IT Security Director

Position Summary

The IT Security Director leads and strengthens the institution's cybersecurity program. They provide leadership for enterprise cybersecurity operations, security strategy, risk management, and compliance. This position develops and implements security controls, investigates security incidents, oversees security awareness initiatives, and partners with campus stakeholders to ensure a secure technology environment.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the college's information security and cyber risk management program.

• Monitor and respond to cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, and security incidents.

• Conduct security investigations and identify root causes of security events.

• Develop and implement security policies, standards, and best practices.

• Perform enterprise risk assessments and recommend mitigation strategies.

• Oversee security controls for on-premises infrastructure, cloud services, applications, and network environments.

• Ensure compliance with state, federal, and institutional cybersecurity requirements.

• Develop and maintain cybersecurity documentation, procedures, and technical standards.

• Manage the college's cybersecurity awareness and training program, including phishing simulations and user education initiatives.

• Provide weekly cybersecurity and security awareness training metrics to college leadership, including vulnerability status, threat activity, incident trends, phishing campaign results, compliance metrics, and recommendations for continuous improvement.

• Collaborate with campus departments to improve the institution's overall security posture.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field. Relevant experience may substitute for the degree on a year-for-year basis.

• Progressive experience in information technology with a strong emphasis on cybersecurity.

• Experience implementing enterprise security controls, risk management, incident response, and security monitoring.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading information security programs within higher education, government, or other complex organizations.

• Knowledge of cloud security, vulnerability management, security monitoring, regulatory compliance, and security frameworks such as NIST or CIS.

• Strong communication skills with the ability to present technical concepts, security risks, and strategic recommendations to executive leadership.

• Experience developing cybersecurity strategies, policies, incident response procedures, and security awareness programs.

• Project management experience and the ability to lead cross-functional technology initiatives.

• CISSP certification (or equivalent professional cybersecurity certification) preferred.