RoleAs Security Operations Lead, you'll lead our SecOps squad and own how Sword detects, investigates, and responds to threats. You'll help structure how this function operates - setting the direction on SIEM architecture, detection engineering, and incident response - and use automation and AI to scale a focused team across a fast-growing, multi-continent footprint. You'll be a core voice in our security strategy, and the systems, processes, and culture you build will set the bar for how Sword protects 700,000+ members.
To get to know more about our Tech Stack, check here.
What you'll be doing- Serve as the hands-on technical lead for Sword's Security Operations Center. Setting the technical direction - architecting the SIEM, engineering detection logic, executing incident response, and building the technical roadmap to scale our defenses as the company grows.
- Own the SIEM end-to-end (architecture, data sources, normalization, retention, cost, and tuning) and evolve detection-as-code content aligned to MITRE ATT&CK and Sword's threat model.
- Lead the SOC/CSIRT team technically - mentoring detection and response engineers, raising the bar on investigations, running on-call and escalation models, and acting as commander for major incidents.
- Set the strategy and technical direction for Sword's Security Operations Center - defining the operating model, SIEM and detection architecture, incident response capability, and the roadmap to scale them as the company grows.
- Drive an AI- and automation-first transformation of security operations: design SOAR playbooks, agentic and LLM-assisted triage workflows, and ML-driven detection to reduce MTTD/MTTR, expand coverage, and let a lean team operate at enterprise scale.
- Lead high-severity incident response from detection through containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident review, partnering with engineering, IT, legal, and executive stakeholders during critical events.
- Run the threat intelligence and threat hunting programs, converting emerging TTPs into new detections, proactive hardening, and informed risk decisions.
- Advanced Incident Response & Threat Hunting: Lead end-to-end incident investigations in Google SecOps, leveraging complex telemetry correlation to proactively hunt for threats, contain active incidents, and drive root-cause remediation.
- Define and report on SOC performance - MTTD, MTTR, coverage, automation rate, false-positive rate, on-call health - and use those metrics to drive measurable, continuous improvement.
- Influence security architecture and engineering decisions across the company, ensuring detection, response, and recovery are built into new products, platforms, and infrastructure from day one.
- Detection & Automation Leadership: Architect, refine, and maintain custom YARA-L detection rules and SOAR playbooks in Google SecOps to automate triage, alert enrichment, and initial incident response.
What you need to have- Required: Public Trust Clearance - Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain a US public trust clearance.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or equivalent professional experience.
- 7+ years experience in Security Operations
- Proven experience scaling a SOC through automation and AI - SOAR, hyperautomation, LLM-assisted triage, agentic workflows, or ML-driven detection - with measurable impact on MTTR, coverage, or analyst leverage.
- Hands-on experience structuring a SOC, either building one from the ground up or maturing one through significant transformation - SIEM selection, implementation or migration, detection engineering practice, runbook libraries, on-call rotations, and operating metrics.
- Deep SIEM expertise (Splunk, Sentinel, Google SecOps/Chronicle, Elastic, or similar) - ingestion architecture, detection-as-code, query optimization, and coverage-versus-cost tradeoffs.
- Highly preferred: Google SecOps/Chronicle
- Prior experience as the technical lead of a SOC or CSIRT team - owning the full incident response lifecycle, mentoring analysts and engineers, and acting as on-call/incident commander during major incidents.
- Strong incident response track record - leading high-severity investigations, root cause analysis, digital forensics, and post-incident reviews that produced durable improvements.
- Solid experience in cloud environments (AWS and/or GCP), with strong understanding of cloud-native threats and controls.
- Strong scripting and development skills (Python, Go, Bash, or similar) for building automation, integrations, and internal tooling.
- Working knowledge of EDR/XDR, identity, and network detection telemetry, and how to combine signals into high-fidelity detections.
- Fluency with security frameworks and standards (NIST 800-61, CIS Controls, MITRE ATT&CK, ISO 27001) and the judgment to apply them pragmatically.
- Background in threat modeling, adversary emulation, and risk-based alert tuning.
- Excellent communicator - able to brief executives during a Sev1, write a clear post-mortem, and translate technical risk into business language for non-technical audiences.
- Proven track record of leading cross-functional efforts in high-pressure situations and fostering collaboration across InfoSec, IT, and engineering.
- Forensics experience, investigating incidents and preserving digital evidence.
Public Trust ClearanceCandidates must be able to obtain and maintain a US public trust clearance.
Please note that US citizenship is required to obtain and maintain a government security clearance.
*The range below reflects base, variable, and equity for this role.
This is a starting point, not a ceiling - once someone joins and proves they're outlier talent, we adjust quickly to make sure their compensation matches their impact.
Job titles may span more than one career level, so actual pay depends on skills, qualifications, experience, location, and market demand, among other factors. The range reflects base salary plus any variable, bonus, or sales incentives, and our estimate of the value of private company stock options where applicable. It's subject to change, and future stock value isn't guaranteed. Sword also offers additional benefits beyond total compensation.
Total Compensation Range
$133,978-$210,537 USD
Country-specific benefits may vary and will be detailed separately.
