Strategic CISO Program & Operations Manager

cardinalhealth; Kentucky; Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 197,000; Full time

Job summary

Cardinal Health seeks an experienced Information Security and Risk leader to oversee the CISO Program & Operations. You will coordinate strategy, governance, and performance across projects, budgets, and vendors, aligning cybersecurity initiatives with enterprise risk objectives.

You will drive standard processes, provide data-driven insights, and foster collaboration across IT, security, and business units in a regulated healthcare environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in cybersecurity, technology risk, portfolio management, or program operations preferred.
• Bachelor's Degree preferred
• Experience supporting cybersecurity project or portfolio management, including tracking initiatives, managing priorities, and reporting performance.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity frameworks (e.g., NIST CSF, ISO 27001), risk management principles, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience developing executive reporting materials and utilizing metrics to track program performance.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively across cross-functional teams.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in cybersecurity portfolio management, program governance, or strategy execution.
• Experience working in highly regulated industries (e.g., aviation, financial services, healthcare, or government).
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies and project management tools.
• Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, PMP, or PRINCE2.

Responsibilities

• Support facilitation of the CISO Program strategy by aligning program activities to enterprise and cybersecurity objectives.
• Collaborate with CISO Program leadership to establish goals, define success metrics, and monitor program performance against strategic priorities.
• Assist in maintaining the cybersecurity services catalog, including services, tools, and technologies utilized across the program.
• Support execution of processes to evaluate program performance and maintain alignment with strategic objectives.
• Contribute to cybersecurity capability maturity assessments and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate cybersecurity project intake requests across internal and external stakeholders, including business segments, auditors, vendors, and technology teams.
• Ensure project requests are properly documented, assessed, and aligned with cybersecurity priorities and available resources.
• Facilitate communication between requesting stakeholders and cybersecurity teams to support efficient intake, scoping, and initiation of work.
• Maintain centralized intake processes and ensure consistency in evaluation and prioritization of incoming requests.
• Support management of the cybersecurity project portfolio by tracking initiatives, timelines, milestones, risks, and dependencies.
• Assist in establishing and maintaining standardized project management frameworks, tools, and reporting processes.
• Provide visibility into project status and performance to support execution and leadership oversight.
• Coordinate resource allocation, capacity planning, and workload distribution across cybersecurity teams.
• Drive adherence to defined processes and methodologies to ensure consistent delivery of CISO program initiatives.
• Monitor cybersecurity and infrastructure program performance using KPIs and KRIs to assess program health, operational performance, and identify emerging risks.
• Support development of executive, business unit, and operational reporting materials, including dashboards, metrics, and trend analysis.
• Provide insights into program performance to inform prioritization, funding decisions, and strategic adjustments.
• Ensure consistency and accuracy in CISO program reporting across teams and stakeholders.
• Track progress of CISO program initiatives and support escalation of risks or issues as needed.
• Support development and management of the CISO program budget, including operational and capital expenditures.
• Assist in aligning financial plans with program objectives, resource requirements, and demand forecasts.
• Track and evaluate program spend, forecasts, and financial performance to support informed decision‑making.
• Collaborate with finance and program leadership to support budgeting processes, financial planning, and reporting activities.
• Establish a scalable financial governance process aligned to cybersecurity program needs.
• Support management of cybersecurity vendors by maintaining vendor inventory, tracking performance, and ensuring alignment with contractual obligations and program objectives.
• Assist in vendor selection processes, including RFP development, evaluation, and coordination with procurement teams.
• Monitor vendor performance, service delivery, and issue resolution across the vendor lifecycle.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure vendor engagements align with cybersecurity architecture, security requirements, and strategic priorities.
• Facilitate coordination across cybersecurity, IT, business units, and external partners to support execution of cybersecurity initiatives.
• Serve as a liaison between stakeholders to ensure alignment, communication, and effective delivery of cybersecurity services.
• Support integration of cybersecurity considerations into enterprise projects, audits, and operational activities.
• Promote transparency and collaboration across teams to enable effective program execution.
• Identify opportunities to improve CISO program processes, tools, and governance structures.
• Support implementation of process improvements to increase efficiency, scalability, and program maturity.
• Contribute to development of standardized documentation, playbooks, and operating procedures.
• Stay informed of evolving cybersecurity trends, regulatory requirements, and best practices to support ongoing program evolution.

Skills

Cybersecurity frameworks

Risk management

Executive reporting

Stakeholder mgmt

Agile

Cross-functional teams

Communication

Portfolio management

Healthcare industry

Education

MBA or MS in Cybersecurity

Bachelor's Degree preferred

Job description

Cardinal Health seeks an experienced Information Security and Risk leader to oversee the CISO Program & Operations. You will coordinate strategy, governance, and performance across projects, budgets, and vendors, aligning cybersecurity initiatives with enterprise risk objectives.

You will drive standard processes, provide data-driven insights, and foster collaboration across IT, security, and business units in a regulated healthcare environment.