At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative engineering projects to enhance Tesco's cyber defence using AI and automation.
- Company: Join Tesco's forward-thinking Innovation Engineering team.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, inclusive culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Embrace a dynamic environment with a commitment to inclusion and belonging.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in protecting millions of customers while driving technological innovation.
- Qualifications: Experience in AI for cyber defence and strong leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
As a Security Innovation Engineering Manager in Tesco's Innovation Engineering team, you will build and lead a new engineering capability that accelerates Tesco's cyber defence through applied Artificial Intelligence, automation, and modern engineering practices. You will help protect a retail ecosystem serving millions of customers, ensuring innovation is delivered safely, responsibly, and at scale.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead innovation-to-production delivery: drive a portfolio of engineering initiatives that turn AI and automation opportunities into secure, reliable, and measurable security capabilities for Tesco, establishing a clear process for idea generation, research, challenge, selection, and rapid prototyping.
- Set technical direction and standards: establish pragmatic engineering guardrails aligned to Tesco's wider engineering standards, including secure-by-design principles, testing strategy, code review discipline, and release approaches.
- Champion applied AI with responsible governance: lead the safe adoption of applied AI in cyber defence, ensuring appropriate controls, transparency, success measures, and risk management are built in from design through to operation.
- Operate with a product and service mindset using Agile methodologies: manage roadmaps, backlogs, and delivery plans to ensure work is prioritised by security value, customer impact, and operational outcomes, encouraging early feedback and continuous learning.
- Develop and retain talent: coach and grow engineers through mentoring, feedback, and structured development, and hire inclusively using high-quality technical assessment to build a diverse, high-performing team.
- Influence across Cyber Defence and Technology: partner with security and engineering teams to align priorities, remove delivery friction, and support adoption of new capabilities through clear communication, collaboration, and inclusive leadership.
- Demonstrate understanding of applied AI for cyber defence, AI governance, compliance, responsible AI, modern development lifecycles, secure and test-driven engineering, programming fluency, data analytics, product methodologies, and backlog management.
- Show strong communication and influencing capability, translating complex technical topics into clear decisions and trade-offs for varied audiences, and working collaboratively across diverse teams.
- Exhibit proven management and leadership behaviours, including coaching, performance development, clarity creation, and enabling engineers to do their best work.
- Apply critical thinking and strategic problem solving, balancing innovation with operational reality, and making sound decisions under uncertainty.
- Commit to inclusion and belonging, fostering a supportive environment with psychological safety, and championing inclusion and belonging.
- Embrace and enable change, helping teams adopt new ways of working and new technologies without destabilising delivery, and assess candidates through technical interview capability.
Qualifications and Experience
- Demonstrable understanding of applied AI for cyber defence, including identifying valuable use cases, evaluating feasibility and risk, defining success metrics, and operationalising AI-assisted workflows.
- Demonstrable understanding of AI governance, compliance, and responsible AI, with awareness of failure modes such as data leakage, bias, hallucination, and unsafe automation.
- Exposure to technical AI architecture and implementation, with ability to review designs and guide engineers toward secure, maintainable solutions.
- Demonstrable understanding of modern development lifecycles, planning, design, build, test, deploy, operate, and continuous improvement.
- Exposure to secure and test-driven engineering, threat-aware design, automated testing, and disciplined change control.
- Programming fluency sufficient to lead engineers effectively.
- Demonstrable understanding of data analytics and insights, defining meaningful measures of success and using evidence to prioritise.
- Exposure to product methodologies and backlog management, including shaping roadmaps and defining outcomes using tools such as Jira.
- Strong communication and influencing capability for varied audiences.
- Proven management and leadership behaviours.
- Experience embracing change and enabling teams.
Desirable Skills
- Familiarity with Tesco's technology landscape and retail environment.
- Awareness of core cyber defence technologies and patterns such as detection and response platforms, SIEM platforms, security data pipelines, and automation orchestration.
- Exposure to security architecture and evaluation of security controls.
- Evidence of contribution to the profession (community engagement, knowledge sharing, publications, talks, open source, or mentoring).
