Associate Director, Security Operations Centre (SOC)

About the role

The Security Operations Centre (SOC) is a university‑wide function that provides detection, response, intelligence and resilience for academic, research and administrative activities. As Associate Director, you will lead the operational defence of the institution, shaping the cyber‑defence strategy and overseeing incident detection, analysis and response.

Key responsibilities

• Develop, approve and maintain a comprehensive Cyber Security Operations plan, including resource allocation, investment priorities and performance measures.
• Lead the detection, analysis and response to cyber incidents across the university.
• Design and implement a university‑wide incident response framework that aligns business activities with threat mitigation requirements.
• Define the target operating model for the SOC, establishing service boundaries, interfaces and multi‑year maturity targets.
• Set capability‑maturity baselines and track progress against recognized frameworks such as the NIST Cyber Security Framework.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure cohesive cyber‑defence across all campuses and research sites.

Required profile

• Extensive experience in cybersecurity operations and incident response within a large, complex organization.
• Proven ability to develop strategic plans, allocate resources and measure performance outcomes.
• Strong understanding of enterprise‑wide security architectures and governance frameworks.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the capacity to influence senior leadership.
• Demonstrated track record of building and maturing a Security Operations Centre.

Required skills

• NIST Cyber Security Framework