Security Specialist – Azure

Security Specialist | Azure Security Specialist (Lead Level) Reporting to: Head of Platform Engineering We're looking for a highly skilled Security Specialist to play a key role in strengthening and maturing our Azure platform. This is a senior technical leadership position focused on platform resilience, security remediation, and driving a security-first culture across our engineering estate. About the Role You'll sit within the Platform Engineering function and work closely with our Security teams, including full integration with the SOC. Your core responsibility is to lead platform security improvements across Azure, ensuring standards are enforced, risks are remediated, and compliance is consistently maintained. Key Responsibilities Lead Azure platform security improvements and remediation activity Analyse security posture, vulnerabilities, and risk reports Review, refine, and enforce security policies to prevent non-compliance Ensure compliance standards are maintained and prevent regression Conduct design reviews with a strong security-first engineering mindset Manage and prioritise security concerns across Azure environments Balance BAU/reactive security work with project-based delivery Provide coaching, mentoring, and technical direction to engineering teams Technical Environment This is a highly Azure-focused role. Core technologies include: Azure GitHub Azure DevOps Infrastructure-as-Code (ARM, Bicep; ARM templates) Experience with Terraform (desirable) Azure Defender Early adoption of Microsoft Purview (Note: This is a platform security role, not an application penetration testing position.) Leadership Requirements Proven ability to lead and mentor engineers Hands-on support and direction for a 5-6 person squad Ability to work autonomously and create a clear definition of "what good looks like" Strong communication and stakeholder engagement capability Certifications (Highly Desirable) AZ-500 - Azure Security Engineer Associate SC-100 - Cybersecurity Architect Expert AZ-305 - Azure Solutions Architect Expert If this role sounds like your next move click "APPLY" or email lauren.hamer@oliverjames.com