Security Engineer - Detection Engineering

As a Security Engineer within Tesco’s Detection Engineering team, you will design and implement advanced security monitoring capabilities that proactively protect a global retail ecosystem serving millions of customers. This role is central to evolving Tesco’s cyber defence posture by deploying scalable, detection and prevention solutions. You will bridge foundational engineering, emerging architecture, embedding automation, innovation, and resilience into the organisation’s security fabric. Operating with a strong engineering mindset, you will help ensure threats are identified and mitigated before they impact customers or operations.

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 20% of base salary.
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays).
• Private medical insurance.
• 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (12 months service required at the qualifying date) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave.
• Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing.

• Engineer and deploy robust security controls and detection logic to proactively identify and mitigate cyber threats across Tesco’s technology landscape.
• Apply secure, test-driven development principles to build resilient, maintainable, and scalable security solutions.
• Leverage automation and Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance detection accuracy, reduce false positives, and optimise response workflows.
• Contribute to the hardening of cloud and enterprise environments through innovative detection and prevention mechanisms.
• Work closely with Security Operations Centre (SOC), Threat Intelligence, and platform engineering teams to deliver integrated, customer-first security outcomes.
• Actively learn from incidents, research emerging threats, and translate insights into improved detection coverage and engineering practices, fostering an inclusive and innovative team culture.

• Demonstrable understanding of software development lifecycles, with hands-on exposure to programming and building production-grade solutions.
• Experience applying secure coding practices and test-driven development approaches within an engineering or security context.
• Practical exposure to security platforms (e.g., Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)) and their role in detection engineering.
• Understanding of how custom detection rules, alerts, and telemetry are designed, tested, and implemented to identify malicious activity at scale. Able to reduce noise without impacting visibility, and to sustain detection quality over time,
• Evidence of strong curiosity and commitment to professional development, staying current with evolving threats and technologies.
• Ability to work effectively within diverse, cross-functional teams, contributing to an inclusive and supportive engineering environment.
• Solid critical thinking capability, with the ability to break down complex problems and deliver practical, scalable solutions.

Desirable:

• Exposure to core technology platforms and retail technology environments.
• Understanding of cloud and container security principles.
• Experience in security evaluation, functionality testing, and validation of controls.
• Familiarity with Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) concepts in cyber defence.
• Experience using tools such as Github, Jira, Zendesk, and xMatters for engineering workflow and operational collaboration.
• Experience with a querying language such as SPL, KQL, SQL, etc. In a Security Environment.
• Strong communication and influencing skills within technical teams.
• Awareness of product methodologies and agile delivery approaches.
• Exposure to technical security architecture concepts and data analytics for security.
• Understanding of responsible AI governance and compliance principles.