Manager of IT Security

Position Summary

The Manager of IT Security provides leadership for day-to-day security operations while helping advance the organization's security strategy, operating model, and program maturity. This role directs and develops security personnel, oversees incident response and operational performance, and partners with business and IT leaders to manage cyber risk in a practical, business-aligned manner.

The role is responsible for strengthening security operations, data protection, governance, risk and compliance, security awareness, vendor performance, and the delivery of new security capabilities. The successful candidate combines sound cyber judgment, decisive ownership, clear communication, and the ability to translate technical risk into actionable business priorities.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

Security Leadership and Team Development
Lead and develop the security team - set priorities, delegate, coach, and hold clear accountability for outcomes.
Shape team direction, staffing, and operating standards; build a high-performing, service-oriented culture.
Balance daily operations with project delivery, audit support, and long-term initiatives.

Security Operations and Incident Response
Own the security operations model: queue health, escalation, service levels, key performance indicators, and continuous improvement.
Direct response to major incidents, coordinate stakeholders and executive communications, and maintain plans, playbooks, tabletop exercises, and post-incident reviews.
Oversee threat detection (Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR) and the full vulnerability management lifecycle, from risk-based prioritization through remediation and reporting.

Security Program, Architecture, and Capability Delivery
Evaluate, pilot, and operationalize security capabilities with infrastructure, application, cloud, and business teams.
Provide oversight for identity and access (Conditional Access, MFA, privileged access), network and cloud security, email security, and endpoint protection.
Guide security engineering and automation (PowerShell, Microsoft Graph API, KQL, SOAR) and ensure new capabilities transition cleanly to ongoing support.

Data Protection, Governance, Risk, and Compliance
Lead Microsoft Purview maturity - classification, sensitivity labels, data loss prevention, retention, records management, and insider risk.
Lead risk and control assessments, audits, policy and exception management, and the risk register, aligned to ISO/IEC 27001 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
Own the security awareness program and support governance of AI usage, including acceptable-use and risk requirements.

Stakeholder, Vendor, and Program Management
Translate threats, incidents, and program risk into clear business language for leadership, stakeholders, and auditors.
Lead concurrent security projects, managing scope, dependencies, budget, resources, and delivery risk.
Manage key security vendors and deliver concise reporting on operations, risk, compliance, and program maturity.

Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
Substantial progressive experience in information security, including responsibility for security operations, incident response, risk management, and program delivery.
Demonstrated experience leading or developing security professionals and directing work in a complex, changing environment.
Working knowledge of governance, risk, and compliance principles and recognized frameworks, including ISO/IEC 27001 and NIST CSF.
Experience with Microsoft security technologies such as Microsoft Sentinel, Defender XDR, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Entra, Defender for Cloud, and Defender for Office 365.
Experience with identity and access management, vulnerability management, network security, cloud security, data protection, email security, and security awareness programs.
Ability to lead major incident response efforts and communicate effectively with technical teams, business leaders, vendors, and auditors.
Ability to prioritize ambiguous, high-impact issues, make risk-based decisions, and maintain accountability for both immediate response and long-term corrective action.
Strong written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.

Preferred Skills and Experience
Experience designing or improving a security operations operating model, including service levels, metrics, escalation paths, staffing considerations, and operational reporting.
Advanced knowledge of threat detection, incident response, threat hunting, security monitoring, and vulnerability remediation practices.
Experience implementing data protection and governance controls using Microsoft Purview across Microsoft 365 services and endpoints.
Experience with Entra Conditional Access, MFA, RBAC, privileged identity management, access reviews, Active Directory security, and authentication controls for legacy systems.
Experience with secure access service edge, firewalls, segmentation, Zscaler technologies, Azure security, and cloud security posture management.
Experience developing or overseeing automation using PowerShell, Microsoft Graph API, KQL, Logic Apps, APIs, or comparable technologies.
Experience managing security vendors, professional services, managed detection and response providers, licensing, budgets, and contract renewals.
Knowledge of AI governance and security risks, including data leakage, shadow AI, prompt injection, acceptable-use requirements, and risk assessment of AI tools.

Preferred Certifications and Training

One or more of the following, or comparable credentials and experience, are preferred:
ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
ISACA Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
ISACA Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) or Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
GIAC Security Operations Manager (GSOM), GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH), or similar operations and incident response credentials
Relevant Microsoft certifications such as SC-100, SC-200, SC-300, SC-400, or AZ-500

To provide greater transparency to candidates, we include base pay ranges for all US-based job postings that encompass all potential locations and levels for the open position. Our base pay ranges are set based on the function, discipline, level and regional location and are benchmarked against companies in the same or similar industry. Final offers may vary based on multiple factors, including education, depth and relevance of work experience, relevant licenses and certifications, and may vary from the amounts listed in the job posting.

The base pay range for this Manager of IT Security role is $125,000 - $165,000 annually.