IT Security Administrator

City of Bloomington Illinois; Bloomington (IL); On-site; USD 84,000 - 126,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Bloomington Illinois seeks an IT Security Administrator to own and operate the city's information security program. You will lead incident response, disaster recovery planning, and the deployment of new security technologies to strengthen defenses citywide.

As the sole dedicated security role, you will collaborate with IT leadership to align security with business needs and regulatory requirements, ensuring ongoing risk reduction and policy compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in cyber security or related field required.
• Equivalent combination of training, education and experience may be considered.
• Strong security posture understanding and policy knowledge.
• Experience with incident response and disaster recovery planning desired.

Responsibilities

• Own, operate, and continually improve the city’s information security program.
• Lead security incident response activities and coordinate disaster recovery planning.
• Evaluate, select and deploy security tools and technologies.
• Monitor daily security operations including firewalls, IAM, EDR, and vulnerability management.
• Develop and maintain security policies, standards, and procedures.
• Provide regular security risk assessments and reports to IT leadership.

Education

Bachelor's degree in cyber security, or related field

Tools

Cisco DNA Center/FirePower

Windows OS

Vulnerability Scanners

Job description

The IT Security Administrator is responsible for owning, operating, and continually improving all aspects of the city’s information security program. As the sole dedicated security role, this position manages day-to-day operation of existing security systems, leads the planning and implementation of new security technologies, policies, processes, and baselines, and maintains an up-to-date understanding of the city’s security posture. The role also leads security incident response activities, supports business continuity and disaster recovery planning, and helps ensure compliance with applicable City policies, industry best practices, contractual requirements, and applicable laws and regulations. This list may not include all tasks and/or knowledge that may be expected of the employee, nor does it cover all specific duties that may be required. Other duties may be assigned.

Strategy & Planning

• Develop, maintain, and communicate the organization’s information security roadmap alongside the Infrastructure Manager, and with other Infrastructure Division staff members, as it relates to their areas of responsibility.
• Continuously assess current-state security posture and define desired future-state maturity.
• Recommend security enhancements based on risk assessments, vulnerability assessments, threat intelligence, and emerging technologies.
• Participate in strategic IT planning to ensure security considerations are embedded in all initiatives.
• Establish and maintain information security policies, standards, and procedures.
• Conduct security risk assessments and present findings to IT leadership.
• Leads the planning and design of enterprise security architecture, under the direction of the Infrastructure Manager, or IT Leadership Team where appropriate.
• Leads the development and maintenance of the City's information security incident response plan and collaborates with appropriate City and IT staff on business continuity and disaster recovery planning.

Acquisition & Deployment

• Evaluate, select, and implement security tools and technologies aligned with organizational needs.
• Lead deployment and configuration efforts for new security systems, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum effectiveness.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, enterprise, and operations team members to integrate security controls into new and existing systems.
• Develop and maintain documentation related to new and existing systems, architecture, and processes.
• Manage relationships with security vendors, service providers, and consultants.
• Maintains up-to-date detailed knowledge of the IT security industry including awareness of new or revised security solutions, improved security processes, and the development of new attacks and threat vectors.

Operational Management

• Monitor and manage daily operations of all in-place security systems including firewalls, endpoint protection, identity and access management, intrusion detection/prevention, logging/monitoring platforms, and vulnerability management.
• Perform ongoing vulnerability scans, log analysis, and threat detection activities.
• Lead incident response efforts including identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident reviews.
• Develops and maintains IT disaster recovery and cybersecurity incident response plans and collaborates with City leadership and departments on broader business continuity planning.
• Ensure secure configuration management and patching practices across all systems.
• Conduct regular security awareness training and serve as the internal point of contact for security-related issues.
• Prepare and present regular reports to IT leadership regarding security risks, incidents, vulnerabilities, trends, mitigation activities, and overall security posture.
• Maintain up-to-date baselines for the secure configuration and operations of all in-place devices, whether they be under direct control (i.e. security tools) or not (e.g. workstations, servers, network devices).
• Provide on-call support for end users for all in-place security solutions.

Knowledge of:

• Security best practices and industry standards.
• Experience with Cisco DNA Center/FirePower next-gen firewall.
• Strong understanding of IP, TCP/IP, and other network administration protocols.
• Strong technical knowledge of client endpoint operating systems.
• Strong technical knowledge of current client hardware, protocols, and standards.
• Extensive application support experience with various Windows-based products.
• Proven experience in IT infrastructure planning and development.
• Ability to understand organizational goals and align information security priorities with operational and business needs.
• In-depth knowledge of applicable data privacy practices and laws.
• Strong understanding of project management principles.

Skills in:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Highly self-motivated and directed.
• Keen attention to detail.
• Exceptional customer service orientation.
• Extensive experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
• Strong desire for continued educational opportunities.

Ability to:

• Conduct and direct research into IT issues and products, as required.
• Effectively troubleshoot hardware and software issues to determine the best corrective action.
• Present ideas in business-friendly and user-friendly language to all levels.
• Proven analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving abilities.
• Effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in cyber security, or related field, from an accredited college or
• Graduation from high school followed by at least 5 years of cyber security-related experience or
• Equivalent combination of training, education, and experience may be considered

Preferred Certificate or Licenses (one or more of the following):

• CompTIA Security+
• GIAC Information Security Fundamentals (GISF)
• Fortinet NSE Level 2
• ITIL Foundation v4

Physical Requirements/Working Conditions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment and includes frequent interaction with City staff. The essential functions of this position require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office or virtual setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; the dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, power tools, and to handle other computer components; occasional inspection of cables in floors and ceilings; lifting and transporting of moderately heavy objects, such as computers and peripherals; and to hear and verbally communicate to exchange information. Includes on-call availability as needed, nights, and weekends on occasion.

Full Salary Range: $84,299 - $126,448