TIERS Cybersecurity Operations Director
About the role
This position is open to permanent residents or U.S. citizens only. The TIERS Cybersecurity Operations Director serves as the executive leader responsible for cybersecurity operations supporting the Texas Integrated Eligibility Redesign System (TIERS) environment and associated platforms. This role provides strategic direction, operational oversight, and technical leadership to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of one of HHSC’s most mission-critical systems supporting benefits delivery to Texans.
Responsibilities
- Attends work on a regular and predictable schedule in accordance with agency leave policy and performs other duties as assigned. (30%)
- TIERS Security Operations Leadership
- Provide executive oversight for SOC operations protecting the TIERS environment and interconnected systems.
- Establish operational security strategy, priorities, and performance metrics aligned with agency cyber objectives.
- Direct advanced threat detection, triage, investigation, and response activities.
- Lead cyber incident command for TIERS-related events and coordinate cross-functional response efforts.
- Ensure continuous monitoring capabilities provide full visibility across application, database, identity, network, and cloud layers.
- Mature SOC processes through automation, orchestration, and intelligence-driven defense.
- Deliver executive briefings during major incidents and communicate risk posture to CISO leadership.
- Mature SOC processes through automation, orchestration, and intelligence-driven defense.
- Ensure continuous monitoring capabilities provide full visibility across application, database, identity, network, and cloud layers.
- Lead cyber incident command for TIERS-related events and coordinate cross-functional response efforts.
- Direct advanced threat detection, triage, investigation, and response activities.
- Establish operational security strategy, priorities, and performance metrics aligned with agency cyber objectives.
- Provide executive oversight for SOC operations protecting the TIERS environment and interconnected systems.
- TIERS Security Operations Leadership
- SIEM Strategy & Detection Engineering
- Provide strategic oversight of SIEM capabilities supporting TIERS, including platforms such as Splunk and Microsoft Sentinel.
- Ensure comprehensive log ingestion across TIERS infrastructure, applications, and security tooling.
- Champion detection engineering practices to improve identification of sophisticated attack patterns.
- Ensure comprehensive log ingestion across TIERS infrastructure, applications, and security tooling.
- Provide strategic oversight of SIEM capabilities supporting TIERS, including platforms such as Splunk and Microsoft Sentinel.
- Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing
- Direct vulnerability management activities for TIERS using enterprise tools such as Qualys.
- Ensure timely identification, prioritization, and remediation of critical and high-risk vulnerabilities.
- Partner with system owners and infrastructure teams to reduce systemic weaknesses.
- Provide executive oversight for penetration testing activities and validate remediation of findings.
- Monitor exploit trends and proactively defend against emerging threats.
- Establish attack surface reduction strategies aligned with Zero Trust principles.
- Direct vulnerability management activities for TIERS using enterprise tools such as Qualys.
- Oversee security operations across hybrid and cloud-hosted TIERS components.
- Ensure continuous monitoring for misconfigurations, exposed services, identity compromise, and privilege escalation.
- Collaborate with architecture teams to embed security controls into platform design.
- Strengthen identity security, privileged access protections, and segmentation strategies.
- Support secure modernization initiatives impacting eligibility systems.
- Collaborate with Risk and Compliance teams to operationalize security controls.
- Provide operational evidence and technical support for audits and assessments when requested.
- Translate operational threats into actionable intelligence for governance stakeholders.
- Maintain clear separation between operational security and compliance ownership.
Requirements
Minimum 10+ years of progressive cybersecurity experience. At least 5 years in a senior leadership role within Security Operations or cyber defense. Experience managing SIEM, vulnerability management, and incident response programs. Experience securing large, mission-critical enterprise applications.
Qualifications
Executive-level knowledge of Security Operations and large-scale cyber defense programs. Advanced knowledge of SIEM platforms such as Splunk, Sentinel, or equivalent enterprise tools. Advanced knowledge of penetration testing methodologies and remediation practices. Knowledge of hybrid and cloud security architectures. Knowledge of attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures mapped to MITRE ATT&CK. Skilled in building metrics, dashboards, and operational reporting for leadership. Skilled in leading vulnerability management programs utilizing platforms such as Qualys. Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills. Strong leadership capability managing high-performing technical teams. Ability to translate cyber risk into operational and business impact for executive audiences. Ability to operate decisively during high-severity incidents. Proven ability to lead teams during high-impact cyber events. Ability to maintain the security and integrity of critical infrastructure systems by preventing unauthorized access and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations related to national security and foreign ownership restrictions.
Skills and Abilities
- Preferred certifications include one or more of the following: CISSP or CISSP-ISSMP, CISM, GIAC (GCIH, GCIA, or GCED), Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), AWS Security Specialty, Azure Security Engineer, Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).
Benefits
The comprehensive benefits package includes 100% paid employee health insurance for full-time eligible employees, a defined benefit pension plan, generous time off benefits, numerous opportunities for career advancement and more. Explore more details on the Benefits of Working at HHS webpage.
Pay
$7,716.66 - $11,000.00 Monthly Salary Group: TEXAS-B-28
Schedule
Day Shift