Security Operations

Director of Security Operations Recruiting

Leader of detection, response and threat intelligence, accountable for how fast threats are found and contained.

About the role

The Director of Security Operations leads the teams that watch the environment, investigate alerts and respond to incidents. That usually includes the SOC, incident response, threat intelligence and often detection engineering, whether those teams are in-house, outsourced to an MSSP or MDR provider, or a mix of both.

The best candidates combine hands-on incident experience with the ability to run a 24/7 operation, manage vendors and report meaningful metrics such as mean time to detect and respond.

Typical responsibilities

Lead SOC, incident response, threat intelligence and detection engineering teams
Own incident response plans, playbooks and tabletop exercises
Manage SIEM, EDR, SOAR and MDR vendor relationships
Track and improve detection coverage and response times
Brief executives during and after significant incidents

What we assess in candidates

Hands-on incident handling experience, including major incidents
Experience running round-the-clock coverage and shift models
Detection strategy, such as coverage mapped to MITRE ATT&CK
Vendor and MSSP management
Calm, clear communication during a crisis

How we search for a Director of Security Operations

We look for operations leaders who have run detection and response at a comparable scale and toolset. Candidates walk through a real incident they led, from first alert to post-incident review, so you can judge their decision making before the final rounds.

Frequently asked questions

Do we need an in-house SOC to hire this role?

No. Many directors manage a hybrid model with an MDR or MSSP provider. Part of our intake is understanding your model so we target candidates who have run a similar one.

Which metrics should this leader own?

Common ones include mean time to detect, mean time to respond, detection coverage and alert quality. We help you agree on the right measures before the hire starts.

Related functions

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