Fulltime : Director Network Security

USM; Schaumburg (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading telecommunications company is seeking a Director of Network Security to protect its brand and national network. This role demands strategic leadership in security architecture, operations, and vendor management. The ideal candidate will have 10-15 years in information security or network engineering and 8 years in a management role. Required qualifications include CISSP and CCNP certifications, along with excellent communication and analytical skills. This position is critical for maintaining compliance and fostering security innovation across the organization.

Qualifications

• 10-15 years of relevant work experience, with 10 years in information security/network engineering.
• 8 years managing teams of senior technical engineers.
• Experience in re-engineering/process improvement.
• Expertise in project management and creating metrics.
• Strong knowledge of complementary technical fields.

Responsibilities

• Lead security operations to meet key performance indicators.
• Direct security engineering and oversight of perimeter architecture.
• Develop strategies for securing assets and compliance.
• Prepare, review, and manage the annual operating budget.
• Serve as spokesperson for security policies.

Skills

Information security expertise

Network engineering expertise

Project management

Relationship management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Master's or Bachelor’s degree in a related technical/business area

Tools

CISSP certification

CCNP certification

CCIE certification

Job description

Must be US citizen or Green Card holder.

Job Description

The Director Network Security plays a critical strategic role in protecting the U.S. Cellular® brand and securing the U.S. Cellular® national network from significant revenue/data loss. This vital position will provide critical leadership and overarching vision on security architecture and business assurance activities. Serves as company’s expert in the field of security technology.

Scope of responsibilities include:

• Delivery of Network Security Engineering service and operations
• Security assessment functions related to carrier infrastructure
• Leadership, evaluation and oversight in the implementation of new technologies, policies, and procedures for optimal business network operations
• Relationships management with internal and external business partners as necessary to provide security assurance against cyber-attacks, to include denial of service campaigns, web defacement, unauthorized access, etc.
• Guidance and control of all projects and activities which are necessary in securing large, complex Enterprise and mobile service provider networks
• Preparation and management of annual operating capital budget

Essential Duties and Key Responsibilities:

• Directs Security Operations to ensure key performance indicators are met and threats/vulnerabilities are mitigated. This includes Security Incident & Event Management as well as daily threat analysis.
• Directs Security Engineering this includes oversight of the security perimeter architecture and design, third party extranet connectivity design, network segmentation, and Intrusion Detection/Protection System evolution.
• Directs Security Assessment which includes assessments of critical carrier infrastructure as well as PCI relevant infrastructure. The assessment function includes penetration and application testing as well as verification of remediation of findings.
• Develop strategies for securing assets, customer services delivery, and regulatory/audit compliance for approval by senior executives, TDS, and USCC board. Develop strategic security priorities either alone or with executive direction.
• Represent the company at industry conferences and represent the department at company meetings. Serve as a spokesperson for company security policies to all levels of the organization.
• Lead and/or participate in departmental leadership initiative teams.
• Responsible for all USCC geographical locations concerning all elements of network security, including securing informational asset infrastructure, regulatory compliance and audit (Sarbanes-Oxley, PCI, CPNI, and others), security of customer-facing services, security elements of cross-functional multi-departmental company initiatives and projects, as well as securing all Internet, Extranet, and Virtual Private Network connections.
• Prepare, review, and manage annual operating, capital budget plans and priorities for the Network Security team. Ensure the budgets meet expected deadlines and corporate objectives for projected growth.
• Continue to evolve the reference architecture for the Enterprise and mobile service provider security infrastructure, while ensuring the protection of customer data.
• Serve as the final escalation point for all service provider network security operations issues with a degree of quality that results in absolute root‑cause determination and drive vendor partners to provide quality assurances by requiring immediate bug fixes, software updates, etc., as necessary to ensure an Ideal Customer Experience at all times.
• Manage all elements of vendor negotiations and contractor relationships
• Provide leadership and guidance through example, coaching, and mentoring. Create an environment that encourages engineers to expand their horizons, learn new processes, and grow their technical and leadership skills. Plans for human resources, including interviewing, hiring, disciplining, development/career planning and setting priorities for all team members.
• Ensure that the security infrastructure is designed to prevent revenue and data loss, to include inappropriate and/or unauthorized disclosure of Company and/or Customer information; and other cyber activities that could negatively impact the good name and reputation of U.S. Cellular® and/or our customers.
• Drives the initiation of compelling business cases that support changes to network and system infrastructure.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10-15 years relevant work experience with a minimum 10 years in information security and/or network engineering
• Minimum 8 years managing team of senior technical engineers
• Masters or Bachelor’s degree in related technical / business area
• Certification(s) in relevant field of expertise (CISSP required, CCNP required, CCIE preferred)
• Experience re-engineering / process improvement
• Demonstrate expert security market awareness as well as insights into cutting‑edge technologies.
• Strong project management experience running cross‑functional teams.
• Ability to create / define metrics that accurately reflect the current state of a given process or operation
• Experience supporting mission‑critical infrastructure in a fast‑paced environment
• Demonstrated experience in and high‑level knowledge of complementary technical fields (i.e.: Network engineering, operating systems, etc.)
• Be recognized as a leader within security arena and have deep relationships with technical, business and sourcing counterparts.
• Foster relationships with the customers, associates, and vendors to proactively identify needed changes.
• Lead process improvement initiatives.
• Excellent problem solving / analytical skills and knowledge of analytical tools
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent presentation skills demonstrated in front of large audiences.