Director of Security Operations

Aldridge; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and incentive plan

Health benefits package contributions

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Training and development opportunities

Snacks and beverages

Job summary

Aldridge in Houston seeks a Director of Security Operations to own security strategy, advisory services, and the SOC. You will lead client security programs, shape risk posture with executives, and collaborate with product teams to bring security capabilities to market.

This is a senior leadership role focused on risk, governance, and performance of security operations. Reporting to the VP of Service Delivery, you will manage a Security Team Lead and drive MDR/ITDR partnerships, while

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of IT experience with at least 8 years focused on information security, including 3–5 years leading a security team.
• CISSP required, or equivalent like CISM or CCISO; additional credentials such as CISA, GIAC, or Microsoft SC-100 are a plus.
• Experience building or running a client-facing security advisory or vCISO practice — risk assessments, security roadmaps, and executive-level presentation of risk and recommendations.
• Shaping a security service offering in an MSP/MSSP or consulting environment — assessing capability gaps, evaluating platforms, and partnering with product/commercial leadership.
• Accountability for SOC or managed detection and response outcomes in a co-managed or partner-supported model.
• Deep knowledge of Microsoft-centric security stack—EDR/XDR, SIEM, Entra ID, Defender.
• Hands-on program experience with HIPAA, CMMC, SOC2, CIS Controls, or NIST CSF, including leading clients through assessment/remediation.
• Presales experience partnering with a sales organization — scoping engagements and presenting to prospects.

Responsibilities

• Owns security advisory strategy and client-focused security offerings.
• Lead risk assessments, roadmaps, and executive-level risk communications.
• Guide compliance readiness for HIPAA, CMMC, SOC 2, and NIST CSF.
• Partner with sales/clients to embed security into account planning and roadmaps.
• Define security capabilities to deliver and align with product packaging.
• Evaluate security tooling and platforms for efficacy and fit.
• Oversee SOC performance and vendor accountability in a co-managed model.
• Lead as executive escalation point for major security incidents.

Skills

Security leadership

Risk assessments

Executive communication

Presales experience

Security strategy

Co-managed SOC knowledge

MSP/MSSP experience

Microsoft security stack

Education

CISSP certification

Tools

Microsoft Defender

Entra ID

SIEM

EDR/XDR

Job description

Job Level: Senior
Location: Houston, TX 77092
Position Type: Full Time
Salary Range: $150,000.00 - $175,000.00 per year

Who We Are

Aldridge is a leading Managed Service Provider (MSP) offering scalable IT and cybersecurity solutions to fast-growing, small to mid-market businesses in the US. Founded in 1984, this private equity-backed company is a technology management consulting, and outsourcing firm that provides best-fit solutions through a tailored approach and local relationships. With offices in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, central Louisiana and Seattle, the company’s unwavering dedication, superior technical expertise, and keen understanding of business processes have transformed it into a trusted partner for its clients. With a strong reputation for delivering high-quality services, Aldridge is committed to helping its clients optimize their technology infrastructure and achieve their business goals.

Director of Security Operations

Aldridge is a forward-thinking organization committed to delivering innovative technology solutions and exceptional service to our clients. We are seeking a Director of Security Operations to own our security strategy and consulting practice and to provide leadership oversight of our Security Operations Center. As the Director of Security Operations at Aldridge, you will serve as the senior security voice with our clients and prospects, shape how we advise them on risk and compliance, partner with our Director of Product to bring the right security capabilities to market, and hold our Security Operations Center and our managed detection and response partners to a high standard on behalf of our clients.

Position Overview

The Director of Security Operations owns Aldridge’s security strategy and consulting practice and carries leadership accountability for the Security Operations Center. Reporting to the VP of Service Delivery, this role spends roughly 60% of its time on strategy and consulting — client security advisory, security solution direction, presales support, and Aldridge’s own security program — and roughly 40% providing direction and oversight to the SOC through the Security Team Lead, who reports to this role. This is a leadership position rather than a working-manager position: the Director sets standards, targets, and priorities and is accountable for outcomes, but does not carry a day-to-day operational queue.

Aldridge currently operates a co-managed security model: third-party MDR, ITDR, and SOC/SIEM partners provide 24x7 eyes‑on‑glass and first-pass triage, and the Aldridge SOC owns validation, investigation, response, remediation, and tuning. The Security Team Lead owns the day‑to‑day execution of that model. The Director owns everything above it — how we advise clients on risk and compliance, the security capabilities we should be delivering and the standards they must meet, how security performance is measured and reported, and how the security team is staffed and developed. Security tooling and services are brought to market in partnership with the Director of Product: this role identifies the need, evaluates fit, and validates efficacy, while the Director of Product owns vendor management, pricing, packaging, and the cost to support each offering. The Director of Security Operations is also the executive escalation point for major security incidents and the senior security voice with clients, prospects, and Aldridge leadership.

