Director, Cybersecurity

PLEASE NOTE: Your application will expire one year from the time of submission. Please feel free to apply to any other positions for which you may qualify.

Our team members enjoy competitive salaries, a well-rounded benefits package, generous paid time off (including 25 holidays, vacation, and sick leave), and an array of professional development opportunities.  We’re always looking to add to our team of more than 3,000 dedicated professionals who are leading online education worldwide with transformative digital solutions – personalized to every student.  

Job Posting End Date:

Deadline to apply is 11:59 PM on

02-13-2025

Job Title:

Director, Cybersecurity

Contract Type:

Employee

Annual Salary:

$114,692.00 - $217,915.00

(Support staff salary will be based on internal equity and experience)

Location:

FL - HOME OFFICE

Job Description Summary:

Our Mission is to equip students for success by developing and delivering highly effective digital learning through an intuitive online platform.

FLVS does not discriminate in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, genetic information or any other reason prohibited by law.

The Position:

Position General Summary:

Under the direction of the Senior Director, Governance, Risk, and Compliance, the Director, Cybersecurity will lead and oversee all aspects of the Florida Virtual School cybersecurity program, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical systems and sensitive data. This position requires a visionary leader with hands-on expertise in developing and implementing robust security policies, managing risks, and responding effectively to cyber threats within an educational organization.

Essential Position Functions:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy aligned with FLVS's educational mission and technology initiatives.

• Collaborate with executive leadership to establish security priorities and goals.

• Collaborate with executive leadership, senior leadership, and other FLVS stakeholders to balance cybersecurity risk management with business decision-making.

• Identify, assess, and mitigate risks to FLVS’s IT infrastructure and sensitive data, including student and employee records.

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local cybersecurity regulations (e.g., FERPA, COPPA, HIPAA, CIPA).

• Conduct, via both internal and external personnel, penetration testing, risk assessments, cyber investigations, and audits to maintain compliance and identify vulnerabilities.

• Develop, implement, and maintain incident response plans and protocols.

• Lead efforts to detect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity incidents and breaches.

• Establish and enforce cybersecurity policies, standards, and best practices.

• Conduct ongoing training and awareness programs for employees, contractors, and stakeholders.

• Oversee application development cybersecurity program.

• Oversee the deployment and maintenance of security technologies, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and endpoint protection.

• Partner with technology teams to integrate security into system architecture and development lifecycles.

• Monitor and analyze security threats, vulnerabilities, and trends to proactively adapt defenses.

• Build and lead a high-performing cybersecurity team, including hiring, mentoring, and evaluating staff.

• Foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement within the team and across departments.

• Lead and manage assigned direct reports for continual improvement in efficiency and effectiveness of the group, as well as ensuring team members have access to professional growth within the organization.

• Meet professional obligations through efficient work habits such as, meeting deadlines, honoring schedules, coordinating resources and meetings in an effective and timely manner, and demonstrating respect for others.

• All work responsibilities are subject to having performance goals and/or targets established.

 (These essential functions are not to be construed as a complete statement of all duties performed. Employees will be required to perform other job-related duties as required.)

Minimum Requirements:

Education/Licensure/Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).

• Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, or CISA are highly desirable.

Experience:

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in cybersecurity or IT leadership roles, with at least 5 years in a management position.

• Proven experience managing cybersecurity programs, ideally in education, government, or similarly regulated environments.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's):

• Strong understanding of cybersecurity frameworks (e.g., NIST CSF, ISO 27001).

• Demonstrable experience working SaaS software development teams to implement cybersecurity standards and oversight.

• Expertise in security technologies and tools, including SIEM, firewalls, endpoint protection, and vulnerability scanners.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Demonstrated ability to manage large-scale security projects and budgets.

• Familiarity with the unique cybersecurity challenges facing K-12 educational institutions.

• Experience with cloud-based environments and securing remote work technologies.

• Excellent leadership capabilities, including the ability to work effectively with and influence team members, management, clients, and other external groups.

• Strong abilities in strategic and innovative thinking processes.

• Ability to make sound decisions and recommendations within established guidelines.

• Effective verbal and written communication at senior and executive levels.

