Head of SOC

easypaisa, Pakistan’s first digital bank, has been a pioneer in advancing the country’s digital finance landscape. Supported by prominent shareholders including Telenor Group, a leading telecom operator in Asia and the Nordics, and Ant Group, the force behind Alipay, easypaisa provides secure and convenient financial solutions to millions across Pakistan.

The Head of Security Operations Center (SOC) is a key leadership position responsible for protecting the organization’s digital assets from cyber threats. This role involves managing the SOC team, overseeing the monitoring of security systems, responding to incidents, and continuously enhancing the company’s cybersecurity posture. The incumbent will lead incident response efforts from detection through resolution, ensuring adherence to standard operating procedures under the guidance of the Head of Information Security (IS). Additionally, the role supports all activities related to threat identification, protection, detection, response, and recovery, including management of SOC and SIEM tools, threat alert communication, and other responsibilities assigned by the Head of IS.

Key Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute strategic plans for the SOC that align with the organization’s overall security objectives.
- Lead, motivate, and develop the SOC team to maintain high performance, reliability, and job satisfaction.
- Collaborate with department heads and senior management to establish and enforce security policies and procedures.
- Monitor the organization’s cybersecurity posture and generate actionable reports for senior management.
- Manage end-to-end incident handling, including crisis management and coordination with group stakeholders.
- Ensure deployment and optimization of security tools to enhance detection and response capabilities.
- Provide guidance on organizational, technical, and operational challenges arising from security incidents.
- Prioritize and manage multiple tasks effectively in a high-pressure environment, delivering timely reports and innovative solutions.
- Analyze and trend security log data from diverse IT security devices.
- Provide incident response support when actionable threats are identified.
- Produce daily, weekly, and monthly security reports punctually.
- Conduct gap analysis of SIEM infrastructure and integrate missing components.
- Enhance threat intelligence by identifying Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) and implementing mitigation measures.
- Monitor for attacks, intrusions, and unauthorized activities.
- Investigate and resolve security breaches and cyber incidents, creating incident handling playbooks based on NIST and other standards.
- Support IS team operations including access management governance and security audits.
- Recommend improvements to SOC processes, procedures, and policies.
- Work collaboratively to safeguard corporate data and technology platforms from threats.
- Communicate effectively with customers, team members, and management.
- Follow ITIL best practices for incident, problem, and change management.
- Maintain documentation for customer builds, security procedures, and processes.
- Stay current with emerging security threats and regulatory requirements.
- Perform additional duties as assigned by the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field.
- Extensive experience in multiple information security domains, including security investigations, SIEM tuning, log management, configuration, analysis, and alert configuration.
- Proven expertise in incident handling, computer forensics, and log investigations.
- Strong understanding of network and application security, systems administration, programming, data networks, security operations, and incident management.
- Minimum of 7 years of hands-on experience, with knowledge of server, database, and application vulnerability scanning and penetration testing considered an advantage.
- Relevant vendor-specific training and certifications related to SIEM and SOC operations are preferred.

This role offers the opportunity to lead a critical function within a pioneering digital bank, contributing to the security and resilience of one of Pakistan’s most innovative financial institutions.