At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of innovative security solutions using AI and modern engineering practices.
- Company: Join Tesco's Innovation Engineering team, a leader in retail security.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, inclusive culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a supportive team that values diversity and innovation.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on cyber defence while working with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Expertise in AI for cyber defence and strong programming skills required.
As a Senior Security Engineer in Tesco's Innovation Engineering team, you will pioneer next generation security capabilities that proactively protect a retail ecosystem serving millions of customers. You will combine deep engineering expertise with an innovation mindset to build production‑grade solutions that leverage applied Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, and modern development practices to strengthen Tesco's cyber defence. This role sits at the point where ideas become real: you will design, build, test, and operationalise capabilities that measurably reduce risk and improve resilience. You will also act as a technical leader, setting engineering direction, raising standards, and influencing across diverse security and technology teams with a customer‑first focus.
In the immediate term, you will focus on the needs of our Cyber Threat Intelligence and Detection Engineering teams. This team operates as an innovation incubator for cyber defence capabilities: rapidly exploring ideas, validating them through prototypes and experiments, and ensuring the strongest concepts graduate into secure, reliable production services. Depending on the nature of the capability, ownership may either remain within this team or transition to the most appropriate long‑term service owner once the solution is proven and operationally ready. You will work closely with our Security Automation Engineering team to build a shared roadmap of opportunities to deliver across Cyber Defence, ensuring we build and/or buy the best technologies to deliver our vision.
Responsibilities
- Architect and deliver innovative security capabilities: Design and build high impact security solutions that improve Tesco's defensive posture, from concept through to production operation, with measurable outcomes.
- Embed AI augmented security engineering: Apply AI and automation to accelerate and improve security outcomes, ensuring solutions remain safe, explainable, and fit for operational use.
- Lead modern engineering approaches for cyber defence: Use contemporary software development practices to turn ideas into secure, production‑ready capabilities, with a focus on automation, experimentation, maintainability and scale.
- Champion engineering excellence: Establish secure, test‑driven approaches, code quality standards, automated testing, version control discipline, and repeatable release patterns to ensure innovation is reliable and maintainable.
- Share knowledge and inspire others: Showcase your work, build understanding, and foster excitement around the solutions you develop so innovation can scale beyond the team.
- Validate effectiveness and resilience: Design evaluation strategies and functionality testing so controls work as intended, regressions are prevented, and defensive improvements are demonstrable over time.
- Influence and enable change across teams: Collaborate with security and technology stakeholders to drive adoption of new capabilities, communicate trade‑offs clearly, and create inclusive ways of working that help teams succeed.
Essential Skills
- Demonstrable expertise in applied AI for cyber defence, including identifying high‑value use cases, translating them into engineering work, and delivering outcomes safely with human accountability and appropriate guardrails.
- Exposure to technical AI architecture & implementation, with the ability to design, review, and refine AI‑enabled systems without sacrificing security or operability.
- Demonstrable understanding of technical security architecture, including producing and defending design decisions, selecting appropriate patterns, and anticipating operational and threat‑driven failure modes and designing against them.
- Strong programming capability, evidenced by building production grade tools, automations, or services with clear structure, maintainability and secure engineering hygiene.
- Demonstrable understanding of secure & test‑driven engineering, applying automated testing, secure design principles and disciplined change control to protect reliability whilst enabling speed.
- Strong capability in evaluating security solutions, including setting clear technical requirements and success criteria, assessing control effectiveness, and validating solutions against realistic operational and threat‑informed conditions.
- Demonstrable understanding of core cyber defence technology, including how telemetry, detection/response tooling, and automation ecosystems fit together to deliver measurable defensive outcomes.
- Strong data analytics & insights capability, including selecting meaningful measures, analysing trends, and using evidence to prioritise work and communicate impact.
- Strategic thinking & problem solving, balancing innovation with operational reality, and making sound decisions in ambiguous or fast moving contexts.
- Communication & influencing, able to explain complex technical concepts to varied audiences, align stakeholders, and drive decisions and adoption.
- Embracing and enabling change, demonstrating leadership through change, helping teams modernise practices and adopt new capabilities without destabilising delivery.
- Curiosity, learning, and research mindset, actively exploring emerging technologies and adversary trends, then translating learning into practical, scalable engineering improvements.
- Commitment to inclusion & belonging, with evidence of fostering supportive, psychologically safe engineering environments.
Desirable Skills
- Awareness of AI governance, compliance, and responsible AI principles, including privacy, data protection and risk management considerations.
- Evidence of contributions to the profession (community involvement, publications, talks, mentoring, open‑source work, or recognised learning achievements).
- Familiarity with Tesco's core technology landscape and retail technology context, connecting technical risk to customer experience and operational continuity.
- Demonstrable understanding of development lifecycle practices, especially in environments with CI/CD and automation.
- Exposure to technical interviewing, supporting hiring through practical assessments and structured evaluation.
- Experience managing backlogs and delivering iteratively using Jira and product delivery practices, with the ability to shape work around clear outcomes and evolving priorities.
- Familiarity with and experience using operational collaboration tooling such as Zendesk & xMatters in the context of incident workflows and on‑call engagement.
We're proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Leader, where everyone's welcome. That's why we commit to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need support with your application, click here for more information. And if you're interested in joining our team but don't tick every box, don't let that hold you back from applying.
Senior Security Innovation Engineer in Welwyn Garden City employer: WeAreTechWomen
At Tesco, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, particularly for those in the Senior Security Innovation Engineer role. Our innovative work culture fosters creativity and collaboration, allowing you to lead cutting-edge security initiatives that protect millions of customers. With a strong commitment to employee growth, we offer numerous opportunities for professional development, alongside a supportive environment that values diversity and inclusion.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Security Innovation Engineer 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.
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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!
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We think you need these skills to ace Senior Security Innovation Engineer 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.
