Security Operations Centre (SOC) Lead

Job summary

The SOC Lead will be responsible for leading and developing the Trust's Security Operations capability, ensuring effective monitoring, detection, investigation and response to cyber security threats across the organisation.

The role is accountable for the day to day operation and continuous improvement of SOC services, including the management of security monitoring tools, development of detection use cases, and coordination of incident response activities. This includes working closely with national services (e.g. NHS England CSOC) and internal teams to ensure timely detection and mitigation of threats.

The post holder will drive maturity of the Trust's threat detection and response capability, embedding best practice across incident management, threat intelligence, and threat hunting, while ensuring alignment with organisational risk priorities and regulatory requirements.

Working in partnership with technical cybersecurity teams and Digital teams, the SOC Lead will ensure that security operations are intelligence led, outcome focussed and support the Trust in reducing cyber risk and improving resilience.

The role will also provide leadership to the SOC and wider cyber security function, developing team capability (including identifying training needs, mentorship and creating tabletop training) establishing clear processes and ensuring the Trust can respond effectively to an evolving threat landscape.

Main duties of the job

Leads the Trust's SOC function, overseeing security monitoring, threat detection, and incident response; drives threat intelligence and proactive hunting; optimises SOC tooling and detection capability; and manages team performance, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement of security operations.

About us

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester, the largest health academic campus in Europe - what better place to shape and develop your leadership career.

We deliver care to over 1 million patients & users each year through our 10 hospitals and extensive community services. Our 30,000 plus strong workforce is central to our success and innovation.You will play a pivotal part in supporting our operational excellence and strategic ambitions. You'll work collaboratively with clinical and non-clinical teams, driving improvements that enhance patient experience, staff wellbeing, and service efficiency across the Trust.

MFT offers a dynamic, inclusive environment where your leadership, ideas, and expertise are valued. You'll have access to professional development, digital tools and opportunities to contribute to transformational projects that shape the future of healthcare delivery.We are committed to supporting your growth and wellbeing, recognising the vital role you play in our organisation's success.Join us and help shape the future of our Trust--make a real difference to our teams, our services, and our communities, and fundamentally, our patients.

Details

• Date posted: 24 August 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 8b
• Salary: £66,582 to £77,368 a year per annum, pro rata
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: 349-COR-8039454-RL4
• Job locations: Cobbett House on the Oxford Road Campus, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need for this role, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading.

Explore Inside MFT Your Candidate Place

To help you feel confident, prepared and fully informed before you apply, we invite you to explore Inside MFT Your Candidate Place. This welcoming onestop hub gives you a real sense of who we are what we stand for, how we reward and support you, and the many ways we care for you as you care for others. Youll also find practical hints and tips for submitting a great application, along with the essential information you need to know before you apply.

To access Inside MFT Your Candidate Place, simply click on the relevant PDF document under the Supporting Documents section and once opened, you can where either scan QR code or click on the link provided.

Closing vacancy listings early

We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.To help us manage applications fairly and give each one the time it deserves, our adverts may close early if we receive a high level of interest. Early applications are therefore encouraged.

Diversity MattersMFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application

Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, were proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOUfor our patients, our communities, and each other.As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your applicationespecially personal statements and responses to role-specific questionsis written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.

Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).