Director of Cyber Security Operations

S.P. Richards Company•Atlanta, GA

16h

About The Position

The Director of Cybersecurity Operations leads the institution’s cybersecurity operations and risk management program to protect information assets and enable business objectives. This role owns the strategy and execution for security monitoring and detection, incident response (SIRT), vulnerability and exposure management, digital forensics, and cybersecurity governance and compliance. The Director partners with IT and business leaders to embed security-by-design across initiatives, defines operational playbooks and metrics, and continuously improves processes through automation and modern security practices. This position provides people leadership for the cybersecurity team and manages the department budget, vendor/partner relationships, and executive reporting on cyber risk and security performance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
10+ years of progressive experience in cybersecurity and/or technology risk, including security operations, incident response, and vulnerability management.
5+ years of people leadership experience (team lead/manager/director), including hiring, coaching, and performance management.
Hands-on understanding of security operations technologies and processes (e.g., SIEM, EDR/XDR, SOAR, vulnerability scanners, threat intelligence, email/web security).
Strong knowledge of security governance, risk, and compliance concepts; experience supporting audits and regulatory requirements.
Working knowledge of common security frameworks and standards (e.g., NIST CSF, NIST 800-53, ISO/IEC 27001) and ability to translate them into practical controls.
Experience securing modern environments (cloud and hybrid) and partnering with infrastructure and application teams to implement security-by-design.
Demonstrated ability to communicate cyber risk to non-technical stakeholders and present clear, actionable recommendations to executive leadership.
Strong interpersonal skills, prioritization, problem-solving, and change management skills in a complex environment.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and applicable regulations.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure documentation.
Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from leaders, clients, customers, and the public.
Must be able to communicate clearly with staff to ensure shared understanding of tasks, priorities, and schedules, and with end users/customers to support timely issue resolution.

Nice To Haves

Masters Degree preferred.
Preferred certifications: CISSP, CISM, CRISC, GIAC (e.g., GSEC/GCIH), or equivalent.

Responsibilities

Provide cybersecurity risk management leadership aligned to institutional strategy and operational priorities.
Set the vision, roadmap, objectives, and operating model for cybersecurity operations (SOC/SIRT), including staffing, on-call coverage, and budget management.
Lead the Security Incident Response Team (SIRT) program: build and maintain response plans and playbooks; run tabletop exercises; act as incident commander for major events.
Direct 24x7 (or defined-hours) security monitoring and response workflows, including SIEM, EDR/XDR, alert triage, escalation, and continuous detection tuning.
Oversee investigation, containment, eradication, and recovery for cybersecurity incidents; coordinate legal, HR, communications, insurance, and external partners as required (including law enforcement when appropriate).
Own the vulnerability and exposure management program: scanning, prioritization, risk-based remediation tracking, patch coordination, and reporting.
Lead the digital forensics and evidence-handling capability (internal or outsourced), ensuring repeatable processes and defensible documentation.
Leading hands on cybersecurity engineering efforts to design, deploy, and operate security controls that improve prevention, detection, and response across cloud and on-prem environments.
Direct cybersecurity policy, governance, and compliance activities; develop and maintain security policies/standards and support audits and regulatory requirements.
Define security metrics, KPIs, and executive reporting mechanisms to measure program effectiveness and communicate the state of cyber risk to leadership.
Manage vendor and managed service relationships (e.g., SOC tooling, MDR providers), including SLAs, performance reviews, and renewal planning.
Partner with organizational leadership and project teams to ensure initiatives incorporate appropriate controls and standards (e.g., secure configuration, logging, access controls, data protection).
Support cyber insurance program needs by providing documentation, controls evidence, and incident response readiness inputs.
Build, coach, and develop a high-performing cybersecurity team; establish goals, performance expectations, and professional development plans.