Information Security Engineer

Introduction

An opportunity exists for a Senior Information Security Engineer to join a growing financial services organisation, supporting both on-premises and cloud-based environments.

The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing and maintaining advanced security controls across enterprise environments, while providing technical leadership across security operations, incident response, vulnerability management, identity and access management, cloud security and information security governance.

The role will work across Azure, Microsoft 365 and SaaS environments, with a strong focus on security architecture, engineering, threat management and continuous improvement of the organisation's overall security posture.

Duties & Responsibilities

Security Architecture & Engineering

• Lead the design and implementation of advanced security controls across on-premises, cloud and SaaS environments, including Azure and Microsoft 365.

• Define security architecture standards and review new technology integrations for compliance.

• Champion secure development lifecycle practices and perform advanced application security assessments.

• Configure and maintain enterprise firewalls to ensure optimal security and performance.

• Implement and manage Web Application Firewall (WAF) solutions to protect against application-layer attacks.

Security Operations Leadership

• Oversee, configure and optimise security tools, including firewalls, webservers, SIEM, EDR, DLP and vulnerability management platforms.

• Develop automation strategies for threat detection and response, integrating with ITSM platforms.

• Establish operational playbooks and mentor team members on security best practices.

• Collaborate with outsourced SOC teams to ensure effective monitoring and incident escalation.

• Integrate SOC services into the organisation's security operations framework for seamless threat detection and response.

• Manage SLAs and performance metrics for outsourced SOC providers.

Incident Response & Threat Management

• Lead major incident investigations, forensic analysis and root cause determination.

• Act as an escalation point for critical security events and coordinate cross-functional response.

• Drive proactive threat hunting and advanced analytics initiatives.

Vulnerability & Patch Management

• Define the vulnerability management strategy and ensure timely remediation of critical risks.

• Provide executive-level reporting on risk exposure and remediation progress.

Identity & Access Management

• Architect and enforce enterprise-level identity governance using Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD).

• Implement advanced privileged access management and zero-trust principles.

Information Security Awareness

• Develop and deliver security awareness programmes to educate employees on cybersecurity best practices.

• Create engaging content and campaigns to promote a culture of security across the organisation.

• Measure the effectiveness of awareness initiatives and report improvements to leadership.

Compliance & Risk Advisory

• Ensure alignment with ISO 27001, NIST CSF, CIS benchmarks and regulatory requirements, including POPIA, GDPR and FSCA.

• Lead technical audits, penetration tests and red/blue team exercises.

• Provide authoritative guidance on risk mitigation strategies.

Operational & Executive Reporting

• Deliver strategic security metrics, risk dashboards and board-level presentations.

• Recommend improvements to the security posture based on threat intelligence and trend analysis.

• Implement security posture improvements and report on progress.

• Produce detailed reports on firewall and WAF configurations, changes and performance metrics.

Desired Experience & Qualification

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science or a related field.

• CISSP, CISM or equivalent senior-level certification.

• Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert or SC-series certifications.

• 7+ years' experience in cybersecurity or security engineering roles, with at least 3 years in a senior or lead capacity.

• Expert-level knowledge of SIEM, EDR, firewalls, DLP and vulnerability management platforms.

• Hands-on experience with firewall configuration, WAF deployment and generating detailed security reports.

• Experience designing and implementing information security awareness programmes.

• Advanced understanding of identity governance, zero-trust architecture and cloud security, particularly Azure and Microsoft 365.

• Strong experience with scripting and automation using PowerShell and Python.

• Proven track record in leading incident response and security architecture projects.

• Experience with Hillstone security technologies, NGINX, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Purview and various SIEM solutions will be advantageous.

• Strong organisational and documentation skills.

• Ability to mentor and develop junior engineers.

• Excellent communication skills for both executive and technical audiences, with a strong customer service orientation.

• Ability to analyse data and identify trends.

• Proficiency in ITSM tools and Microsoft Office Suite.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong troubleshooting and resolution skills.

• Highly ethical, resilient and committed to continuous improvement.

• Achievement/results orientated, with a positive attitude and strong team-player approach.