Senior Security Operations Specialist (Ottawa (Downtown), ON, CA)

Senior Security Operations Specialist

Take a central role

The Bank of Canada has a vision to be a leading central bank—dynamic, engaged and trusted—committed to a better Canada. No other employer in the country offers you the unique opportunity to work at the very center of Canada’s economy, in an organization with significant impact on the economic and financial well-being of all Canadians. You will be challenged, energized and motivated to excel in our environment. 

Building on the principles that have always guided us – excellence, integrity and respect – we strive to be forward-looking and innovative, to welcome people with diverse perspectives and talents, and to earn trust by living up to our commitments and by clearly explaining the intent of our policies and actions.  

With our defined-benefit pension plan, benefits, and high flexibility for work life balance - find out more about why we are annually ranked as one of Canada's top employers:  Working Here - Bank of Canada

Find out more about the next steps in our Recruitment process. 

In addition to the position being staffed, this competition may be used to fill similar opportunities (Regular or Term) that become available at the same job grade. If you’re interested in this type of role, we encourage you to apply.

What you need to know

The Bank of Canada is at the forefront of cyber security, investing in the latest technologies to deliver best-in-class security within a world-class institution The Cyber Monitoring and Response Portfolio, part of the Cyber Security Division, adopt a proactive and intelligent driven approach to predicting, preventing, detecting and responding to cyber threats, protecting both a vital piece of Canada’s critical national infrastructure and the Bank’s digital assets.
 

What you will do
In this role, you will help protect the Bank's information assets and technology services by monitoring, detecting, investigating, and responding to cyber threats that could impact their confidentiality, integrity, and availability. As a senior member of the Cyber Monitoring & Response (M&R) team, you will provide technical leadership within the Security Operations Centre (SOC), driving the continuous evolution of threat detection, security monitoring, incident response, automation, and operational processes.

As a subject matter expert in security operations, you will mentor and support analysts, collaborate with Cyber Security, Information Technology, and business partners, and contribute to strategic cybersecurity initiatives. Through your leadership, you will enhance visibility into emerging threats, improve operational efficiency, advance the maturity of the Bank's cyber defence capabilities, and help ensure the SOC remains effective and resilient in an increasingly complex threat landscape. Your work will play a critical role in protecting the Bank's operations and supporting its long-term mission.

More specifically you will:

• Lead the investigation and response to complex cybersecurity threats, incidents, and security events.
• Develop, tune, and enhance detection capabilities to improve the Bank's ability to identify and respond to emerging threats.
• Conduct proactive threat hunting activities to identify malicious or suspicious activity across enterprise environments.
• Leverage threat intelligence and industry frameworks, such as MITRE ATT&CK, to strengthen monitoring and detection strategies.
• Lead technical investigations to determine incident scope, impact, root cause, and remediation requirements.
• Coordinate containment, recovery, and post-incident improvement activities with internal and external stakeholders.
• Review, provide input, and tune detection use cases, analytics, and automated response capabilities.
• Drive continuous improvements to Security Operations Centre (SOC) processes, technologies, and operational effectiveness.
• Provide technical leadership, coaching, and mentorship to analysts across the Cyber Monitoring & Response team.
• Contribute to cybersecurity projects and strategic initiatives while communicating insights and recommendations to stakeholders and senior management. 

What you need to succeed
To succeed in this role, you bring significant experience in security operations, cyber incident response, threat hunting, or security monitoring within complex enterprise environments. You have a proven ability to investigate sophisticated threats, lead response activities, and making sound decisions in high-pressure situations.

You possess strong technical expertise insecurity monitoring, detection engineering, incident response, and threat hunting.  Equally important, you are a collaborative leader who communicates effectively, build trusted relationships, and translates complex technical issues into actionable business insights. You enjoy mentoring others, driving continuous improvement, and helping advance the maturity of the Security Operations Centre and the broader Cyber Security function. 

Nice-to-have

• Relevant training or experience in scripting and automation (e.g., PowerShell, Python, Kusto Query Language (KQL)).
• Familiarity with cloud security monitoring and incident response in Microsoft Azure or other major cloud platforms.
• Experience 
  • developing or supporting security automation and orchestration (SOAR) capabilities.
  • conducting digital forensics, malware analysis, or advanced threat investigations
  • leading security projects, operational improvement initiatives, or SOC capability development programs
• Industry certifications such as GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH), GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA), GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), or Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

Your education and experience
This position requires a college or bachelor’s degree in computer science, Cyber Security, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field and ideally a minimum of 6 years of experience in related fields. We recognize that career paths vary, and we encourage candidates who may not meet this exact threshold but bring relevant experience and strong potential to apply as an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
 
 

Innovative Mindset

We value candidates who demonstrate adaptability, curiosity, and a willingness to learn new technologies, including AI and digital tools. We seek individuals who can think critically about data, question existing processes, and find ways to simplify our work while embracing change and new ways of doing things. 

Language requirement
The Bank’s work environment is conducive to the use of both of Canada’s official languages - English and French. Although the position language requirement is English or French essential, we do encourage everyone to improve their second language proficiency for future career growth and to contribute towards fostering a bilingual environment.

What you need to know

• Priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents
• Security level required: Be eligible to obtain Secret 
• There will be no relocation assistance provided
• Please save a copy of the job poster. Once the closing date has passed, it will no longer be available. 
• The official title for this position is “Senior Cyber Specialist" 
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Hybrid Work Model

The Bank offers work arrangements that provide employees with flexibility, enable high-performing teams, and support an excellent workplace culture. Most employees can telework from home for a portion of each month as part of the Bank’s hybrid work model, and they are expected on site at the Bank location a minimum of 12 days per month to help build connections between colleagues. You must live in Canada, and within reasonable commuting distance of the office.  

What you can expect from us
This is a great opportunity to join a leading organization and be part of a high-performing team. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet your needs at every stage of your life and career. For more information on key benefits please visit A great deal to consider.

• Salaries are based on qualifications and experience and typically range from $111,051 to $130,649 (job grade 17)
• The Bank offers an incentive for successfully meeting expectations at  7 to 10% of your base salary. The Bank offers additional performance pay (5%) for those who exceed expectations. Exceptional performers who far exceed expectations may be eligible for higher performance pay.
• Flexible and comprehensive benefits so you can choose the level of health and dental coverage that meets your needs
• Extra vacation days (up to five each year) that you can purchase to add to your vacation entitlement
• Option to join the indexed, defined-benefit pension plan after 24 consecutive months of service
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We wish to thank all applicants for their interest and effort in applying for this position. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.