Vice President, Cyber Defense

Role Summary

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement an enterprise-wide cyber defense strategy aligned with the organization’s risk management framework and overall business goals.
• Establish and drive a cyber defense roadmap that integrates with broader IT and security strategies, focusing on protecting the company's data, assets, and infrastructure.
• Oversee the continuous monitoring of cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, and incidents across all digital channels.
• Lead and direct the response to security incidents and breaches, ensuring appropriate action is taken and the company’s interests are safeguarded.
• Define, implement, and manage policies, procedures, and protocols for all cyber defense operations, ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing cyber defense team of experts, providing guidance, career development, and operational support.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the cyber defense team and across the broader security organization.
• Ensure the team is trained on the latest cyber defense technologies, practices, and threat landscape developments.
• Identify and assess potential cyber risks and vulnerabilities, and provide proactive mitigation strategies to prevent breaches.
• Collaborate with other departments to ensure the organization meets compliance and regulatory requirements, including GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and others as necessary.
• Develop and maintain a risk management framework for cybersecurity, reporting regularly to senior leadership on risk assessments and mitigation efforts.
• Lead the development and implementation of an effective incident response plan, ensuring rapid detection, containment, and resolution of cyber incidents.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders, including law enforcement, regulatory bodies, and third-party service providers, during incident response and recovery operations.
• Drive post-incident analysis, identifying lessons learned, and continuously improving the organization’s security posture.
• Oversee the evaluation, implementation, and management of cutting-edge cybersecurity tools and technologies to detect, prevent, and mitigate cyber threats.
• Ensure the integration of cyber defense tools across all aspects of the organization’s IT infrastructure.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree in computer science, Information Security, or relevant certifications (CISSP, CISM, etc.) is preferred.
• Minimum of 10+ years in cybersecurity or related fields, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven track record of successfully developing and implementing cyber defense strategies at an executive level.
• Experience in managing and mitigating risks in large-scale IT and digital environments, particularly in a highly regulated industry (financial services, healthcare, etc.).
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity technologies, tools, and methodologies.
• Expertise in risk management, incident response, and disaster recovery planning.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
• Deep understanding of compliance regulations and industry standards.
• Experience with both traditional and advanced security tools (e.g., SIEM, firewalls, endpoint protection, threat intelligence platforms, etc.).
• Exceptional problem-solving skills with a proactive mindset.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage high-stakes, high-visibility incidents.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking abilities.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity and rapidly evolving threat landscapes.