Security Operations Incident Response Manager

Key Responsibilities:

Incident Response & SOC Leadership

• Lead and manage a team of SOC analysts and leads to ensure full-time (24x7x365) coverage for global security monitoring and incident response.
• Act as the primary escalation point during U.S. business hours for high-severity security incidents.
• Ensure all incidents are triaged, contained, and resolved in accordance with SLAs, security best practices, and operational playbooks.
• Maintain direct involvement in major incidents, coordinating technical bridge calls and ensuring smooth handoffs with the India SOC team.
• Oversee post-incident reviews and ensure the integration of lessons learned into improved detection and response processes.

U.S. SOC Operations Management

• Oversee day-to-day SOC operations from the U.S. Cybersecurity Operations Center, driving consistent execution, operational excellence, and adherence to global standards.
• Develop and manage shift schedules and analyst coverage models to ensure resilience and team well-being.
• Provide requirements for the optimization and effective usage of SOC tooling and workflows (e.g., QRadar SIEM, Cortex XSOAR/XDR) aligned with enterprise detection and response strategies working closely with the backline SOC logging infrastructure and SIEM manager.

Cross-Regional Collaboration

• Work in tight coordination with the India-based SOC Manager to enable a seamless, unified “follow-the-sun” incident response model.
• Participate in global SOC planning sessions, playbook development, threat trend analysis, and shared lessons-learned exercises.
• Act as a trusted liaison across regions, maintaining situational awareness and consistent communication across incidents and initiatives.

U.S. Cybersecurity Operations Leadership

• Represent the SOC within the broader U.S.-based cybersecurity and IT communities, promoting integration and awareness of SOC operations.
• Engage with internal stakeholders, including IT, legal, compliance, and executive teams, to ensure alignment with business continuity and cybersecurity risk management.
• Support talent development through hiring, onboarding, mentoring, and upskilling the U.S. SOC team.

Metrics, Process, and Continuous Improvement

• Develop, refine, and own key performance indicators (KPIs) and operational metrics that measure SOC performance, analyst effectiveness, and incident handling quality.
• Track and analyze metrics such as MTTR, incident volume, false positive rates, and automation effectiveness to drive operational improvements.
• Create and deliver monthly PowerPoint decks to stakeholders and partners summarizing incidents, threats, performance metrics, and ongoing maturity initiatives.
• Drive the adoption of SOAR platforms and automation to streamline SOC workflows and enhance operational efficiency.
• Lead retrospectives and lessons-learned reviews to continuously evolve processes and enhance SOC readiness against evolving threats.

Qualifications:

Required:

• 12+ years of IT experience, with at least 8+ years within a SOC or cybersecurity incident response environment, and 4+ years in a leadership role.
• Strong background managing global or regional security operations with a 24x7 model.
• Deep understanding of security incident detection and response workflows, threat actor TTPs, and SOC technologies (e.g., QRadar, Cortex XSOAR/XDR).
• Proven ability to lead under pressure during complex, high-severity cybersecurity incidents.

Preferred:

• Experience acting as a regional or national cybersecurity leader within a large enterprise environment.
• Familiarity with NIST 800-61, ISO 27035, MITRE ATT&CK, and incident response lifecycle best practices.
• Security certifications such as GCIH, GCFA, CISSP, CISM, or equivalent.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, and its subsidiaries franchise or operate a system of over 59,000 restaurants in more than 155 countries and territories under the company’s concepts – KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill. The Company's KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands are global leaders of the chicken, Mexican-style food, and pizza categories, respectively. Habit Burger & Grill is a fast casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. In 2024, Yum! was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America, and the company was recognized among TIME Magazine’s list of Best Companies for Future Leaders, Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies and USA Today’s America’s Climate Leaders. Yum! also received widespread recognition in 2023, including being listed on the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for Diversity. In addition, KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands were ranked in the top five of Entrepreneur’s Top Global Franchises Ranking for 2023.