift security left.
• Ability to improve visibility, reduce noise, and align SIEM content to relevant threats and business risks.

Organisation / General Security

• Broad understanding of enterprise security domains including policy, governance, risk, compliance, awareness, third-party risk and operational security.
• Experience translating business and regulatory requirements into practical security controls and improvement plans.

Data Protection

• Experience implementing or advising on data classification, encryption, key management, secrets handling, tokenisation/masking, backup security and data lifecycle protection.
• Understanding of how to secure sensitive data in transit, at rest and in use across modern platforms.

Infrastructure Security

• Experience securing operating systems, virtual machines, containers/Kubernetes, networks and platform services using hardening, segmentation, vulnerability management and secure configuration practices.
• Ability to assess infrastructure risks and recommend practical remediation approaches.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

• Hands-on experience with infrastructure as code and automation, including reviewing templates/modules for security risks and embedding policy/compliance checks into delivery pipelines.
• Ability to apply security guardrails to repeatable platform provisioning and change delivery.

Strong Consulting Skills

• Strong consulting and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to challenge customer assumptions and lead difficult security conversations when needed.
• Ability to balance risk, delivery timelines, business context and technical constraints to provide credible, pragmatic recommendations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including workshops, assessments, reports and executive-level briefings.

Core Skills & Competencies

• Cloud security architecture and control design
• Security assessments, gap analysis and remediation planning
• Stakeholder engagement and client advisory
• Security architecture documentation and reporting
• Risk-based decision making and prioritisation
• Cross-functional collaboration with engineering, operations and leadership teams
• Strong analytical, investigative and problem-solving capability

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in consulting, professional services, or customer-facing transformation programmes.
• Relevant certifications in cloud, security, architecture or incident response are advantageous.
• Exposure to regulated environments and security frameworks is beneficial.
• Experience with DevSecOps, CI/CD security integration and security automation is desirable.

At Version 1, we believe in providing our employees with a comprehensive benefits package that prioritises their wellbeing, professional growth, and financial stability. Share in our success with our Quarterly Performance-Related Profit Share Scheme, where employees collectively benefit from a share of our company's profits.

Strong Career Progression & mentorship coaching through our Strength in Balance & Leadership schemes with a dedicated quarterly Pathways Career Development programme.

Flexible/remote working, Version 1 is tremendously understanding of life events and people's individual circumstances and offer flexibility to help achieve a healthy work life balance.

Financial Wellbeing initiatives including; Pension, Private Healthcare Cover, Life Assurance, Financial advice and an Employee Discount scheme.

Employee Wellbeing schemes including Gym Discounts, Bike to Work, Fitness classes, Mindfulness Workshops, Employee Assistance Programme and much more.

Generous holiday allowance, enhanced maternity/paternity leave, marriage/civil partnership leave and special leave policies.

Educational assistance, incentivised certifications, and accreditations, including AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and Red Hat.

Reward schemes including Version 1's Annual Excellence Awards & 'Call-Out' platform.

Environment, Social and Community First initiatives allow you to get involved in local fundraising and development opportunities as part of fostering our diversity, inclusion and belonging schemes.

We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace where everyone feels valued and able to thrive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences, and we value the different perspectives people bring including those shaped by disability and neurodiversity.