Cyber Security Engineer

Salary: £40,000 - 50,000 per year

Requirements:

• Practical experience administering, configuring or improving Microsoft 365 security controls.
• Experience with Microsoft Defender capabilities, such as Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft 365 Defender, alert investigation, advanced hunting or device security improvement.
• Experience supporting vulnerability management, including assessing findings, prioritising remediation, tracking progress and improving secure configuration.
• Experience in security monitoring, alert triage, incident support or technical investigation, with the ability to act as an SME for junior colleagues.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills, including investigating issues, identifying root causes and recommending practical, risk-based improvements.
• Confidence working with IT colleagues, project teams and suppliers to deliver secure technology change, explain technical risks clearly and support agreed remediation activity.
• Organised and detail-focused, with the ability to balance project delivery, BAU security activity and urgent remediation in a busy environment.
• Relevant certifications such as Microsoft Security Operations Analyst Associate, Microsoft Azure Security Engineer Associate, CompTIA Security+, CISSP or SSCP, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities:

• Deliver technical work packages from the Cyber Security Roadmap, ensuring work is planned, implemented, tested, documented and transitioned into BAU support.
• Implement, configure, maintain and improve security tooling across the technology estate, including Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Intune, Entra ID, Microsoft 365 security and compliance features, endpoint security and vulnerability management platforms.
• Identify, assess and deliver practical security improvements across devices, identities, applications, productivity tools, cloud services and infrastructure.
• Configure and harden Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Intune and Defender in line with security best practice, risk priorities and agreed standards.
• Support BAU security operations by maintaining tooling, reviewing alerts, improving detections, remediating weaknesses and ensuring controls operate effectively.
• Work with IT teams to remediate vulnerabilities, configuration weaknesses, insecure defaults and gaps identified through monitoring, assessments, audits or incident reviews.
• Support security incidents through technical investigation, containment, remediation and evidence gathering where required.
• Produce and maintain technical documentation, configuration standards, operational procedures, implementation notes and support handover materials.
• Provide practical security advice to IT colleagues and project teams, ensuring security requirements are considered during design, implementation and change activities.
• Support the maintenance of relevant cyber security accreditations, standards and frameworks, including Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and CIS Controls.
• Identify opportunities to automate repeatable tasks, improve monitoring, reduce manual effort and increase the maturity of security operations.

Technologies:

• Azure
• Cloud
• Support
• Microsoft 365
• Microsoft Intune
• Security
• Office 365

More:

We are seeking a hands-on Cyber Security Engineer to help deliver our Cyber Security Roadmap and improve the security posture of our technology estate, with a focus on Microsoft 365, endpoint security, identity, productivity tools and wider infrastructure. The role involves working with the Cyber Security Operations Manager, Group Head of Cyber, IT teams and external partners. It is based in Manchester with hybrid working, including two days in the office, and offers a salary of £40,000–£50,000 plus benefits. Planet Recruitment acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and an employment business for temporary workers, and is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

last updated 40 week of 2026