Lead Cyber Defense Strategy

Altice USA; Bethpage (NY); On-site; USD 134,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimum is seeking a Lead, Cyber Defense Operations Strategy and Coordination in New York. You will drive strategic direction and align across SOC, Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, and Vulnerability Management to reduce cyber risk and strengthen resilience.

You will define the operating model, oversee risk reviews, and push for standardized playbooks and response protocols while reporting KPIs to leadership. This is a senior, cross-functional leadership role in a large enterprise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, IT, or related field, or equivalent.
• 8+ years of experience in Cyber Security or related field.
• Proven leadership in SOC, incident response, threat intel, or vulnerability management.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the cyber defense operations strategy, roadmap, and operating model.
• Coordinate priorities across SOC, IR, Threat Intelligence, and vulnerability management.
• Lead oversight including risk reviews and post-incident debriefs.
• Develop playbooks, runbooks, escalation paths, and response protocols.
• Translate threats into operational priorities and control improvements.
• Report KPIs/KRIs such as MTTR, detection coverage, and remediation SLA.
• Partner with Infrastructure, IT, Legal, Privacy, and business teams during IR.
• Lead crisis readiness drills and identify gaps for automation.

Skills

Cyber security leadership

SOC leadership

Incident response

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

SIEM

SOAR

EDR

Vuln platforms

Job description

Job Summary

The Lead, Cyber Defense Operations Strategy and Coordinationdrivesthe strategic direction and operational alignment of enterprise cyber defense capabilities. This role ensures coordinated execution acrossSecurityOperations Center (SOC), Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, and Vulnerability Management functions to reduce cyber risk and improve resilience.

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 (PTEs, Table tops, etc.) to strengthen crisis response
• Identify process and tooling gaps and coordinate automation and operational improvement initiatives

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• 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 (for example, 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

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in large enterprise or regulated industry environments
• Familiarity with SIEM, SOAR, EDR, case management, and vulnerability risk platforms
• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, GIAC (GCIH/GCIA), or PMP

At Optimum, every action and interaction we take part in, is driven by our three Guiding Principles: Do What's Right, Drive One Optimum, and Make It Happen. These aren't just words, they help us build trust, create real community, and embrace new ways of thinking. Our employees are empowered to do the right thing for our customers and co-workers and to recognize and reward these behaviors when we see them. It's all part of the bigger picture of "Be The Difference" where each employee knows they have the power to enact real change, share new ideas, and understand that learning never stop.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to recruiting, hiring and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds regardless of gender, race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

The Company collects personal information about its applicants for employment that may include personal identifiers, professional or employment related information, photos, education information and/or protected classifications under federal and state law. This information is collected for employment purposes, including identification, work authorization, FCRA-compliant background screening, human resource administration and compliance with federal, state and local law.

Applicants for employment with The Company will never be asked to provide money (even if reimbursable) as part of the job application or hiring process. Please review our Fraud FAQ for further details.

Pay is competitive and based on a number of job-related factors, including skills and experience. The starting pay rate/range at time of hire for this position in New York is $133,661.00 - $219,586.00 / year. For other locations, please inquire with your recruiter. The rates/ranges provided herein are the anticipated pay at the time of hire, and do not reflect future job opportunity.

All job descriptions and required skills, qualifications and responsibilities for a particular position are subject to modification by the Company from time to time, in the Company's discretion based on business necessity.

We appreciate your interest in this opportunity. Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. Please note that at this time, we do not provide visa sponsorship for employment.