SVP/CISO Cyber and Product Security

Generac•Waukesha, WI

13d

About The Position

The Senior Vice President Cybersecurity (Chief Information Security Officer – CISO) leads Generac’s global cybersecurity organization and is responsible for the strategy, leadership, and execution of global cybersecurity and product security programs. Reporting to the Chief Information Officer, the CISO owns the enterprise security vision and multi-year roadmap, protecting information assets, manufacturing operations, connected products, and the digital ecosystem against evolving threats. The role is accountable for measurable cyber-risk reduction across IT, OT, and product domains in a complex industrial and manufacturing environment. The CISO leads a global organization covering security operations, cybersecurity engineering, governance, risk and compliance, product and IoT security, and OT/ICS security. The position partners with executive leadership, product engineering, manufacturing operations, business stakeholders, and external partners, and represents cybersecurity to the executive leadership team, Board of Directors, customers, and regulators. The role defines and executes enterprise cybersecurity strategy; owns product security, OT/ICS security, cyber risk management, security compliance, third-party risk, and security operations; and leads enterprise response to material cyber incidents. It also builds and develops a high-performing global security organization, sets its operating model and budget, governs vendors and managed service providers, and communicates cyber risk, program maturity, and incident readiness to executive and Board audiences.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree focused in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or a related field.
15 years of progressive cybersecurity experience, including at least 10 years in senior security leadership roles.
Prior experience as a CISO, Deputy CISO, or equivalent head of security in a Fortune 500 or comparable global enterprise.
Experience leading cybersecurity in industrial, manufacturing, or similarly complex global environments, including OT/ICS security and product or IoT security for connected products.
Track record of building, scaling, and retaining high-performing global security teams and maturing enterprise security programs against measurable outcomes.
Experience presenting to Boards of Directors, audit committees, and executive leadership, including cyber-risk reporting and material incident communications.
Experience leading enterprise response to significant cyber incidents, coordinating with external counsel, forensic partners, insurers, law enforcement, and regulators.
Working knowledge of NIST CSF, ISO 27001, IEC 62443, MITRE ATT&CK, and SEC cybersecurity disclosure requirements.
Executive presence and strong communication skills, including the ability to translate technical risk into business terms for Boards, customers, and non-technical leaders.
Strategic vision and operational depth across IT, OT, cloud, identity, application, and product security domains.
Business acumen, including financial management of large security budgets, vendor negotiation, and cyber insurance strategy.
Sound judgment and decisiveness under pressure, including the ability to lead calmly during high-severity incidents.
Ability to influence without direct authority in a matrixed global environment, collaborate across functions, align stakeholders, and drive accountability around shared cybersecurity outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Engineering, or Business Administration (MBA).
CISSP, CISM, or equivalent executive-level security certification.
Experience in a publicly traded company subject to SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules.
Experience securing energy technology, power generation, or connected consumer or industrial products.

Responsibilities

Define and execute a multi-year enterprise cybersecurity strategy and roadmap aligned with business objectives and informed by relevant industrial and manufacturing benchmarks.
Advise the CIO, executive leadership team, and Board of Directors on cyber risk posture, investment priorities, and emerging threats.
Partner across business units, functions, and regions to balance risk, speed, operational continuity, and business growth.
Own the product security program for connected products, energy technology platforms, and IoT ecosystems, embedding secure-by-design and secure development lifecycle practices in product engineering.
Establish and lead product security incident response and coordinated vulnerability disclosure, and address applicable product security regulations and standards, including IEC 62443 and the EU Cyber Resilience Act.
Partner with product engineering, manufacturing, operations, legal, compliance, and business leaders to embed security in business processes, product development, and operational decision-making.
Lead the security strategy for operational technology and industrial control systems across global manufacturing and distribution facilities, balancing risk reduction with production uptime and safety.
Establish IT/OT convergence governance, segmentation and access standards, and incident response readiness for plant-floor environments.
Provide executive oversight of global security operations, incident response, threat intelligence, and vulnerability management, supporting around-the-clock detection and response across internal teams and managed service partners.
Serve as executive incident commander for material cyber events, directing enterprise response and communications with executive leadership, the Board, legal counsel, insurers, and regulators, including SEC materiality assessment and disclosure support.
Own the enterprise cyber risk management framework, security policy program, and control environment aligned with NIST CSF, ISO 27001, and applicable regulatory obligations, including applicable product certification and recertification processes.
Direct security compliance, audit readiness, SOX-related IT control partnership, and customer assurance activities across global operations.
Own the third-party cyber risk management program across suppliers, service providers, and technology partners in the global manufacturing supply chain.
Govern strategic security vendors and managed service providers through service levels, performance reviews, and decisions about internal versus external capabilities.
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing global security organization; attract talent, develop future leaders, and establish succession depth.
Define the security operating model, organizational design, and budget, managing multi-million-dollar program and technology investments for risk reduction.
Deliver business-focused reporting on cyber risk, program maturity, and incident readiness to executive leadership and Board committees.
Champion enterprise-wide security culture, awareness, and accountability, positioning cybersecurity as an enabler of Generac’s energy technology strategy.