Team and Reporting Structure

The Director of Security Operations reports to the VP of Service Delivery and has the Security Team Lead as a direct report, with the Security Analysts reporting through that lead. The Director owns hiring, performance management, career development, and the staffing plan for the security function. Outside of the direct team, the Director partners with the Director of Product on security solutions and tooling, with pod, NOC, and account teams to drive remediation and security initiatives across the client base, and with Sales and Marketing to grow the security practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Security Strategy and Client Advisory — Own Aldridge’s security strategy and consulting practice — define the advisory offering, methodology, and deliverables that make security a distinct, articulable practice rather than a bundled utility.
• Client Security Leadership — Serve as the senior security advisor to clients in a vCISO capacity — lead risk assessments, build and maintain multi‑year security roadmaps, and present posture, risk, and recommendations to owners, executives, and boards.
• Compliance Advisory — Guide clients through compliance programs such as HIPAA, CMMC, SOC 2, CIS Controls, and NIST CSF, including gap assessments, remediation planning, and readiness for audit or attestation.
• Account Partnership — Partner with Technical Account Managers, Technology Directors, and Client Success Managers to embed security strategy into account planning, technology roadmaps, and recurring business reviews.
• Security Solution Direction — Define what security capabilities Aldridge should deliver and to what standard — translate client need, threat landscape, and compliance pressure into a clear point of view on the offering, and bring that direction to the Director of Product, who owns how it is packaged and taken to market.
• Tool and Platform Evaluation — Serve as the technical authority on security tooling — identify gaps in the current stack, evaluate and validate candidate platforms for efficacy, integration, and delivery fit, and recommend the best‑fit solution; the Director of Product owns final vendor selection, contracting, and commercial terms from there.
• Delivery Standards and Partner Performance — Own the operational quality of the security platforms and partners in production — define the delivery model and effort required to support each offering, provide those inputs to the Director of Product, and hold MDR, ITDR, and SOC/SIEM partners accountable for the service quality our clients experience.
• Presales Support — Partner with Sales as the security subject‑matter expert — join prospect and client conversations, scope engagements, and translate technical risk into business terms that support the buying decision.
• Revenue Contribution — Support security revenue and attach‑rate goals across new and existing clients, including identifying uplift and expansion opportunities within the current base.
• Market Presence — Contribute to thought leadership and client education — content, webinars, briefings, and security awareness material that establish Aldridge as a credible security partner.
• SOC Oversight — Provide leadership oversight of the Security Operations Center through the Security Team Lead — accountable for detection and response performance, alert quality, and incident outcomes without operating the queue day to day.
• Standards and Targets — Set SOC standards and targets — response‑time targets, escalation criteria, playbook and documentation standards, and quality expectations — and hold both the internal team and the MDR, ITDR, and SOC/SIEM partners accountable to them.
• Major Incident Escalation — Serve as the executive escalation point for major and high‑severity security incidents — approving containment decisions with material client impact, owning executive‑level client communication, and signing off on post‑incident reviews and follow‑up actions.
• Team Leadership — Own hiring, performance management, career development, and the staffing plan for the security team, and build the career path that carries analysts through to senior and lead roles.
• Aldridge Internal Security — Own Aldridge’s internal security program — risk register, policies and standards, access governance, security awareness, and our own compliance attestations and cyber insurance requirements.
• Leadership Reporting — Report client and internal security posture, risk, program progress, and practice performance to Aldridge leadership on a defined cadence.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in information technology with at least 8 years focused on information security, including 3–5 years leading a security team, practice, or function.
• ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) required, or an equivalent senior security certification such as CISM or CCISO; additional credentials such as CISA, GIAC, or Microsoft SC-100 are a plus.
• Demonstrated experience building or running a client‑facing security advisory or vCISO practice — risk assessments, security roadmaps, and executive‑level presentation of risk and recommendations.
• Track record shaping a security service offering in an MSP, MSSP, or consulting environment — assessing capability gaps, evaluating and validating security platforms, and partnering with product or commercial leadership to bring solutions to market.
• Accountability for SOC or managed detection and response outcomes in a co‑managed or partner‑supported model, including holding third‑party providers to defined performance standards.
• Deep working knowledge of the modern security stack in a Microsoft‑centric environment — EDR/XDR, SIEM, identity protection, email security, and vulnerability management (Microsoft Defender, Entra ID, and similar).
• Hands‑on program experience with one or more compliance frameworks such as HIPAA, CMMC, SOC2, CIS Controls, or NISTCSF, including leading clients or an organization through assessment and remediation.
• Demonstrated presales experience partnering with a sales organization — scoping engagements, presenting to prospects, and influencing security revenue outcomes.
• Executive presence and communication skills, including the ability to explain security risk, incident impact, and investment trade‑offs clearly to non‑technical executives under pressure.
• People leadership experience including hiring, performance management, coaching, and career development of technical staff.
• Sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive information, security evidence, client incident details, and confidential business information.

Work Schedule and Travel

• Travel of up to 30% is expected for client meetings, prospect engagements, Aldridge offices, and industry or partner events.
• Availability outside standard business hours as the executive escalation point for major security incidents.
• Physical ability to stand, walk, or sit for extended periods, and comfort periodically lifting 25 pounds.

Aldridge Core Values

• Build Trust – We continuously earn the trust of our partners through genuine, transparent communication, and unflinching accountability.
• Take Swift, Meaningful Action – When every second matters, we drill to the core question and act decisively.
• Create Best‑Fit Solutions – We create the most value for the least added overhead and complexity.
• Evolve & Improve – We know the power of a growth mindset. We do not let fear of failure stop us from finding new, and better ways to do things.

Benefits

• Competitive Salary and Incentive Plan
• Generous Employer Contribution to Health Benefits Package
• 401(k) Matching
• 4 Weeks Paid Time Off per year, plus additional days for community service
• Ongoing Training and Professional Development Opportunities
• Free Snacks and Beverages!

Aldridge is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affitive Action Employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees. All employment is based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.