Head of Cyber Defense Strategy & Operations

Optimum; Norwalk (CT); On-site; USD 134,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimum is seeking a Lead to drive the strategy and coordination of enterprise cyber defense capabilities across SOC, Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, and Vulnerability Management. The role ensures aligned execution and reduces cyber risk while improving resilience.

You will lead cross-functional programs, define playbooks and response protocols, and report KPIs to executives. A Bachelor’s degree and 8+ years in cyber security are required; CISSP/CISM/GIAC or PMP are preferred.

Qualifications

• 8+ years experience in Cyber Security or related field.
• Demonstrated experience in SOC, incident response, threat intelligence, or vulnerability management leadership.
• Strong knowledge of cyber defense frameworks and standards (NIST CSF, MITRE ATT&CK, ISO 27001).
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional programs and influence outcomes without direct authority.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level reporting.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the cyber defense operations strategy, roadmap, and operating model.
• Coordinate priorities and execution across SOC, IR, Threat Intelligence, Vulnerability Management, and security engineering teams.
• Establish and lead oversight, including operational reviews, risk reviews, and post-incident reviews.
• Drive development and standardization of playbooks, runbooks, escalation paths, and response coordination protocols.
• Translate emerging threats into operational priorities, detection use cases, and control improvements.
• Develop and report KPIs/KRIs such as MTTT, MTTR, detection coverage, and remediation SLA performance.
• Partner with Infrastructure, IT, Legal, Privacy, and business teams during incident response and readiness efforts.
• Lead improvement exercises and operational readiness drills to strengthen crisis response.
• Identify process and tooling gaps and coordinate automation and operational improvement initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Cyber security

Executive reporting

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field

Tools

SIEM

SOAR

EDR

Case management

Vulnerability risk platforms

Job description

Optimum is seeking a Lead to drive the strategy and coordination of enterprise cyber defense capabilities across SOC, Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, and Vulnerability Management. The role ensures aligned execution and reduces cyber risk while improving resilience.

You will lead cross-functional programs, define playbooks and response protocols, and report KPIs to executives. A Bachelor’s degree and 8+ years in cyber security are required; CISSP/CISM/GIAC or PMP are preferred.