Sr Cyber Defense Ops Specialist

Citizens Financial Group • Johnston, RI

4d • $76,000 - $114,000

About The Position

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Cyber Defense Operations Tactical Support Specialist to join our Cyber Defense Operations team. This role plays a critical part in enhancing the capabilities of our Security Operations Center (SOC) through training, mentorship, and operational support. In addition to developing and delivering training, you will actively participate in SOC operations, including triaging alerts and determining root cause of incidents, ensuring a balance between strategic enablement and hands-on technical work. You will collaborate across internal teams and external vendors to ensure our analysts are equipped to defend Citizens Bank’s digital infrastructure against evolving threats.

Requirements

• Hands-on SOC experience where triaging and determining root cause of alerts was performed.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in cybersecurity operations, systems compliance, network operations, or support roles.
• Hands-on experience with SOC operations and training development.
• Strong analytical and mentoring skills.
• Ability to assess and communicate risk and mitigation strategies.
• Experience working in collaborative, cross-functional environments.
• Enterprise logging (application, OS, and security technology).
• Operating systems with emphasis on security operations.
• Cloud platforms: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud.
• Security incident handling, coordination, and response.
• Strong communication skills for cross-team collaboration and training delivery.
• Experience creating and maintaining SOC playbooks and operational documentation.
• Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or related field, or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated ability to triage alerts and perform root cause analysis in a SOC environment.
• Familiarity with NIST/NICE frameworks and compliance standards.
• Exposure to enterprise-grade security tools and platforms.
• Relevant industry certifications preferred: ITIL Foundations, CCP, Network+, Security+, CEH.

Responsibilities

• Deliver targeted onboarding and ongoing training for newly hired SOC analysts to ensure operational readiness.
• Design and implement comprehensive training programs and certification roadmaps for analysts, interns, and new hires, aligned with NIST and NICE frameworks.
• Create and maintain process and procedure documentation to standardize SOC workflows and improve efficiency.
• Conduct quarterly quality assurance reviews of analyst ticket documentation and provide actionable feedback for improvement.
• Evaluate and recommend enhancements to security toolsets used by SOC analysts to optimize detection and response capabilities.
• Partner with Cyber Defense leadership to identify training needs and close skill gaps through tailored development plans.
• Assess cybersecurity tools and processes to determine security and business impact, driving informed decision-making.
• Identify opportunities to improve onboarding and QA processes for continuous operational enhancement.
• Support SOC operations by assisting with threat monitoring, investigation, and resolution, including managing the incident queue when required.

Benefits

• We offer competitive pay, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement benefits, paid parental leave, flexible work arrangements, education reimbursement, wellness programs, and more.
• Our paid time off policy exceeds the requirements of most local and state jurisdictions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level