Program Manager

Position Summary

Air Lines is seeking an experienced IT Technical Project Manager to lead and deliver complex projects across Firewall & Network Security, Cyber Incident Response, and Threat Intelligence.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end project delivery for firewall deployments, network security enhancements, incident response improvements, and threat intelligence platform initiatives.

• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, schedules, budgets, resource allocations, and risk registers.

• Manage multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities and interdependencies.

• Drive projects through full lifecycle: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.

• Establish and track KPIs, milestones, and deliverables.

• Provide regular executive-level status reporting.

Firewall & Network Security

• Coordinate firewall rule change management, migration, and modernization projects (Palo Alto, Cisco, Fortinet, or equivalent).

• Manage network segmentation, zero trust architecture, and micro-segmentation initiatives.

• Oversee projects involving IDS/IPS, WAF, DDoS mitigation, VPN, and SD-WAN security.

• Drive network access control (NAC) and perimeter security upgrade programs.

Cyber Incident Response

• Manage projects that enhance incident response capabilities, playbooks, and processes.

• Coordinate tabletop exercises, red/blue team engagements, and incident simulation programs.

• Drive implementation of SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) platforms.

• Partner with SOC leadership to prioritize and deliver detection and response tool improvements.

Threat Intelligence

• Lead projects to operationalize threat intelligence feeds, platforms (MISP, ThreatConnect, or equivalent), and integration with SIEM.

• Coordinate threat hunting program development and automation initiatives.

• Manage vendor relationships for threat intelligence services and data sharing partnerships.

• Drive projects that translate threat intelligence into actionable defensive measures.

Stakeholder Management & Communication

• Serve as the primary point of contact between technical security teams, IT infrastructure, business units, and leadership.

• Facilitate governance meetings, steering committees, and change advisory boards.

• Manage third-party vendors, contractors, and service providers.

• Produce clear, concise executive dashboards, risk assessments, and decision-support materials.

Qualifications

• Experience Required:

  • 10 years of IT project management experience, with at least 8 years focused on cybersecurity or network security projects.
  • Demonstrated experience managing firewall migration, network security infrastructure, or security operations projects in large enterprise environments.
  • Track record of delivering projects on time, within budget, and at expected quality in a Fortune 500 or equivalent-complexity organization.
  • Experience managing project budgets of ***K and cross-functional teams of 10 members.

• Technical Knowledge:

  • Strong understanding of firewall technologies (Palo Alto, Cisco ASA/Firepower, Fortinet, Check Point).
  • Working knowledge of network security architectures: DMZ, segmentation, zero trust, SD-WAN.
  • Familiarity with incident response frameworks (NIST CSF, SANS Incident Response, MITRE Telecommunication&CK).
  • Understanding of threat intelligence lifecycle, indicators of compromise (IOCs), and threat platforms.
  • Knowledge of SIEM/SOAR platforms (Splunk, Sentinel, Phantom, XSOAR).
  • Understanding of regulatory and compliance frameworks (PCI-DSS, SOX, NIST 800-53, FAA/TSA cybersecurity directives).

• Project Management Skills:

  • Proficiency in Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid project management methodologies.
  • Expert-level use of project management tools (ServiceNow, Jira, MS Project, Smartsheet, or equivalent).
  • Strong risk management, issue resolution, and escalation skills.
  • Experience with SDLC and change management processes.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or related field.
• Masters degree preferred but not required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in aviation, transportation, or critical infrastructure industries.
• Familiarity with airline-specific regulatory requirements (TSA cybersecurity directives, FAA systems).
• Experience with cloud security projects (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Knowledge of PKI, certificate lifecycle management, and identity security.
• Experience leading security tool evaluations, RFPs, and vendor selection processes.
• ITIL Foundation or higher certification.
• SAFe Agilist or Scrum Master certification.

Core Competencies

• Technical Depth: Ability to engage at a technical level with engineers while translating for executive audiences.
• Execution Focus: Drives projects to completion with urgency and accountability.
• Communication: Clear, concise communicator who can distill complex technical topics for diverse stakeholders.
• Adaptability: Comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and emerging threats.
• Collaboration: Builds strong relationships across security, IT, and business teams.
• Problem Solving: Proactively identifies risks and removes blockers before they impact delivery.

Travel Requirements

Up to 10% travel (primarily domestic, occasional data center or vendor site visits).