MaViAl Security roles • UK eligibility varies by employer
Home / Jobs / United Kingdom / Cybersecurity Analyst

Cybersecurity Analyst Jobs in the United Kingdom

Cybersecurity Analysts protect organisations by monitoring alerts, investigating suspicious activity, containing incidents and improving detection. The role is usually evidence-driven: logs, timelines, root cause, and clear remediation steps.

IT & Office Mid Sponsorship: higher than many entry roles (indicative)
CV required: candidates without a CV are not considered.
Build / Upload CV (Required) Contact
Work eligibility: non-UK candidates must already have the right to work in the UK, or apply only to roles where an employer confirms a legal hiring route for them. Requirements vary significantly by employer, sector and security constraints.
Typical gross pay £40k–£60k / year Role-dependent; senior or specialised roles can be higher
Typical hours 37–40 hrs/week Some SOC roles include shifts and on-call rotations
Core focus SOC / SIEM / IR Monitoring, investigations, incident response and prevention
Pay & shifts Responsibilities Requirements Candidate portrait UK work conditions How to apply FAQ
Apply with CV Back to UK vacancies

Pay & shifts (gross)

Cybersecurity Analyst pay varies by domain (SOC, incident response, cloud security, vulnerability management), sector (finance, consultancies, public sector), location, and shift/on-call requirements. Use the benchmarks below for planning — final offers depend on employer and seniority.

Level / context Typical gross pay Common indicators
Junior / SOC Tier 1
Alert triage, runbooks, escalation		 £30k–£45k / year Strong fundamentals, good documentation, consistent triage
Mid (core analyst)
Investigations, IR support, tuning, reporting		 £45k–£60k / year Own cases end-to-end, reduce false positives, improve coverage
Senior / specialised
Threat hunting, detection engineering, cloud/IAM		 £60k–£80k+ / year High-impact engineering, leadership, complex incidents
Simple gross example:
  • £45,000/year at 37.5 hours/week ≈ £23.08/hour gross.
Gross pay is before deductions. Some roles add on-call allowances or shift premiums.

SOC workflow snapshot (what you actually do)

Employers want analysts who can move from “alert” to “decision” with a clear rationale, and leave a readable record behind.

1) Triage
Validate signal quality, check context, confirm scope, decide whether to escalate.
2) Investigate
Correlate logs (endpoint, identity, network), enrich IOCs, build a short timeline.
3) Contain & eradicate
Coordinate actions (isolation, credential resets, blocking) and confirm the threat is removed.
4) Improve
Tune detections, update playbooks, document lessons learned and prevention steps.

Common tool types: SIEM, EDR, SOAR, vulnerability scanners, ticketing, scripting for enrichment, and reporting dashboards.

Typical responsibilities

  • Monitor and triage alerts from SIEM/EDR and other security telemetry; escalate with clear evidence.
  • Investigate incidents (phishing, malware, account takeover, suspicious logins) and build timelines.
  • Support containment/remediation with IT teams: isolation, blocking, credential resets, patching and validation.
  • Improve detection quality by tuning rules, reducing false positives, and documenting repeat patterns.
  • Write analyst-grade documentation: tickets, incident reports, post-incident actions and risk notes.
What stands out:
  • Clear reasoning: “why I believe this is benign/malicious”.
  • Evidence selection: a few decisive logs rather than noise.
  • Measurable outcomes (MTTR reduction, improved coverage, fewer repeats).

Requirements (detailed)

  • CV in English (mandatory): list your SIEM/EDR exposure, incident types, and outcomes you delivered.
  • Security fundamentals: TCP/IP basics, DNS/HTTP, authentication concepts, permissions, common attack patterns.
  • Operating systems: practical Windows and Linux awareness (logs, processes, persistence basics).
  • Log analysis: you can filter, correlate and explain events; comfortable with structured queries/search.
  • Incident response mindset: triage → contain → remediate → validate → learn.
  • Communication: write clean tickets and explain risks to non-security stakeholders.
Nice-to-have (role dependent):
  • MITRE ATT&CK mapping, threat intel enrichment, basic scripting (Python/PowerShell) for automation.
  • Cloud security basics (Azure/AWS), IAM basics (least privilege, MFA, conditional access concepts).
  • Certifications (helpful but not mandatory): Security+ / CySA+ / SSCP or equivalent evidence.

