Posting DetailsPosting Summary
LogoPosting Number STA00805PO26
Job Family Information Technology
Job Function Cyber Security
USC Market Title IT Security Engineer
Link to USC Market Title https://uscjobs.sc.edu/titles/133182
Job Level P4 - Professional
Business Title (Internal Title) Observability Operations Manager
Campus Columbia
Work County Richland
College/Division Division of Information Technology
Department IT Information Security
State Pay Range T08
USC Market Range MRL - $97,329 $124,095 $150,860
Anticipated Hiring Range $97,329 - $130,000; salary commensurate with experience.
Location of VacancyPart/Full Time Full Time
Hours per Week 37.5
Work Schedule - The standard work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, with an hour for lunch. The standard hours per week is 37.50.
- The Observability Operations Manager may be required to work outside of regularly scheduled hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as necessary to address operational needs, critical incidents, or other business requirements.
Basis 12 months
Job Search Category Information Technology
Position Description
Advertised Job Summary USC is evolving its traditional Security Operations Center into a Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC)-a blended operational model that brings security operations, enterprise observability, incident response, and service reliability together under one roof. We're looking for an Operations Manager to lead the NOSC's day-to-day operations, managing both full-time and student staff while coordinating closely with threat hunting, Security SRE, and IT teams across the University. This is a hands-on leadership role: you'll manage operational coverage, serve as an escalation point for both security and availability incidents, and turn recurring operational problems into measurable improvement projects.
The Operations Manager leads the people, processes, and daily operations of USC's Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). The role combines team leadership, incident response, and operational improvement, working across security, observability, threat hunting, and SRE to keep critical university services secure and resilient.
Key Responsibilities:- Lead the day-to-day operations of USC's evolving Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC), integrating security operations, enterprise observability, incident response, and service reliability.
- Manage and mentor a blended team of full-time professionals and student analysts, including operational coverage, internships, and staff development.
- Serve as a senior escalation point for both cybersecurity and availability incidents, working across a large, complex university environment.
What You'll Bring:- Experienced operations leader with a strong background in SOC, NOC, or blended security/network operations and incident response in a complex enterprise environment.
- Strong people leader and mentor who can manage professional and student staff, build effective teams, and work independently with sound judgement.
- Operational problem solver comfortable coordinating across security, infrastructure, SRE, and other teams to turn recurring problems into sustainable improvements.
Why Join Us?- Invest in your expertise with access to advanced professional development, including SANS training and industry certifications.
- Teach and mentor the next generation by working directly with student analysts and helping them develop real-world security and operations skills.
- Work alongside highly credentialed, experienced professionals across incident response, threat hunting, security engineering, SRE, networking, and enterprise IT.
- Help build something new as USC evolves toward an integrated NOSC model, with opportunities to shape its people, processes, tooling, and culture.
Perks of the University of South Carolina:- Downtown COLA Location: Enjoy working in the heart of Columbia, SC, with easy access to vibrant city life, dining, and cultural events.
- Energetic Leadership: Thrive under the guidance of an energetic and innovative leadership team dedicated to transforming IT at USC, making your role impactful and exciting.
- Competitive compensation: Some of the BEST benefits you can find!
- Paid tuition
- Parental leave
- Dependent scholarships
- State benefits
- State retirement plans
- Work-Life Balance: Full-time pay with a 37.50 hour work week and generous paid time off. (15 paid vacation days, 15 paid sick days, 13 paid holidays, including an extended December holiday!)
Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience - Requires a bachelor's degree in a job related field and 4 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.
Required Certification, Licensure/Other CredentialsPreferred Qualifications - Extensive experience working in a Security Operations Center, blended Network / Security Operations Center, or Network Operations Center, including incident response, subject to federal and state regulatory requirements as applied in large multi-campus higher education environments or similarly complex enterprise or government environments. Experience with standards-based risk management frameworks (i.e. NIST SP-800, ISO, NIST CSF, HEISC, etc.).
- Experience in the evaluation of new technology and security threats as they arise. Familiarity with information security and privacy best practices and related laws, particularly within the context of higher education.
- Professional certifications such as GCFE, GCFA, GNFA, GCIH, GCIA, GSNA, GSLC, GSTRT, CISSP or other information security and privacy certifications are highly desired.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities - Advanced knowledge of information security, observability, and privacy best practices, with an emphasis on security operations center and incident response functions. Excellent interpersonal, customer service and written/oral communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to develop an effective, collaborative working relationship with a variety of representative groups with potentially dissimilar priorities. Demonstrated judgment and discretion in working with sensitive, confidential information and matters.
- Project coordination experience across diversified operational units. Ability to work with minimal direction and guidance and is self-motivated while also serving as a mentor to more junior and less experienced staff.
Job Duties
Job Duty Operations Management: Serve as the manager of the day-to-day operation of the Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). Ensure coverage for security operations rotations between students and full-time staff. Act as a liaison with organizational units for the activities of the Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). Coordinate regularly with the USC ISO Threat Hunting team to align NOSC operations, coverage, metrics, and escalations with active hunting priorities. Recruit student staff and maintain internship programs. Deliver metrics and reporting to senior staff as required.
Essential Function Yes
Percentage of Time 50
Job Duty Project Management: Manage and coordinate internal technology, process, and operational improvement projects used by the Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). Serve as the NOSC liaison to the Security SRE team and other organizational units, translating operational needs into project requirements, priorities, acceptance criteria, and status reporting. Coordinate work assigned to SRE, SOAR, analyst, and partner teams without serving as the primary developer. Coordinate with the USC ISO Threat Hunting team on operational improvement projects, investigation support needs, detection feedback, and recurring work intake. Use DevOps practices, agentic coding tools, X-as-code, iteration, repeatability, automation, and measurement of efficacy to organize project work, validate outcomes, and improve daily operations.
Essential Function Yes
Percentage of Time 20
Job Duty Incident Response: Serve as escalation point and handler for incidents both security related and availability related for DoIT on a rotating basis along with the Deputy CISO for Enterprise Observability and IR. Follow the six steps of incident response as used by the department. Maintain relationships with other organizational units in the University involved in incident response such as Risk Management, the USC Police Department, USC Audit, and the General Counsel's office. Coordinate with the USC ISO Threat Hunting team on investigation context, escalation support, detection feedback, and recurring response priorities.
Essential Function Yes
Percentage of Time 20
Job Duty Training: Remain current on information security issues by attending conferences, self-study, and training.
Essential Function Yes
Percentage of Time 5
Job Duty Additional duties as assigned.
Essential Function No
Percentage of Time 5
Position Attributes
Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing.
Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive No
Hazardous weather category Non-Essential
Posting Detail Information
Number of Vacancies 1
Desired Start Date 12/01/2026
Job Open Date 10/27/2026
Job Close Date 12/11/2026
Open Until Filled No
Special Instructions to Applicant Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.
We are only accepting applications submitted by December 11, 2026.
The University of South Carolina offers a valuable benefits package including but not limited to:
• Health and Life Insurance
• Retirement Programs
• Paid Tuition
• Dependent Scholarships
• Annual Leave
• Sick Leave
• 13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Professional Development Opportunities
Quicklink for Posting https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/215086
