Senior IT Security Specialist

New York ISO•Rensselaer, NY

33d•$105,700 - $176,400•Hybrid

About The Position

The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) manages the efficient flow of electricity on over 11,000 circuit-miles of high-voltage transmission lines, dispatching power from hundreds of generating units across the state. The NYISO applies cutting-edge technology to operating a reliable electricity system, managing competitive markets for wholesale electricity, and planning for the Empire State's energy future. This full-time Senior IT Security Specialist position is within the Information Technology department. The role provides a wide range of information security services to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of NYISO information and technical environments, supporting enterprise security goals. Responsibilities encompass security operations, threat management, incident response, event monitoring and analysis, vulnerability management, engineering and operation of security tools and infrastructure, access/identity/account management, risk management, supply chain cyber risk management, information protection, development and maintenance of security policies, standards, and procedures, and delivering security awareness training. The specialist evaluates existing security measures, assesses their effectiveness, and recommends improvements. This role is responsible for ensuring compliance with corporate and regulatory standards, including cyber risk frameworks.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree (BS) in Information Security, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, or similar fields.
At least seven years of experience in progressively responsible information technology and/or IT security positions.
In-depth understanding of information security best practices.
Expertise with related security technologies and tools.
Broad and deep expertise in different information security technologies.
Conceptual knowledge of system development lifecycles, code and application vulnerabilities.
Ability to identify solutions to challenging technical problems.
Knowledge of various security methodologies and processes, and technical security solutions (firewall, intrusion detection systems, and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms, Threat Intelligence Platforms, Vulnerability Scanning, Security Orchestration and Response).
Experience working with various event logging systems and be proficient with security event log analysis.
Previous experience with Security Information and Event Monitoring (SIEM) platforms that perform log collection, analysis, correlation, and alerting.
Experience in analyzing net flow data and packet capture (PCAP).
Ability to read, analyze and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and governmental regulations.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
Ability to write presentations and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format.
Ability to effectively communicate security and risk-related concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals.
Ability to compute rate, ratio and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Proficient with personal computers running the Windows operating system.
Experience with productivity software such as Microsoft Office applications, e-mail, and Internet.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree (MS, MBA) or equivalent experience.
Experience with complex IT infrastructure systems is preferred.
Experience in the energy sector is desirable.
GIAC, CISA, CEH, CFE, CISSP, or similar certification preferred.
Knowledge of NIST Special Publication 800 Series is preferred.

Responsibilities

Designs and manages technologies in support of the NYISO’s Security Operations function.
Responsible for cyber security architecture, design, system integration, installation, upgrades, and patching, monitoring, system integrity, security, disaster recovery, and performance.
Develops and maintains technology standards and procedures.
Leads or participates on project teams and collaborates with application developers and infrastructure peers.
Performs backup and restoration procedures.
Leads audit efforts and ensures compliance with corporate and regulatory standards.
Mentors and trains junior staff.
Provides expertise in strategic IT planning.
Establishes and maintains working relationships with IT partners, business customers, and vendors.
Responsible for all parts of the system lifecycle of managed cyber security platforms.
Establishes and documents expertise for a wide range of security technologies and processes including SIEM, Threat Management Platform, Anti-malware, vulnerability scanners, penetration testing, forensics tools, secure application coding and scanning, and cyber security incident response.
Architects, designs, and develops security automation (SOAR) to automate repetitive tasks and mature monitoring and response.
Applies broad and deep security expertise to investigate activity, trends, and patterns in NYISO systems, ensuring the security, availability, and integrity of information assets and technical environments, including energy management systems designated as national critical infrastructure.
Serves as a security thought leader.
Interacts frequently with peers across the IT organization to develop solutions that ensure the security of IT infrastructure and business applications.
Provides guidance on the configuration of security infrastructure to implement robust security measures and controls through technology solutions.
Designs IT security architecture and makes recommendations on infrastructure, including hardware, software, architecture, and systems management.
Collaborates with the Security Operations team to ensure security technologies are configured properly to monitor, track, and analyze networks/systems for potential security violations.
Ensures the delivery of all assigned projects, representing Enterprise Security on business projects and serving as the lead on Enterprise Security initiatives within the area of specialty.
May perform additional project duties such as requirements development, project management, and quality assurance.
Participates as a key member of the Cyber Security Incident Response Team by providing subject matter expertise to junior staff on security concepts.
Oversees the collection of metrics and key performance indicators that measure Enterprise Security’s effectiveness.
Develops reports and dashboards that communicate security readiness to business leaders.
Leverages offensive security techniques and adversarial thinking to proactively identify, validate, and mitigate security weaknesses across applications, infrastructure, and cloud environments.
Leads or supports activities such as penetration testing, threat emulation, red teaming, attack surface management, and security control validation.
Evaluates emerging technologies, industry trends, and evolving threat landscapes to identify opportunities and risks impacting the NYISO's security posture.
Researches, assesses, and provides strategic guidance on next-generation security capabilities and disruptive technologies, including AI, machine learning, synthetic media detection, post-quantum cryptography, quantum-safe security standards, and other advancements relevant to critical infrastructure protection.