Role Overview:The Cyber Security Defense Head of Department (HOD) serves as the senior leader responsible for the vision, strategy, execution, and continuous advancement of the organization's cyber defense program. This role requires a highly experienced, hands-on cybersecurity executive with CISO-level expertise who can effectively balance strategic leadership with operational execution. The successful candidate will lead and mature all defensive security functions, including the Security Operations Center (SOC), Incident Response, Threat & Vulnerability Management (TVM), Blue Team Operations, Red Team and Adversary Simulation, Penetration Testing, and Application Security.
The ideal candidate is a well-rounded cybersecurity leader who is equally comfortable presenting risk and security strategy to executive leadership as they are engaging directly with technical teams during active incidents, security assessments, or transformation initiatives. They will be expected to actively guide, mentor, and support teams at every level, roll up their sleeves when necessary, and foster a culture of accountability, operational excellence, continuous improvement, and innovation. This leader will play a critical role in strengthening the organization's security posture, developing high-performing teams, and ensuring cyber defense capabilities evolve to address emerging threats and business objectives. Key responsibilities of this role are outlined below.
Security Operations & Blue Team Oversight - Oversee 24x7 SOC operations, ensuring effective monitoring, detection, and response to security events, across levels 1-3.
- Drive continuous enhancement of detection engineering, threat hunting, and security analytics.
- Implement best-in-class security tooling, automation, and operational processes.
Adversarial Security: Red Team & Penetration Testing - Lead internal Red Team and offensive security capabilities, including penetration testing.
- Define testing methodologies, operational rules of engagement, and reporting standards.
- Translate offensive findings into actionable improvements for defensive teams and architecture.
Incident Response & Crisis Management - Oversee the Incident Response program, ensuring rapid and effective handling of security incidents.
- Lead tabletop exercises, simulation drills, and readiness assessments.
- Facilitate and lead high/critical incident responses, when the Incident Response Manager is unavailable. Coordinate with legal, communications, and executive stakeholders during major incidents.
Threat & Vulnerability Management (TVM) - Own the enterprise-wide vulnerability management strategy, including prioritization, remediation, and reporting.
- Drive continuous scanning, assessment, and metrics to reduce risk across infrastructure, applications, and cloud environments.
- Collaborate with engineering and operations teams to ensure timely and effective remediation.
- Facilitate and the zero-day vulnerability response process, when the Incident Response Manager is unavailable.
Application Security (AppSec) - Lead the organization's AppSec program, including secure SDLC practices, code reviews, SAST/DAST tools, and developer enablement.
- Partner with software engineering to embed security into product and platform design.
Adversary Simulation & Cyber Readiness - Develop and run adversary simulation programs that mimic real-world threat actors.
- Use intelligence-led scenarios to evaluate detection capabilities, response effectiveness, and organizational resilience.
Basic Qualifications:- Experience & Leadership: 10+ yearsof progressive experience across the various cyber defense disciplines (SOC, Incident Response, Red/Blue teams, or similar defensive/offensive functions.) Proven experience leading cyber defense teams. Demonstrated ability to hire, mentor, and lead high-performing technical teams.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science or a related discipline.
- Technical Expertise: Strong knowledge of threat detection, incident response, adversary tactics (MITRE ATT&CK), vulnerability management, and secure software development.
- Language Skills: Proficient in English for effective communication and coordination.
- Availability: In the absence of IR team members, utilize a flexible work schedule to facilitate the security incident response process for high/critical incidents.
Preferred Qualifications:- Education and Certifications: Master's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science or a related discipline is preferred. Industry-recognized credentials such as CISSP, CISM, OSCP/OSCE, GIAC (GSEC, GCIA, GCIH, GPEN, GXPN) are highly desirable.
- Framework Experience: Familiarity with, and prior participation with FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams) is preferred.
- Language Skills: Bi-lingual in English and Korean language proficiency is preferred to support global coordination and communication.
- Proven experience collaborating with global teams across diverse regions and cultures, building strong cross-functional partnerships.
Team Culture: The team fosters a high-performance, collaborative environment centered around proactive cybersecurity defense and excellent customer service. Members are expected to lead with accountability, communicate effectively across functions, and adapt to dynamic challenges. The culture values technical excellence, continuous improvement, and global coordination, ensuring readiness and resilience in the face of evolving threats.
- Collaborative Leadership: Team members lead cross-functional service delivery efforts, coordinating with internal stakeholders, MSSPs, and external partners to drive delivery of services and maintain transparency.
- Continuous Improvement & Accountability: The team regularly adjusts the Information Security strategy and roadmap in alignment with customer needs, changing threat landscape and industry trends.
Base Salary Range: $181,240 - $ 259,160
