Salary: $58,854.00 - $105,978.00 Annually
Location : Lexington County, SC
Job Type: FTE - Full-Time
Job Number: 192036
Agency: Department of Education
Opening Date: 08/21/2026
Closing Date: 9/4/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
Class Code:: AM81
Position Number::
Normal Work Schedule:: Monday - Friday (8:30 - 5:00)
Pay Grade: TEC05
Hiring Range - Min.: $57,700.00
Hiring Range - Max.: $80,800.00

Job Responsibilities

Agency Mission
The mission of the South Carolina Department of Education is to serve students, support teachers, empower parents, and engage in the community so that every student graduate is prepared to reach their full potential.
Position Purpose
The South Carolina Department of Education seeks an IT Security Specialist II to join the security operations team and work closely with the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). This position supports the daily operational defense of agency infrastructure by developing and implementing security solutions, establishing baseline configurations, and implementing compliance procedures necessary to protect both cloud and on-premises platforms. The position also supports the Security Operations Center (SOC) and liaises with the State's SOC to support incident response capabilities.
Core Responsibilities

• Security Operations: Support agency security operations, establish operational standards and playbooks, manage triage, investigation, containment, eradication, and recovery activities. Coordinate escalation and notification with the CISO, agency leadership, affected districts, and state-level partners in accordance with the agency's incident response plan and statewide reporting requirements.
• Defend and Monitor Agency Systems: Administer, tune, and continuously monitor enterprise security platforms including Microsoft Defender, SIEM, Intune, email and web filtering, identity protection, and vulnerability management. Maintain visibility into threats targeting agency infrastructure, users, and data. Conduct proactive threat hunting informed by K-12 and public-sector threat intelligence.
• Administer Identity and Access Controls: Manage identity and access across Microsoft Entra ID and hybrid on-premises directories, including conditional access policies, multifactor authentication, privileged access, role assignment, guest and district-partner access, and recurring access reviews. Enforce least-privilege principles and investigate identity-based threats such as credential compromise, token theft, and anomalous sign-in activity.
• Vulnerability and Risk Remediation: Support vulnerability management, control assessments, and risk remediation activities across agency infrastructure and applications.

This position is located in the Office of Information Technology.
Minimum and Additional Requirements

A bachelor's degree in information technology systems, computer science, or a related field and experience in the information technology field to include experience in a security-focused role. Relevant experience may be substituted for the bachelor's degree on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience working with security tools and incident response, including day-to-day administration, tuning, and operational use of enterprise security platforms
• Hands-on experience investigating and resolving security events

• Hands-on experience administering Intune, Microsoft Defender (Endpoint, Office, and/or Cloud), including policy configuration, alert triage, threat hunting, and remediation
• Hands-on experience administering Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), including conditional access policies, multifactor authentication, identity protection, role-based access control, and directory synchronization
• Security Operations Center (SOC) experience

Acceptable Certifications
CompTIA Security+, CompTIA CySA+, GIAC (GSEC, GCIH, GCIA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200), or Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate (SC-300)
Additional Comments
As a part of a generous compensation package, we offer comprehensive benefits that include generous paid time off, preeminent health care benefits, professional development opportunities, pension, and a 401(k).

The South Carolina Department of Education offers an exceptional benefits package that includes:

• Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children.
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year.
• 15 days sick leave per year.
• 13 paid holidays.
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs.

ONLY THOSE APPLICANTS CHOSEN FOR AN INTERVIEW WILL BE NOTIFIED BY LETTER THAT THE POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.
Benefits for State Employees
The state of South Carolina offers eligible employees generous benefits, including health and dental insurance; retirement and savings plan options; and paid vacation and sick leave. Plus, work-life balance programs such as telecommuting and flexible work schedules are available to employees of some state agencies.

Insurance Benefits
Eligible employees may enroll in health insurance, which includes prescription coverage and wellness benefits. Other available insurance benefits include dental, vision, term life insurance, long term disability and flexible spending accounts for health and child care expenses.

Retirement Benefits
State employees are also offered retirement plan options, including defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Additionally, eligible employees may elect to participate in the South Carolina Deferred Compensation Program, which is a voluntary, supplemental retirement savings plan offering 401(k) and 457 plan options.

Workplace Benefits
State employees may also be eligible for other benefits, including tuition assistance; holiday, annual and sick leave; and discounts on purchases, travel and more.

Note: The benefits above are available to most state employees, with the exception of those in temporary positions. Employees in temporary grant and time-limited positions may be eligible for all, some or none of these benefits as benefits are associated with each position type. For these positions, contact the hiring agency to determine what benefits may be available.
01

Supplemental questions are considered part of your official application. Any misrepresentation will result in your disqualification from employment. Please complete the state application to include all current and previous work history and education. A resume will not be accepted or reviewed in lieu of the application. I have read and acknowledge the above statement.

• Yes
• No

02

I understand that a criminal record investigation will be conducted prior to employment being offered by the South Carolina Department of Education. My personal identifying information will be processed through the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

• Yes
• No

03

Do you have a bachelor's degree in information technology systems, computer science, or a related field and experience in the information technology field to include experience in a security-focused role?

• Yes
• No

04

Do you have a minimum of five (5) years of experience working with security tools and incident response, including day-to-day administration, tuning, and operational use of enterprise security platforms?

• Yes
• No

05

Do you have hands-on experience investigating and resolving security events?

• Yes
• No

06

Do you have hands-on experience administering Intune, Microsoft Defender (Endpoint, Office, and/or Cloud), including policy configuration, alert triage, threat hunting, and remediation?

• Yes
• No

07

Do you have hands-on experience administering Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), including conditional access policies, multifactor authentication, identity protection, role-based access control, and directory synchronization?

• Yes
• No

08

Do you have Security Operations Center (SOC) experience?

• Yes
• No

09

Do you have any of the following certifications: CompTIA Security+, CompTIA CySA+, GIAC (GSEC, GCIH, GCIA), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200), or Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate (SC-300)?

• Yes
• No

10

How did you hear about this position?

• Careers.sc.gov
• Indeed.com
• LinkedIn
• Social Media/Advertising
• Other (please specify below)

11

If you answered "other" in the question above, please specify where you heard about this position below.
Required Question