Lead Specialist, Security Operations

Business Unit: SOC Location: Durham (Hybrid) Reports To: SOC Manager Skip-Level Manager: Senior Director of Security Operations

Role Summary: The Security Operations Center (SOC) is seeking a highly skilled and proactive Senior Security Analyst to lead day-to-day security operations, drive continuous process improvement, and advance detection engineering across Pearson’s environments. This role is pivotal in safeguarding critical assets through rapid incident response, automation, and collaboration with internal and external partners. You will be responsible for refining SOC processes, developing detection capabilities, and ensuring alignment with Pearson’s security standards and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

Security Operations Leadership: Lead and execute advanced SOC operations, including incident detection, triage, containment, and root cause analysis across Pearson environments. Requirement to work on-call schedule to ensure 24x7 coverage during non-office hours.

Detection Engineering & Automation: Develop, implement, and optimize detection logic, playbooks, and automated response workflows to reduce mean time to containment and improve SOC efficiency.

Process Improvement: Continuously assess and enhance SOC processes and procedures, ensuring best practices and alignment with evolving threat landscapes.

Threat Intelligence Integration: Collaborate with threat intelligence teams to analyze emerging risks and integrate relevant TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) into SOC operations.

Stakeholder Engagement: Act as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders, translating technical findings into actionable insights and ensuring transparency throughout security operations.

Compliance & Governance: Ensure all SOC activities comply with relevant standards (e.g., NCSC, Cyber Essentials Plus) and internal Pearson policies.

Reporting & Metrics: Deliver executive-level reporting, risk assessments, and metrics to demonstrate the effectiveness of SOC operations.

Required Skills & Experience:

Must have experience working with regulated environments or government clients.

Proven experience in security operations, incident response, and detection engineering (4+ years)

Hands-on expertise with SOAR, EDR, NDR, and SIEM technologies

Experience with one or more Cloud Service Providers (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Strong background in multitasking, adapting, and thriving in fast-paced environments

Excellent communication skills, especially in stakeholder management and translating technical risk to non-technical audiences

Preferred Qualifications:

US – Strong understanding of FedRAMP, GovRAMP and StateRAMP policies and practices.

UK – Strong understanding of UK GDPR, Cyber Essentials and NCSC Guidance.

Knowledge of cloud security (AWS, Azure, GCP) and hybrid infrastructure

Experience collaborating with red/purple teams and defensive teams