Remote opportunity at
CanonicalHead of Security Operations
This is a senior leadership position in cyber security at Canonical, the company that publishes Ubuntu. The Head of Security Operations runs the SecOps team, which…
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About This Role
This is a senior leadership position in cyber security at Canonical, the company that publishes Ubuntu. The Head of Security Operations runs the SecOps team, which sets the company's approach to guarding its information, internal systems and build pipelines, and which builds the technical controls that spot, contain and fix threats automatically. The post also has an outward-facing side. The team is expected to feed requirements into product security, help…
Job Description
This is a senior leadership position in cyber security at Canonical, the company that publishes Ubuntu. The Head of Security Operations runs the SecOps team, which sets the company's approach to guarding its information, internal systems and build pipelines, and which builds the technical controls that spot, contain and fix threats automatically.
The post also has an outward-facing side. The team is expected to feed requirements into product security, help make Ubuntu users more resilient against attacks, and contribute threat intelligence to the open source community. The role reports to the Chief Information Security Officer and works inside a wider security organisation.
The job suits an experienced security professional who can grow a high-performing team while still working as a hands-on practitioner. Duties include owning the architecture of the security operations centre, setting playbooks and standards, running threat modelling and tabletop exercises across engineering and internal IT, and tracking security KPIs. The leader also reports security performance to senior stakeholders and contributes public material such as articles, whitepapers and conference talks.
The posting is listed as a remote, full-time position. It does not state a salary.
Responsibilities
- Recruit, develop and mentor a team of skilled security professionals
- Define SecOps standards and incident response playbooks
- Own the design and architecture of the security operations centre
- Review and strengthen the company's security architecture
- Evaluate, select and introduce new security tools and working practices
- Detect, contain and guide recovery from threats and cyber attacks
- Lead threat modelling and tabletop exercises across the business
- Build SecOps training material and publish research and talks
- Track SecOps KPIs and deliver the team's work in an agile way
- Give leadership accurate, accountable security performance reporting
Requirements
- Proven record of countering advanced and nation-state threat actors
- Detailed knowledge of how a SOC operates, including logging, firewalls, network segmentation and honeypots
- Expert knowledge of Linux security
- Ability to define, automate and measure incident response playbooks
- Knowledge of security architecture and leading security tools
- Experience producing and consuming threat intelligence
- Experience with risk frameworks such as NIST CSF
- Strong academic record from high school and university, plus a first degree in computing or another STEM subject, or a persuasive account of a non-traditional route
- Leadership and management ability, with clear writing and presentation skills in business English
Qualifications
- Hands-on background from offensive or defensive security work
- Use of open source security tooling
- Familiarity with ISO 27001
- Experience managing security posture for corporate endpoints
Core Skills
Benefits
- Yearly learning budget of USD 2,000 for personal development
- Face-to-face team gatherings twice a year
- Pay reviewed each year, plus recognition awards
- Paid holiday leave and parental leave for new parents
- Confidential employee support and wellbeing services
- Trips to new cities to meet colleagues, with lounge access and upgraded long-haul travel
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
Where is the Head of Security Operations role based?
The role is listed as remote. The posting describes it as a global leadership role but does not name a specific country or time zone.
Who does this role report to?
The posting states that the role reports to the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).
Is this a full-time position?
Yes, the job is listed as full-time.
What salary does the role pay?
The posting does not specify a salary or pay range.
What experience is required?
Candidates need deep hands-on security expertise, a proven record against advanced threats, expert Linux security knowledge and leadership ability.
Sample Interview Questions
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