Director of Cybersecurity

Level AI; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Level AI is seeking a seasoned Director of Cybersecurity to lead and mature our security posture. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment, shaping policy, tooling, and people across the enterprise.

The position requires expertise in Zero Trust, incident response, risk metrics, and executive-level communication to drive a security-first culture. Based in Austin, TX or willing to relocate.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in CS, Cybersecurity, or related field.
• 8+ years in cybersecurity; 4+ years in leadership.
• 10+ years in IT/Cybersecurity.
• Proven ability to define and execute security programs.
• Expertise in incident response, post-incident analysis.
• Knowledge of network security, segmentation, firewalls, IDS/IPS.
• Experience with Zero Trust architecture.
• Hands-on cloud security with Azure/AWS/GCP.
• MDM experience (Intune).
• RBAC and identity governance.

Responsibilities

• Define and improve enterprise cybersecurity strategy and roadmap.
• Lead security initiatives from concept to delivery.
• Build and manage cybersecurity team; foster accountability.
• Provide risk metrics to executives.
• Establish security governance policies and procedures.
• Oversee security operations.
• Develop IR program including playbooks and drills.
• Coordinate cross-functional response as incident commander.
• Oversee threat intelligence and proactive defense.
• Oversee vulnerability management and risk remediation.
• End-to-end network security architecture and Zero Trust.
• Oversee cloud security strategy and CSPM.
• MDM program management.
• IT operations alignment with security.

Skills

Leadership

Strategy development

Incident response

Zero Trust

Cloud security

RBAC/IAM

DevSecOps

Executive communication

Risk management

Security governance

Education

Bachelor's/Master's degree in CS or related

Tools

Microsoft Intune

Job description

POSITION OVERVIEW

We are seeking a seasoned and visionary Director of Cybersecurity to lead and mature our organization’s security posture. This is a leadership role responsible for establishing strategy, owning execution, and driving a security-first culture across the enterprise. The ideal candidate is a self-starter who thrives with autonomy, can translate complex security challenges into actionable programs, and brings deep hands-on experience alongside the executive presence to influence at every level of the organization.

This role requires someone who is equally comfortable architecting Zero Trust frameworks, leading an incident response war room, and providing risk metrics for presentation to the executive team. You will assist in the full security lifecycle, from policy to tooling to people, and provide actionable information and propose solutions for protecting the organization’s assets, infrastructure, and data.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Security Strategy & Leadership

• Assist in defining and continuously improve the organization’s enterprise cybersecurity strategy and roadmap


• Lead security initiatives independently, with minimal oversight, from concept through successful delivery


• Build, mentor, and manage a high-performing cybersecurity team; foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement


• Provide actionable intelligence and metrics for presentation to executive leadership on risk, compliance, and emerging threats


• Assist in establishing and maintaining security governance frameworks, policies, standards, and procedures


• Owns strategy and management of security operations

Incident Response & Threat Management

• Assist in the development, maintenance, and execution of the Incident Response (IR) program, including playbooks, tabletop exercises, and post-incident reviews


• Serve as the secondary incident commander for security events; coordinate cross-functional response teams


• Oversee threat intelligence operations and integrate findings into proactive defense strategies


• Conduct and oversee vulnerability management, penetration testing coordination, and risk remediation programs

Network & Infrastructure Security

• Manage end-to-end network security architecture including segmentation, monitoring, and access controls


• Manage and optimize network security tooling


• Implement and enforce Zero Trust network access (ZTNA) principles across on-premise and remote environments

Security Testing

• Own strategy and execution of testing security controls via automated testing, red/blue/purple teaming, and third-party penetration testing

Cloud & Endpoint Security

• Provide guidance and assist in cloud security strategy, architecture, and compliance across multi-cloud and hybrid environments


• Oversee endpoint detection and response (EDR/XDR) programs


• Manage Mobile Device Management (MDM) programs; preferred experience with Microsoft Intune


• Administer and mature Identity & Access Management (IAM) using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) principles along with Just in Time (JIT) access and Privileged Access Management (PAM)

IT Operations & Tooling

• Oversee RMM/PSA security integrations


• Partner with IT operations to ensure security is embedded in all infrastructure and tooling decisions


• Work with the DevSecOps Manager to support DevSecOps practices, ensuring security is integrated throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC)

Compliance & Risk Management

• Assist the owner of the organization’s security controls for our compliance programs (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, or relevant frameworks)


• Conduct and oversee regular risk assessments, audits, and third-party vendor security reviews


• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of regulatory landscape and ensure organizational adherence

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Information Techonlogy or equivalent practical experience.


• 8+ years of progressive cybersecurity experience, including 4+ years in a leadership or management capacity


• Minimum of 10+ years in Information Technology/Cybersecurity


• Demonstrated ability to define and execute security programs with limited oversight in a fast-paced environment


• Deep expertise in incident response planning, execution, and post-incident analysis


• Strong knowledge of network security architecture, segmentation strategies, firewalls, and IDS/IPS


• Proven experience implementing and operating Zero Trust architecture


• Hands-on cloud security experience (Azure, AWS, or GCP) including cloud-native security tooling and CSPM


• Experience managing MDM solutions for endpoint lifecycle, policy enforcement, and compliance


• Solid understanding of RBAC models and identity governance in enterprise environments


• Fluency with DevSecOps concepts including secure CI/CD, SAST/DAST tooling, and shift-left security practices


• Exceptional communication skills; able to present complex technical risk to non-technical stakeholders


• Executive communication skills; able to present strategy and reports to executive leadership


• Must be based in Austin, TX or willing to relocate