Head of IT Security

Careers Opportunities at AVI Foodsystems; Akron (OH); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision, and life insurance

401(k) with generous company match

Paid vacations and holidays

Extensive training and growth opportunities

Job summary

AVI Foodsystems in Akron, Ohio is seeking a Head of IT Security to lead its security strategy during a critical period of modernization. This position involves designing and implementing security measures across multi-cloud environments, focusing on compliance, risk management, and business resilience.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a business-first mindset and possess over 5 years of leadership experience in IT/Security, particularly within large organizations. Competitive benefits including health insurance and a 401(k) plan with company match are offered.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in IT/Security, including 5 years in a leadership role within a large organization.
• Experience securing complex hybrid environments across major cloud platforms.
• Proven track record with large-scale ERP migrations and data modernization.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement security strategies for a major organization.
• Build unified identity fabric across multi-cloud and on-premise environments.
• Establish security posture for AI lifecycle and manage third-party risks.

Skills

Experience in IT/Security

Leadership skills

Cloud security expertise

Business transformation experience

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in a related field

CISSP or CCSP certification preferred

Job description

AVI Foodsystems is looking for an energetic and optimistic team member to fill the role of Head of IT Security.

Founded in 1960, AVI Foodsystems has evolved into one of the most respected and trusted food service companies in the nation. Providing comprehensive food services with a focus on the highest quality and freshest ingredients, impeccable service and total value is the reputation we have earned and live up to everyday.

Focus

Digital Transformation, Data Modernization, IT Operations and AI

Position Overview

We are seeking a visionary Security Leader to architect and lead a comprehensive security strategy for a privately held organization. This is a pivotal role during a period of massive modernization as we transition legacy financial systems to advanced cloud ERP, centralize 150+ internal applications, and build a world-class Data & AI ecosystem.

The ideal candidate will move beyond "gatekeeping" to act as a business enabler, implementing a modern security fabric that spans multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, Google, etc.) and ensure our Technology, Data, and AI initiatives are secure by design.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Security Architecture: Hybrid Cloud & AI-Ready

Zero Trust Framework: Design and implement a unified identity and access model that treats all users and devices as untrusted until verified, regardless of location.

AI Security & Governance: Establish a security posture for the AI lifecycle, including model risk management, data privacy for LLMs, and protection against emerging AI-specific threats.

Data-Centric Defense: Architect a model focused on protecting the data itself—utilizing automated classification, persistent encryption, and masking—to ensure sensitive information remains secure as it moves through modern analytics pipelines.

Unified Identity Fabric: Build a seamless identity strategy across multi-cloud and on-premise environments to provide a single, secure point of control for the entire workforce.

Security Operations & Integration

Operational Modernization: Oversee the security integration of our move from legacy systems to modern platforms, ensuring financial data integrity and auditability in the cloud and across the value chain.

ITSM & SecOps Alignment: Integrate security incident response and vulnerability management directly into service platforms to automate workflows and reduce mean-time-to-resolution (MTTR).

Application & API Security: Secure a portfolio of 150+ internal applications by implementing automated security testing within CI/CD pipelines and enforcing standardized API security protocols.

Managed Services Oversight: Evaluate and manage 3rd-party security offerings (MDR/MSSP) to ensure 24/7 monitoring and response capabilities.

GRC (Governance, Risk, & Compliance)

Continuous Compliance: Shift from periodic audits to a continuous monitoring model that provides real-time visibility into our compliance posture.

Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM): Build a robust program to vet and monitor the security health of our growing ecosystem of SaaS and technology partners.

AI Ethics & Policy: Lead the development of internal policies regarding the ethical and secure use of Generative AI and automated decision-making systems.

Business Resilience: Develop and test enterprise-wide disaster recovery and business continuity plans that account for the interdependencies of cloud-based ERP and data platforms.

Professional Requirements

Experience: 5+ years in IT/Security, with at least 5 years in a leadership role within a $1B+ organization.

Cloud Mastery: Proven track record of securing complex, hybrid environments across AWS, Azure, and Google.

Business Transformation: Direct experience securing large-scale ERP migrations and data modernization projects.

Education/Certs: Bachelor’s or Master’s in a related field. CISSP, CISM, or CCSP preferred.

Leadership Style: A "Business-First" mindset—someone who can communicate complex cyber risks to ownership and executive stakeholders in terms of business impact.

• A family culture and atmosphere
• Competitive compensation
• Health, dental, vision, and life insurance for full-time team members
• 401(k) with generous company match
• Paid vacations and holidays
• Immense training and growth opportunities

We conduct pre-employment drug testing. EOE