Director, Global Cyber Defense & Incident Response

American Express Global Business Travel; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 130,000 - 242,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible benefits

Travel perks

Learning & development

Job summary

Amex GBT, a leader in travel technology and services, seeks a Director of Cyber Defense to oversee CSIRT, CTI, Detection Engineering, and DSI. You will shape strategy, drive incident response, and govern detection programs across a global business.

Expect to collaborate with Legal, Privacy, HR, and executive leadership, guiding a high-performing security organization in a dynamic environment. The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, scalable security operations, and cross-functional partnerships

Qualifications

• 10+ years in cybersecurity, including 5+ years leading incident response, security operations, or a similar function.
• Direct experience running or overseeing sensitive investigations involving data privacy, insider risk, or employee conduct, ideally in partnership with Legal or HR.
• Working knowledge of threat intelligence practices and how intelligence should shape detection priorities.
• Experience with detection engineering concepts: SIEM/EDR content development, use case design, and frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK.
• A track record of leading through live incidents, including clear communication to non-technical executives under pressure.
• Familiarity with privacy and data protection regulations relevant to a global business (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Experience managing managers and building teams, not just individual contributors.
• A bachelor's degree in a related field, or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow four connected teams — CSIRT, CTI, Detection Engineering, and DSI — as one cyber defense function with shared priorities.
• Set the vision, roadmap, and budget for cyber defense capabilities, and report progress and risk to senior leadership.
• Hire, coach, and develop team leads and analysts; build a bench that can operate confidently during high-pressure incidents.
• Define and track metrics that show real progress: dwell time, mean time to detect and respond, investigation closure rates, and intelligence coverage.
• Build strong working relationships with IT, Legal, Privacy, HR, Fraud, and business unit leaders.
• Own the incident response program end to end: playbooks, severity classification, escalation paths, and after-action reviews.

Job description

Amex GBT, a leader in travel technology and services, seeks a Director of Cyber Defense to oversee CSIRT, CTI, Detection Engineering, and DSI. You will shape strategy, drive incident response, and govern detection programs across a global business.

Expect to collaborate with Legal, Privacy, HR, and executive leadership, guiding a high-performing security organization in a dynamic environment. The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, scalable security operations, and cross-functional partnerships