Head of Security Operations

This global leadership role in cyber security is responsible for managing the Security Operations (SecOps) team at Canonical. The team is tasked with designing, implementing, and evolving security practices, techniques, tools, systems, and policies to secure Canonical's data, internal infrastructure, and build processes. They ensure the security and integrity of the infrastructure and product deployments by implementing technical security controls that automatically identify, contain, and remediate security threats.

As the SecOps team manager, you will collaborate with the Organisational Learning and Development team to develop playbooks and facilitate training across Canonical. You will operate within a broader security organization, running a high performing security team, and improving Canonical's security posture while integrating the team's insights into the software development process.

Candidates should have deep, hands-on expertise with a range of security tooling and practices, which they can apply across Canonical's operations. The mission of the SecOps team extends beyond Canonical to enhance the security of the wider open source ecosystem through knowledge sharing and threat intelligence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Hire and mentor a team of outstanding technical security professionals.
• Define Canonical's SecOps security standards and playbooks.
• Own and drive the architecture and design of the Security Operations Center (SOC).
• Analyze and improve Canonical's security architecture.
• Evaluate, select, and implement new security tools and practices.
• Identify, contain, and guide the remediation of security threats.
• Grow the presence and thought leadership of Canonical's SecOps practice.
• Contribute to open source threat intelligence initiatives.
• Drive threat modeling and other SecOps practices across Engineering, IS, and Canonical.
• Develop SecOps learning and development materials.
• Publish blog posts, white papers, and conference presentations.
• Plan and deliver SecOps work in alignment with Canonical's agile engineering practices.

Qualifications:

• Proven track record of mitigating advanced threat actors and nation-state threats.
• Expert technical understanding of SOCs and SOC architecture.
• Expertise in Linux security and effective incident response playbooks.
• Knowledge of security architecture, market-leading tools, and risk management frameworks (such as NIST CSF).
• An exceptional academic track record in Computer Science, STEM fields, or a compelling alternative narrative.
• Leadership and management skills with a deep personal motivation in technology security.
• Excellent business English writing and presentation skills.

Language Requirements: Excellent business English is required for communication and reporting.

Optional Qualities:

• Experience in offensive or defensive security teams.
• Familiarity with open source security tools and standards like ISO 27001.
• Knowledge of security posture management of corporate endpoints.