Head of SOC - Financial Institution

Role Introduction

We are seeking an accomplished cybersecurity operations leader that is currently working in a Financial Industry Firm to establish and lead a mission-critical defensive capability within a highly regulated, transaction-heavy environment. This opportunity is ideal for a seasoned practitioner with deep roots in financial services and firsthand experience building and architecting a SOC function from the ground up—both strategically and operationally.

This role calls for someone who thrives in high-stakes environments, understands regulatory demands, and can drive maturity across people, process, and technology in a cyber defense context.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

Establishing Operational Defense Capabilities

Spearhead the design, development, and deployment of a fit-for-purpose Security Operations Centre (SOC)—including operating models, technical architecture, analyst playbooks, and threat workflows.

Set up detection logic, response protocols, and team coverage models to support uninterrupted, real-time monitoring and threat response.

Align SOC buildout with risk priorities, business process flows, and evolving threat scenarios specific to the financial sector.

Driving Threat Readiness

Direct all frontline cyber operations—event triage, threat hunting, escalations, and containment actions.

Regularly assess the effectiveness of deployed technologies (SIEM, SOAR, EDR, IDS / IPS) and fine-tune configurations to enhance coverage and reduce noise.

Oversee integration of real-time threat intelligence and behavioral analytics to inform proactive defense strategies.

Responding with Authority

Serve as incident commander during active threats—ranging from phishing campaigns and insider misuse to malware infiltration and external compromise.

Coordinate across technology, legal, compliance, and communications teams to manage the lifecycle of a breach : detection, containment, eradication, and recovery.

Produce detailed post-incident analyses to extract operational lessons, refine policies, and strengthen system resilience.

Building High-Performance Teams

Recruit and develop a multidisciplinary SOC team—from tier-1 triage to advanced incident responders.

Create a structured training path that fosters technical depth, threat landscape awareness, and incident readiness.

Lead with clarity, urgency, and empathy—particularly during high-pressure periods and post-incident response.

Embedding Compliance & Control Discipline

Ensure all operational activities align with regulatory frameworks such as MAS TRM, PCI DSS, ISO / IEC , and internal audit mandates.

Partner with compliance, governance, and legal functions to track evolving security obligations and ensure operational traceability.

Lead readiness efforts for audits, penetration testing, red teaming, and simulated incident exercises.

Your Profile

A degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

Current SOC Managerial experience in a Financial Industry Firm (such as banking, payments, fintech, or capital markets.)

Experience building out SOC before - Prior experience designing or standing up a SOC from zero is required.

Minimum 15 years’ experience in information security, with at least 7 years in hands-on cyber operations in a Financial Industry.

Previous role(s) as a SOC analyst, incident handler, or threat responder is strongly preferred.

Solid grasp of attacker methodologies (MITRE ATT&CK, TTPs), modern detection strategies, and forensic investigation practices.

Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, GCIH, GSOM, SSCP, CASP+ will be viewed favorably.

Enjoy working in a highly fast paced and regulated environment