Evidence portfolio (what makes your CV credible)

Security hiring is increasingly proof-oriented. If you claim a skill, show how you used it and what changed because of your work.

  • Incident write-up: short timeline + actions + final validation.
  • Detection improvement: rule tuning or new detection logic that reduced noise.
  • Hunt or investigation: hypothesis → queries → findings → remediation proposal.
  • Metrics: false-positive rate, MTTR, SLA adherence, coverage growth (where possible).

Share only what you are allowed to share; never disclose sensitive client or employer data.

Next step: Submit your CV via the CV page. MaViAl screens your profile against current UK demand and client requirements, then contacts you if a matching role is available.
Go to CV page (Required) Browse more IT & Office roles

Short candidate portrait

The strongest cybersecurity analysts are calm, structured and curious. They do not “guess”; they verify, document and improve the system after each case.

  • Evidence-first thinker: you can justify decisions with logs and context.
  • Bias-resistant: you challenge assumptions and test alternative explanations.
  • Clear writer: tickets read like a story with a beginning, middle and end.
  • Team operator: you coordinate remediation and confirm closure, not only detection.
  • Continuous learner: you convert incidents into better detections and playbooks.

Role story (unique module)

Security work is often invisible until it fails. A strong analyst reduces uncertainty: they turn noisy telemetry into a short, defensible conclusion and a practical remediation plan.

What “good” looks like after your first month:
  • Faster triage with better escalation notes (fewer ping-pongs).
  • Cleaner incident timelines and repeatable investigation steps.
  • At least one detection/playbook improvement based on real cases.

Common scenarios you should be ready for

  1. Phishing leading to credential compromise and suspicious logins.
  2. Endpoint alerts where the goal is to confirm impact and contain fast.
  3. Cloud or identity anomalies requiring careful validation and comms.

This section is powered by the shared “anti-template engine” used across the UK job category (deterministic variation by page slug).

UK work conditions (practical overview)

Security roles in the UK can be office-based, hybrid or remote depending on employer policy, data sensitivity and incident handling needs. SOC positions often include shift patterns and formal escalation/on-call rotations.

Holiday baseline Statutory paid leave is commonly described as 28 days for a 5-day working week (contracts may offer more).
Breaks & rest baseline If you work more than 6 hours, a rest break is typically expected; daily rest between working days is also an established principle.
Sick pay reference point Statutory sick pay exists as a baseline in UK employment; eligibility and terms depend on rules and contract specifics.

Security-specific realities

  • Change windows & incidents: some teams operate outside standard hours during high severity events.
  • Documentation culture: you are expected to record actions precisely for audit and repeatability.
  • Access & checks: certain employers require additional verification or clearance processes depending on sector.
  • KPIs: triage speed, quality of analysis, containment speed (MTTR) and reduction of repeat incidents.
Important: This page is role guidance. Actual conditions (hours, shifts/on-call, remote policy, pay structure, benefits) are defined by the specific employer and contract. All pay figures shown are indicative and represent gross pay (before deductions).

Related roles in IT & Office

Back to sector list

FAQ

Is this role more SOC-focused or engineering-focused?

Many “Cybersecurity Analyst” roles are SOC and investigations focused (triage, IR support, reporting). Some employers use the title for detection engineering, cloud security or vulnerability management. Your CV should state the workstreams you actually do.

What gross salary is typical for Cybersecurity Analyst jobs in the UK?

A practical planning band for many mid-level roles is roughly £40k–£60k/year gross, with junior roles often lower and senior/specialised roles higher. Final pay depends on location, sector, shift/on-call requirements and seniority.

What should I include in my CV to be shortlisted?

List your tools (SIEM/EDR), incident types handled, how you investigated (timeline, evidence), and what outcomes you delivered (containment actions, detection improvements, reduced false positives, faster MTTR). Keep it concise and in English.

Do I need certifications?

Certifications can help, but employers usually prioritise evidence: incident write-ups, investigation depth, and clear remediation thinking. If you have certifications, connect them to real work you performed.

Are shift patterns common?

Shift work is common in 24/7 SOC environments. Some teams use office hours with an on-call rota; others use rotating shifts with formal handovers.

Can non-UK candidates apply?

Non-UK candidates must have the right to work in the UK or target roles where the employer confirms a legal route for them. This varies by employer, role requirements and operational constraints.