Cyber Defense SecOps Senior Specialist

Job Purpose

MSC Cruises is seeking an experienced Cyber Defense SecOps Senior Specialist to join its international Cyber Defense organization in Naples. The role combines strong hands-on cybersecurity expertise with operational support to the coordination of the SecOps team and of Cyber Defense services. The successful candidate will execute and continuously improve security operations, work with internal resources and external service providers, and support the evolution of the operating model through insourcing initiatives.
The position acts as a senior technical reference during major cyber incidents, including P1 events and War Rooms, and directly supports the protection of shoreside systems, networks, identities and data. The role is positioned requires autonomy on complex activities, sound judgement, specialist advice to colleagues and stakeholders, and the ability to deliver security projects in complex, fast-paced environments.

Key Accountabilities

• Support the Cyber Defense Senior Manager in coordinating the day-to-day activities of the SecOps team, assisting with workload allocation and timely execution of security activities, and supporting junior colleagues.
• Act as operational point of contact for Cyber Defense services, monitoring service quality, operational performance, risks and dependencies, and advising on continuous improvement actions.
• Support the management of external security providers and MSSP partners, including deliverable review, SLA and KPI monitoring, escalation and follow-up of remediation plans.
• Support the technical response to P1 cyber incidents and actively participate in War Rooms, executing technical triage, containment and recovery activities, and documenting actions and communications.
• Support the execution of insourcing programs, including capability assessment, knowledge transfer, process transition, documentation, tooling readiness and operational handover.
• Operate, maintain and optimize security capabilities across Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Entra, with particular focus on identity security, access controls, logging, monitoring and cloud security posture.
• Support the implementation and transition to operations of new security controls, platforms and processes, documenting operational readiness, support models and responsibilities.
• Support vulnerability remediation, patching and technical troubleshooting activities in collaboration with IT, Cloud, Network and Application teams.
• Maintain operating procedures, service documentation, runbooks, escalation paths and control evidence, applying the defined technical standards.
• Provide clear updates and technical advice to Cyber Defense leadership and relevant technical and business stakeholders.
• Participate in the on-call model and provide support outside standard working hours when required for critical incidents.
• Availability to travel, approximately 10% of the time.

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• Indicatively 5–8 years of professional experience in Cyber Defense, Security Operations, network security, cloud security or a comparable cybersecurity role.
• Demonstrated experience supporting the coordination of a technical or operational team, including prioritization, task orchestration, escalation and cross-functional collaboration.
• Solid experience working with external suppliers, MSSPs or technology partners in a service-oriented environment; practical knowledge of SLA, KPI, service reviews and escalation processes.
• Proven participation in insourcing, service transition or operating-model transformation programs, including knowledge transfer and internal capability development.
• Hands-on experience in Microsoft Azure security and Microsoft Entra, including identity and access security, conditional access, privileged access and security monitoring.
• Solid knowledge of incident response processes and direct experience supporting major incidents, P1 events or War Room coordination.
• Demonstrated autonomy on complex activities and sound judgement in high-pressure operational situations, recognizing when to escalate.
• Solid project delivery skills, with experience tracking plans, milestones, risks, issues, dependencies and multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Excellent stakeholder coordination, communication and reporting skills, with the ability to translate technical topics into clear operational and leadership updates.
• Ability to handle competing priorities in a fast-paced, international and results-oriented environment.
• Italian as primary language and fluent professional English.
• Availability to support on-call activities during non-standard working hours.

Preferred (nice to have):
• Experience with technologies such as Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365, Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Defender,
• Relevant certifications are considered an advantage, for example Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate, Microsoft Security Operations Analyst, ITIL 4 Foundation, CISM, CompTIA Security+.

Personal attributes:
• Proactive and hands-on, with a strong sense of responsibility and service orientation.
• Calm, structured and decisive during critical incidents and periods of high operational pressure.
• Collaborative team player who builds effective relationships with internal teams and external partners.
• Continuous-improvement mindset, with the ability to challenge existing processes constructively and turn findings into practical actions.

VISA Requirements

Right to work in Italy.

What we offer

In compliance with the applicable pay transparency legislation, the following information is provided regarding the initial compensation foreseen for the position.

Contract
• Type of contract: Permanent
• Hybrid working model: 2 days per week remotely
• Applicable Collective Labour Agreement (CCNL): “Addetti agli uffici ed ai terminals delle società di navigazione che esercitano l’armamento privato” – sez. personale di terra
• Gross annual salary (RAL): between €38.000 – €42.000 gross per year, paid over 14 monthly installments
• Meal vouchers: worth €8 per on-site working day
The offer in terms of salary will be determined based on the candidate’s professional experience, technical competencies, and the level of autonomy and responsibility assigned to the role.

Welfare&Wellbeing
We offer a range of Welfare&Wellbeing Initiatives as well as benefits including Productivity award, Health Insurance, Learning opportunities, flexible working hours, Employee Assistance Programme, Discounts & Partnerships within the MSC group.