Director – Managed Security Services & Managed Detection and Response

VikingCloud

12d•Remote

About The Position

As the Director of MSS and MDR at VikingCloud, you will lead the go-to-market strategy, revenue growth, and market positioning for our expanding security operations portfolio. This senior leadership role focuses on driving commercial success for VikingCloud's MDR offerings through strategic partnerships, customer engagement, sales enablement, and competitive differentiation. You will be the external face of VikingCloud's security services, engaging with customers, prospects, partners, industry analysts, and the broader cybersecurity community. Working with our SOC and internal product teams, you will ensure VikingCloud's MDR services meet market demands while positioning the company as a leader in integrated compliance and security solutions for SMB merchants and financial institutions. Reporting to the Head of Product, you will drive revenue growth, customer acquisition, market expansion, and strategic partnerships while collaborating with sales, marketing, and operations to achieve business objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business, cybersecurity, computer science, or related field required; MBA strongly preferred.
10+ years of progressive experience in cybersecurity with at least 5 years in commercial leadership roles focused on go-to-market, sales, business development, or product marketing for security products or services.
Proven track record of revenue growth in MDR, MSSP, or cybersecurity SaaS markets. Experience selling to SMB, mid-market, and enterprise customers in financial services, payments, or retail verticals highly valuable.
Deep understanding of MDR market landscape including competitive dynamics, buyer personas, sales cycles, pricing models, and differentiation strategies. Knowledge of key players like CrowdStrike, Arctic Wolf, Rapid7, Expel, and traditional MSSPs.
Strong technical fluency in security operations concepts including EDR, SIEM, threat detection, incident response, and threat intelligence. Ability to articulate technical value to both technical and business audiences without requiring hands-on implementation experience.
Demonstrated success in sales enablement, pre-sales engineering, or product evangelism roles. Experience building sales playbooks, competitive positioning, and supporting complex B2B sales cycles.
Outstanding customer-facing skills with proven ability to engage C-level executives (CISOs, CTOs, CFOs) and build trusted advisor relationships. Comfort presenting to large audiences and small boardrooms alike.
Experience with compliance frameworks (PCI DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST) and ability to articulate how security services support compliance objectives. Understanding of merchant security and payment ecosystem is highly valuable.
Strong partnership development experience including vendor relationships, channel partnerships, and strategic alliances. Track record of negotiating win-win partnerships that drive revenue growth.
Excellent communication and presentation skills with ability to translate complex security concepts into business value and ROI. Experience with analyst briefings, conference speaking, and thought leadership.
Strategic thinking and business acumen with P&L management experience or strong financial literacy. Understanding of SaaS/managed services business models, unit economics, and pricing strategies.
Experience managing outsourced service provider relationships with focus on customer outcomes, performance management, and continuous improvement.
Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort in ambiguous, fast-paced environments. Ability to build new offerings and enter new markets while maintaining operational excellence.
Data-driven approach to decision making with experience using CRM systems, business intelligence tools, and metrics dashboards to track performance and optimize strategies.
Industry certifications such as CISSP, CISM, or equivalent demonstrating credible security expertise. Product management or sales certifications are valuable additions.
Established network in cybersecurity industry including relationships with security vendors, industry analysts (Gartner, Forrester), potential partners, and peer security leaders.
Track record of thought leadership through conference presentations, published articles, podcasts, or contributions to the security community.
Customer-obsessed mindset with proven ability to drive customer satisfaction, retention, and expansion. Experience with NPS programs and customer success strategies.
Strong collaboration skills with ability to work across product, engineering, sales, marketing, and operations teams. Experience influencing without direct authority.

Nice To Haves

MBA strongly preferred.
Experience selling to SMB, mid-market, and enterprise customers in financial services, payments, or retail verticals highly valuable.
Understanding of merchant security and payment ecosystem is highly valuable.
Product management or sales certifications are valuable additions.

