Director of Security Operations

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director of Security Operations based in United States.

This is a hands-on cybersecurity leadership role responsible for strengthening day-to-day security operations across traditional and AI-enabled environments. Reporting to the CISO, you will lead teams and programs spanning monitoring, incident response, threat hunting, vulnerability management, identity security, and operational resilience. You will establish priorities, metrics, playbooks, and processes aligned with organizational risk and business needs. The role combines deep technical expertise with strategic leadership, incident command, and executive communication. You will also help advance AI-assisted security capabilities while ensuring emerging AI applications, autonomous agents, and non-human identities are effectively monitored and protected. Close partnership with Security Architecture & Engineering will be essential to operationalize and continuously validate security controls. This is an opportunity to shape a modern security organization while developing talent and improving the speed, maturity, and resilience of cybersecurity operations.

Accountabilities:

• Lead day-to-day security operations across security monitoring, incident response, threat hunting, security analytics, vulnerability management, adversary emulation, identity security, and operational resilience.
• Establish operational priorities, service objectives, metrics, playbooks, and repeatable processes that reflect organizational risk, business requirements, and evolving security threats.
• Serve as incident commander for significant cybersecurity events, coordinating cross-functional response activities and ensuring lessons learned translate into stronger controls, processes, and operational capabilities.
• Drive the responsible adoption of AI-assisted capabilities across detection, investigation, vulnerability analysis, threat hunting, and incident response to improve security effectiveness and efficiency.
• Ensure appropriate monitoring and response capabilities are in place for AI applications, autonomous agents, workloads, and non-human identities as these technologies become increasingly important to the environment.
• Use automation to reduce manual security work and accelerate detection, analysis, containment, remediation, and recovery timelines.
• Partner closely with Security Architecture & Engineering to ensure security controls are effectively designed, implemented, operationalized, monitored, and continuously validated.
• Develop and mentor security talent while providing the CISO with clear reporting on incidents, exposure, operational performance, risk, and overall program maturity.

Requirements:

• Bring experience leading Security Operations, Incident Response, Detection Engineering, Vulnerability Management, Identity and Access Management, or closely related cybersecurity functions.
• Demonstrate hands-on experience implementing and operating security controls across cloud environments, infrastructure, applications, identity systems, endpoints, and networks.
• Have strong technical knowledge of security analytics, detection engineering, exposure management, adversary emulation, identity security, and modern security operations.
• Demonstrate experience leading significant cybersecurity incidents and coordinating complex, cross-functional response efforts under pressure.
• Have experience implementing security automation and AI-assisted capabilities that improve operational effectiveness, investigation, detection, or response.
• Bring strong leadership, mentoring, communication, and executive presentation skills, with the ability to translate technical security issues into clear business and risk considerations.
• Be comfortable balancing hands-on technical involvement with team leadership, program ownership, operational prioritization, and strategic decision-making.
• Experience working in cloud-native or large-scale distributed environments is preferred, as is familiarity with modern cybersecurity and AI-risk frameworks.

Benefits:

• Base salary range of $205,000-$230,000, with final compensation determined by factors including location, skills, depth of experience, and relevant credentials.
• Healthcare coverage for employees and families, including medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Competitive compensation package with 401(k).
• RSU grants for full-time employees.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).
• Flexible vacation policy.
• Maternity and paternity leave.
• MacBook Pro for work plus a generous workstation personalization stipend.
• Childcare bonus for eligible employees.
• Fertility treatment and support.
• Learning and development programs.
• Commuter benefits.
• Culture focused on healthy work-life balance, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Opportunity to lead modern cybersecurity operations across cloud, infrastructure, identity, AI, and distributed environments.
• Significant influence over security maturity, automation, incident response, and emerging AI-security capabilities.