- Experience supporting structured professional development programmes and skills-based progression.
- Basic awareness of and experience with IT Service Management tooling such as Zendesk and xMatters.
We are a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We are an accredited Disability Confident Leader and commit to providing an inclusive recruitment experience for all candidates.
Security Innovation Engineering Manager in Welwyn Garden City employer: WeAreTechWomen
Tesco is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where innovation meets responsibility in the realm of cyber defence. As part of our Innovation Engineering team, you will not only lead cutting-edge projects that leverage AI and automation but also benefit from a culture that prioritises employee growth through mentoring and inclusive hiring practices. With a commitment to psychological safety and continuous learning, Tesco provides a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact while advancing your career in a supportive and collaborative setting.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Security Innovation Engineering Manager in Welwyn Garden City
✨Get Involved in the Cybersecurity Community
Diving into the cybersecurity community is key for landing that full-time gig. Join forums like Reddit's r/cybersecurity or attend local meetups to connect with industry veterans and other job seekers. Networking is everything in this field—don’t just be a passive lurker!
✨Show Off Your Skills with Capture the Flag Competitions
Participate in Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions; these are not just a fun way to boost your skills but also a chance to showcase your talent to potential employers. Many companies, including WeAreTechWomen, love seeing candidates who actively engage in these challenges.
✨Tailor Your Online Presence
Make sure your LinkedIn and any professional profiles reflect your cybersecurity expertise. Share your projects, whether they’re personal or from a previous role, to catch the eye of hiring managers. This is how they’ll find your passion and commitment to the field!
✨Apply Directly Through WeAreTechWomen
Don’t forget to head straight to our website and check out any openings for cybersecurity roles at WeAreTechWomen. Applying directly can sometimes give you an edge, especially if you can mention that you've been following our work or engaging in the community.
We think you need these skills to ace Security Innovation Engineering Manager in Welwyn Garden City
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your technical skills:In cybersecurity, it's crucial to highlight your technical prowess. Make sure your CV showcases specific skills like network security, penetration testing, or threat analysis. If you have relevant certifications (like CEH or CISSP), pop those on the front page to grab attention!
Tailor your portfolio for the role:Even for a full-time role, a portfolio can set you apart. If you've worked on any cybersecurity projects—be it CTF challenges, security assessments, or research papers—include these in your application. This demonstrates not just your skills, but also your hands-on experience!
Use real-world examples:When writing your cover letter, don’t just stick to your qualifications. Share real-world examples of how you’ve tackled security issues or vulnerabilities. This gives the hiring team at WeAreTechWomen insight into your practical problem-solving abilities and makes your application memorable.
Demonstrate your passion for cybersecurity:Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field, so show us that you’re always learning! Mention any recent courses, webinars, or industry events you’ve attended. This not only exhibits your enthusiasm but also signals to WeAreTechWomen that you’re committed to staying ahead in the game.
How to prepare for a job interview at WeAreTechWomen
✨Sharpen Your Technical Skills
For a role in cybersecurity, it’s essential to be up-to-date with the latest tools and techniques. Brush up on your knowledge of firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and vulnerability assessment tools. Be ready to discuss specific scenarios where you’ve applied these skills, as hands-on experience can really set us apart in interviews.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect the interviewers at WeAreTechWomen to throw in some hypothetical situations to see how you’d handle them. Think about common security breaches or incidents and be prepared to explain how you would respond. This not only shows your problem-solving skills but also your understanding of real-world cybersecurity challenges.
✨Highlight Your Certifications
Certifications like CompTIA Security+, CISSP, or CEH can give you a significant edge in a full-time role in cybersecurity. Make sure to mention these during your interview and be prepared to discuss what you learned through those certifications and how they relate to the position at WeAreTechWomen.
✨Show Your Passion for Cybersecurity
Since you’re going for a full-time gig, showing genuine enthusiasm for the field can make all the difference. Share any personal projects, blogs, or communities you’re part of that relate to cybersecurity. This not only showcases your passion but also your commitment to staying engaged in this ever-evolving field.