Responsibilities

Go-To-Market Strategy & Execution: Develop and execute comprehensive go-to-market strategies for VikingCloud's MDR and managed security services. Define target customer segments, value propositions, pricing models, and sales motions. Create market entry strategies for new verticals and geographies. Drive revenue growth through both direct sales and channel partnerships.
Sales Enablement & Revenue Growth: Partner with sales leadership to build sales playbooks, competitive battle cards, ROI calculators, proof-of-value frameworks, and win/loss strategies. Conduct sales training on MDR positioning, technical differentiation, and objection handling. Support complex enterprise sales cycles through executive engagement, technical validation, and customer presentations. Establish revenue targets and track performance against goals.
Customer Engagement & Acquisition: Serve as primary contact for strategic customers and key prospects. Conduct customer discovery sessions, executive briefings, and quarterly business reviews. Build trusted advisor relationships with CISOs, CTOs, and security leaders. Present at customer events, webinars, and industry conferences. Drive customer success and expansion revenue through upsell and cross-sell opportunities with compliance services.
Market Positioning & Competitive Strategy: Own VikingCloud's competitive positioning in the MDR market against players like Arctic Wolf, Rapid7, Huntress, and traditional MSSPs. Articulate clear differentiation based on compliance integration, merchant security expertise, and hybrid platform + SOC model. Monitor competitive landscape and adjust positioning as market evolves. Develop messaging and content that resonates with target buyers.
Strategic Partnerships & Channel Development: Establish and manage partnerships with technology vendors (EDR, SIEM, threat intelligence), resellers, MSSPs, and industry alliances. Build channel programs for acquirer partners and payment processors to white-label or resell VikingCloud's MDR services. Negotiate partnership agreements and joint go-to-market initiatives. Drive partner-sourced revenue growth.
SOC Relationship & Performance: Ensure service level agreements are met and customer satisfaction remains high. Conduct regular performance reviews and drive continuous improvement. Escalate and resolve operational issues affecting customers. Position SOC partnership as strategic advantage in market conversations.
Product Strategy & Roadmap Influence: Define market requirements and customer needs that inform the MDR product roadmap. Gather competitive intelligence and customer feedback to guide product priorities. Represent market perspective in product planning discussions. Ensure VikingCloud's MDR capabilities remain competitive and aligned with market demands. Balance customer requests with strategic product direction.
Marketing Collaboration & Demand Generation: Partner with marketing to develop messaging, positioning, content, case studies, and demand generation campaigns. Create compelling value propositions for different buyer personas. Support analyst relations with Gartner, Forrester, and industry research firms. Contribute thought leadership through conference speaking, blogs, and media engagement. Drive inbound and outbound lead generation.
Customer Success & Retention: Design customer onboarding processes, success metrics, and engagement models for MDR services. Define health scores and early warning indicators for at-risk customers. Establish executive sponsorship programs for enterprise accounts. Drive high NPS scores and customer retention rates. Create customer advocacy programs and reference-able customers.
Financial Management & Business Planning: Develop business cases, revenue projections, and P&L forecasts for MDR services. Optimize pricing strategies and packaging to maximize revenue and margins. Track key business metrics including bookings, ARR, customer acquisition cost (CAC), lifetime value (LTV), and gross margins. Report financial performance and business results to leadership.
Industry Engagement & Thought Leadership: Represent VikingCloud at industry conferences, roundtables, and trade shows. Build relationships with industry analysts, media, and influencers. Participate in industry working groups and standards bodies. Establish VikingCloud as a thought leader in merchant security, payment security, and integrated compliance/security solutions. Create visibility and brand awareness in target markets.
Market Intelligence & Strategy: Conduct market research on MDR trends, emerging threats, customer buying behaviors, and competitive dynamics. Monitor regulatory changes and compliance requirements affecting security services. Identify new market opportunities and adjacent services to expand VikingCloud's portfolio. Provide strategic recommendations to executive leadership on market direction and investment priorities.