• Ability to organize, prioritize, and meet aggressive deadlines.

• Ability to research information, analyze data, and make recommendations, plans of action, and formulate alternative resolutions and system improvements.

• Must possess strong knowledge of computer operations and office software.

• Must possess strong operational and trouble shooting skills for software resources.

• Ability to work with and through people to establish goals, objectives, and action plans.

CORE COMPETENCIES FOR SUCCESS:

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Clearly and effectively conveys and/or presents information verbally; summarizes what was heard to mitigate miscommunication;  Shares ideas and perspectives and encourages others to do the same; Informs others involved in a project of new developments; Disseminates information to other employees, as appropriate; Effectively uses multiple channels to communicate important messages; Keeps supervisor well informed about progress and/or problems in a timely manner; Writes in a clear, concise, organized and convincing way for a variety of target audiences; The written message is consistently error-free; The written message has the desired effect on the target audience  

CUSTOMER FOCUS

Prioritizes customers (internal and external)  and their needs as primary and is dedicated to meeting their expectations; Develops and maintains customer relationships; builds credibility and trust; Quickly and effectively solves customer problems; Provides prompt, attentive service in a cheerful manner; adapts to changing information,  conditions or challenges with a positive attitude; Incorporates customer feedback into delivery of service to provide the best experience possible for the customer; Actively promotes our organization in the community by serving as an ambassador or volunteer

 INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Relates well with others; Treats others with respect; Shares views in a tactful way; Demonstrates diplomacy by approaching others about sensitive issues in non-threatening ways; Considers and responds appropriately to the needs, feelings and capabilities of others; Fosters an environment conducive to open, transparent communication among all levels and positions; Takes the initiative to get to know internal and external customers

FUNCTIONAL /TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

Has the skills, abilities, knowledge and experience to be successful in functional area of expertise; Dedicates time and energy to keeping abreast of the latest information related to area of expertise and technology; Picks up on technology quickly; Does well in technical courses and seminars; Produces high quality work in organized and timely fashion

DIRECTOR COMPETENCIES FOR SUCCESS:

LEARNING ON THE FLY

Learns quickly when facing new problems; Is a voracious learner; Analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement; Experiments and will try anything to find solutions; Seeks out the challenge of unfamiliar tasks; Quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of most anything      

PRESENTATION SKILLS

Is effective in a variety of formal presentation settings: one-on-one, small and large groups, with peers, direct reports, and bosses; Is effective both inside and outside the organization, on both cool data and hot and controversial topics; Commands attention and can manage group process during the presentation; Can change tactics midstream when something isn’t working

PRIORITY SETTING

Spends his/her time and the time of others on what’s important; Quickly zeros in on the critical few and puts the trivial many aside; Can quickly sense what will help or hinder accomplishing a goal; Eliminates roadblocks; Creates focus  

BUSINESS & FINANCIAL ACUMEN

Knowledgeable in current and possible future policies, practices, trends, technology, and information affecting his/her business and organization; Knows the competition; Understands and communicates the goals, objectives, competencies, and metrics associated with business success; Understands and applies knowledge of key organizational business drivers; Keeps abreast of the overall performance of the organization and adjusts allocation of finances based on progress against goals; Sets priorities by aligning organizational finances with strategic goals; Fosters an environment that encourages fiscal responsibility

COMPOSURE

Is cool under pressure; Does not become defensive or irritated when times are tough; Can be counted on to hold things together during tough times; Handles stress well; Is not knocked off balance by the unexpected; Doesn’t show frustration when resisted or blocked; Is a settling influence in a crisis; Consistently behaves in a professional manner   

DEALING WITH AMBIGUITY

Effectively copes with change; Can shift gears comfortably; Can decide and act without having the total picture; Isn’t upset when things are up in the air; Doesn’t have to finish things before moving on; Can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty

Physical Requirements and Environmental Conditions:

• Frequency of travel: Frequent travel is required for meetings, trainings, and conferences; location may vary and may require overnight stays.

• On-call availability to respond to critical incidents and emergencies.

• Light physical activities and efforts required working in an office environment.

(Reasonable accommodations will be made in accordance with existing ADA requirements for otherwise qualified individuals with a disability.