Cloud Security Specialist in Edinburgh

Wood Mackenzie is the global leader in analytics, insights and proprietary data across the entire energy and natural resources landscape. For over 50 years our work has guided the decisions of the world’s most influential energy producers, utilities companies, financial institutions and governments. Now, with the world’s energy system more complex and interconnected than ever before, sector-specific views are no longer enough. That’s why we’ve redefined what’s possible with Intelligence Connected. By fusing our unparalleled proprietary data with the sharpest analytical minds, all supercharged by Synoptic AI, we deliver a clear, interconnected view of the entire value chain. Our trusted team of 2,700 experts across 30 countries breaks siloes and connects industries, markets and regions across the globe. This empowers our customers to identify risk sooner, spot opportunities faster and recalibrate strategy with confidence – whether planning days, weeks, months or decades ahead.

Position Overview: We are looking for an experienced, hands-on Cloud Security Specialist to join our cyber security team. This is a technical individual-contributor role focused on securing our cloud and application environments day to day; designing and implementing controls, assessing our cloud posture, and working alongside engineering and DevOps teams to build security in from the start. You'll be someone who is comfortable working directly in cloud consoles and security tooling, enjoys getting into the technical detail, and can communicate clearly with both technical teams and other stakeholders. You'll be a technical point of reference for colleagues on cloud security matters.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and maintain security controls across our cloud environment in align with our cyber risk and control framework
• Conduct cloud security assessments and architecture reviews, and track findings through to remediation
• Manage and tune cloud-native security tooling (CSPM, CWPP, cloud WAF)
• Working knowledge and input to identity and access management (IAM) policies and controls
• Coordinate cloud vulnerability remediation with the relevant teams
• Investigate cloud security events and support incident response
• Help ensure our cloud environment aligns with recognised frameworks and benchmarks (CIS, CSA CCM, NIST)
• Contribute to security policies, standards, and technical documentation
• Support compliance activities (e.g. SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, GDPR) as they relate to the cloud environment
• Keep current with emerging cloud threats, vulnerabilities, and tooling, and share knowledge with the team
• Supporting wider security team where possible

Essential Requirements:

• 4+ years of cyber security experience, with 2+ years hands-on in cloud security
• Deep, practical experience securing your primary cloud platform (AWS and Azure)
• Working knowledge of IAM, network security concepts, and encryption/data-protection fundamentals
• Familiarity with at least one major security framework (NIST CSF, MITRE ATT&CK, CIS Benchmarks, or Zero Trust)
• Ability to explain security issues and trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences

Desirable (nice to have, not required):

• Experience integrating security into CI/CD pipelines / DevSecOps practices
• Exposure to SIEM platforms (e.g. Splunk, Sentinel) and EDR solutions
• Experience with SAST/DAST or vulnerability-scanning tools
• Background in penetration testing or offensive security
• Experience with threat intelligence or threat-hunting tooling
• Experience in a regulated industry (financial services, healthcare, energy)

Technical Skills:

• Strong, hands-on expertise with cloud platform security services and native tooling
• Understanding of network security, firewalls, IDS/IPS, and VPN technologies
• Comfortable working with IAM, cloud configuration, and infrastructure security settings directly

Certifications and Education (one or more is a plus, not essential):

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field -or equivalent practical experience
• CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional)
• AWS Certified Security – Specialty
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
• CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)

Soft Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Ability to explain complex security concepts to technical and non-technical audiences
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to prioritise under pressure
• Collaborative approach to working with cross-functional teams

We are an equal opportunities employer. This means we are committed to recruiting the best people regardless of their race, colour, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability or protected veteran status.