Houston - Director, Information Security

Winston & Strawn LLP; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 240,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Winston Taylor is seeking a Director of Information Security to lead the Security Engineering & Operations team, developing and maintaining the firm’s cyber security program. The role reports to the Chief Information Security Officer and collaborates with IT, Security Compliance, and business stakeholders to ensure proactive defense and rapid threat response.

The ideal candidate brings deep security expertise, executive-level communication, and a track record leading high-performing teams in a

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in information technology, information security, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Develops and implements a comprehensive security strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Establishes and maintains relationships across internal departments to foster a security-aware culture.
• Manages a dedicated team and drives high-performance delivery.
• Evaluates, designs, and implements security controls to protect infrastructure, systems, data.
• Oversees day-to-day security operations, monitoring, and incident response.
• Leads incident response protocols including investigations and containment.
• Develops incident response plans and coordinates with stakeholders and partners.
• Manages relationships with third-party vendors and security partners.
• Tracks KPIs to measure detection and response effectiveness.
• Identifies threats and coordinates mitigations with system owners.
• Implements purple teaming and lessons learned from incidents.

Skills

Security leadership

Strategic thinking

Executive communication

Threat landscape understanding

Cloud security principles

Education

Bachelor's degree in information technology or related field

Tools

SIEM

EDR/NGAV

SOAR

Firewalls

IDS/IPS

DLP

Cloud security platforms

Job description

About us

At Winston Taylor, we set the standard, together.

Winston Taylor is a transatlantic law firm built for the businesses, people, and markets driving capital and innovation. Here, you're in the room. In the action. Sleeves rolled up. You'll work with leading clients. Disruptors. Fast-growth companies. And help them to stay one step ahead of the moment and make critical decisions that shape their future. We're present in the U.S., U.K., Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, combining the scale and speed that clients demand. You'll be trusted with real responsibility from the outset and build experience through hands‑on work. We take your progression personally. We provide the platform. You shape the work around your goals and aspirations. Step into the moments that matter. Join Winston Taylor.

Position summary

The Director of Information Security is a key leadership role within the firm's Security Engineering & Operations team that is responsible for developing, overseeing, and maintaining Winston Taylor's cyber security program. This is a critical role that will be primarily responsible for all aspects of security engineering, security operations, and incident response. The ideal candidate is a technologist at heart, has a deep security background, and is comfortable flexing between strategic thinking and tactical execution. The Director will report to the Chief Information Security Officer and will closely collaborate with Information Technology, Security Compliance, and business stakeholders to ensure proactive defense, rapid response to threats, and continuous advancement of security architecture and automation.

Position responsibilities

• Develops and implements a comprehensive security strategy in alignment with the firm's business objectives, goals, and requirements.
• Establishes and maintains relationships across internal departments and practice areas to foster a security‑aware culture.
• Manages a dedicated team; fosters a collaborative and high-performance culture of delivering outcomes.
• Evaluates, designs, and implements security solutions and controls to protect the firm's infrastructure, systems, devices, and data.
• Collaborates with cross‑functional Information Technology teams to assess risks and partners to develop requirements and foster implementation of security controls.
• Oversees day‑to‑day cyber security operations, monitoring, detection engineering, and manages the response to security alerts, escalations, and incidents.
• Leads and support security incident response protocols, including investigations, containment, and resolution of security events and incidents.
• Develops and maintains security incident response plans, including coordination with internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Manage relationships with third‑party vendors, managed security providers, and security technology partners.
• Develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics for detection, response, and security engineering effectiveness.
• Identifies and evaluates emerging threats and vulnerabilities and coordinates with stakeholders and system owners to implement the appropriate mitigations.
• Ensure continuous improvement through purple teaming, simulation exercises, and lessons learned from incidents.

Experience, skills, and qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in information technology, information security, or related field required.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in cybersecurity, with significant experience in security operations and engineering required.
• 5+ years of experience in a security leadership role required.
• Must live within a commutable distance to a firm office with ability to come into the office 3-4 days per week.
• Deep expertise in designing and deploying leading security technologies such as SIEM, EDR/NGAV, SOAR, Firewalls, IDS/IPS, DLP, and cloud security platforms.
• Strong understanding of modern threat landscape, adversary tactics, and detection engineering methodologies.
• Familiarity with cloud security principles and securing hybrid‑cloud architectures (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP).
• Familiarity with generative AI security risks and control models (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Harvey AI).
• Proven leadership abilities, with a track record of building and leading high‑performing teams.
• Strong leadership, communication, and executive presentation skills.
• Experience working in a global professional services or law firm environment is highly desirable.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM, GIAC) are desirable.

Benefits

Winston offers comprehensive benefits that provide a full spectrum of coverage and support for our full-time employees and their families. Additional information about benefits and rewards can be found here.

Salary

The target annual salary range for this role is currently $240,000 - $280,000 based on a regular, full-time schedule. The amount of compensation offered will be determined by several factors, including but not limited to experience, qualifications, market data and internal equity. Total compensation includes a comprehensive healthcare benefits package, yearly retirement contribution, and may include an annual discretionary merit bonus.

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences.