Director, Cyber Defense

About the role

The Director, Cyber Defense, leads Kyndryl's operational defense mission across a globally distributed security organization. This role reports to the Vice President and Deputy CISO, Cyber Operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead 24/7 global security operations through a follow-the-sun model spanning AMER, EMEA, and APAC regions.
• Own the full incident response lifecycle, triage through post-incident review, with forensic preservation standards maintained throughout.
• Coordinate with the Incident Commander function with clear escalation authorities, runbooks, and cross-functional coordination protocols for cybersecurity incidents.
• Direct the Cyber Threat Intelligence program and own the intelligence-to-defense loop: convert prioritized adversary intelligence into detection requirements, control coverage decisions, and changes to the defensive architecture.
• Govern ATT&CK-aligned detection coverage on measured efficacy, and stand up continuous validation through adversary emulation and detection testing to prove that intelligence-driven defenses fire against the techniques they target.
• Set detection-as-code discipline across the detection lifecycle: version-controlled content, release rigor, automated testing, and telemetry quality standards, executed jointly with the SIEM, SOAR, & Agent Development team that owns the underlying pipeline and platform.
• Drive operational measurement toward compressing the defender's detect-decide-act cycle against AI-accelerated adversaries, not raw response speed alone.
• Collaborate with the AI-Driven Cyber Defense team to integrate automation and ML into defensive operations.
• Build and develop a globally diverse team, investing in their growth across technical, analytical, and leadership competencies.

Requirements

• 12+ years in cybersecurity operations, incident response, threat intelligence, or SOC leadership, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role over a globally distributed team.
• Demonstrated track record leading a cyber defense or security operations program at comparable scale and complexity, defending a hybrid or multi-cloud enterprise estate.
• Experience operationalizing threat intelligence into detection coverage and defensive architecture, with familiarity in detection engineering and continuous validation practice.
• Dedication to continuous learning through a combination of self-directed, certification, military, and formal education sources.

Benefits

Kyndryl currently does not require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, however, if you are hired to work at a client, customer, or partner location, you may be required to show proof of vaccination to align with their respective COVID-19 vaccination policies. Those who believe they are eligible may apply for a medical or religious accommodation prior to the start of employment.

Pay

The compensation range for the position in the U.S. is $200,800 to $375,600 based on a full-time schedule. Your actual compensation may vary depending on your geography, job-related skills and experience. For part time roles, the compensation will be adjusted appropriately. The pay or salary range will not be below any applicable state, city or local minimum wage requirement.