Director of Cybersecurity Programs

Position Title Director of Cybersecurity Programs About the University

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the College The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) and the Department are committed to creating equitable and inclusive learning and working environments for their students, faculty, and staff. WWU is one of 24 institutions in the USA to receive funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Inclusive Excellence Program.  One HHMI Initiative is the Advancing Excellence and Equity in Science (AEES) Program that focuses on enhancing recruitment, retention, and success for first-generation, underrepresented racial and ethnic minority, female, and transfer students in CSE. In addition, several faculty-led initiatives and committees focus on diversity and inclusivity in the classroom and beyond.  Involvement with the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and our “Out in Science” program are also vital to advancing inclusion within the college (WWU STEM Clubs). About the Department

The College of Science and Engineering and the Computer Science Department support Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

The Computer Science Department has 17 tenured or tenure-track faculty, 15 non-tenure track instructors, and serves approximately 400 majors or pre-majors. The department offers an ABET-accredited B.S. in computer science, an M.S. degree, and B.S. degrees in Data Science and Cybersecurity, as well as a CS Education B.A. degree. The department has a strong history of research collaboration with other disciplines across campus such as Anthropology, Linguistics, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Physics, among others, as well as collaborations with regional tech partners such as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL). Collaborations with the Washington Autonomous Vehicle Cluster (WAV-C), and with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), provide additional opportunities for faculty whose specialty is robotics. Faculty-mentored research projects are a hallmark of CS at WWU, which the department and college support in numerous ways, including by funding student and faculty travel to academic conferences to present their co-authored publications.

ADEI efforts: The Computer Science Department is committed to cultivating equitable and diverse learning and work environments to fulfill Western’s strategic goals of Advancing Inclusive Success, Increasing Washington Impact, and Enhancing Academic Excellence. The department’s on-going efforts include faculty involvement in workshops on inclusive pedagogy and educational research on student success, among others.

Work Life Balance: The department supports a genuine balance between teaching and scholarship, and between life and work. Standards for tenure and promotion are designed with this commitment in mind. Faculty have reasonable yearly teaching loads, which enables them to pursue their scholarship interests via mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students. Above all, high quality engaged instruction is highly valued.

Department Growth: As part of the university’s commitment to cultivate expansion in critical disciplines, Kaiser Borsari Hall was recently built to increase capacity in Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering. The 20,000 square foot facility houses state-of-the-art teaching classrooms, new faculty offices, a showcase robotics lab, as well as student project spaces.

Student culture: The department has a long history and culture of student engagement in faculty-mentored research that is supported by the College. The extent and success of student research is evidenced by several alumni each year proceeding to PhD programs at top institutions. Our undergraduate and graduate students land careers at a wide range of destinations, from top tech companies to startups, to national labs.

Visit our department web page at https://cs.wwu.edu/ for more information. 

About the Position The Director of Cybersecurity Programs is a tenure-track member of the Department of Computer Science with the responsibility to oversee academic programs and activities in cybersecurity throughout the university, including on the Bellingham campus, as well as our Poulsbo and Kirkland satellite locations. The Director maintains WWU’s nationally recognized cybersecurity programs, encourages the incorporation of cybersecurity topics and concepts into curriculum and activities across the university, and maintains ties with academic, government, and private sector partners to ensure the delivery of quality cybersecurity curriculum. The WWU Cybersecurity BS is the foundation for the WWU’s NSA recognized Center of Academic Excellence, and a demanding technical cybersecurity program. WWU also provides a Cybersecurity Minor, and a Cybersecurity Certificate. The job duties broadly are in support of the cybersecurity program, Center of Excellence, teaching, and Cyber Range Poulsbo.

This position is designated as a tenure-track Academic Program Director at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, with responsibilities as described below. In addition to the standard nine-month appointment and salary, the Directorship will include an additional month of compensation in order to complete the work responsibilities of the position. The initial period of appointment to the role of Director will be four years, with opportunity for reappointment.

The position has an anticipated start date between July 1 and September 16, 2025.

Academic Program Management:

• Coordinate the execution of existing curriculum in Cybersecurity, and take a leadership role in the evaluation and modification of curriculum, as well as the design of new programs as needed.
• Ensure curriculum is mapped and aligned with requirements from the CAE program, NICE, ABET, and ACM.
• Manage and monitor the assessment program for cybersecurity in support of CAE, ABET, and university accreditation needs.
• Identify and coordinate the scheduling and staffing of courses for cybersecurity in Poulsbo and Kirkland in coordination with CS department leadership.

Student Advising and Support:

• Review and approve degree and certificate applications.
• Review and approve exceptions, modifications, and substitutions for students in the programs.
• Meet with and advise students.
• Support active and engaged cybersecurity clubs and competition teams.
• Identify and promote internship and other student opportunities.

Pipeline Development:

• Coordinate and maintain articulation agreements with partner colleges.
• Participate in recruitment efforts with partner colleges, high schools, and other opportunities with the goal of increasing enrollment at all locations.
• Prepare and submit proposals, and manage grants and other opportunities for scholarships, such as Scholarship for Service (NSF), Cyber Service Academy (Cyber Command), etc.

External Relations:

• Encourage and support the development and delivery of cybersecurity curriculum efforts in programs throughout the university.
• Coordinate, convene, and meet with an external advisory board for Cybersecurity on a semi-annual basis. Maintain relationships with members of the board between meetings.
• Coordinate with external employers and partners to create and manage year-long senior projects.
• Participate in community outreach activities, to include opportunities for K-12, the general public, and employers.
• Create and lead events and resources for WWU and surrounding community to promote and inform about cybersecurity.
• Maintain relationships, directly and through the Foundation, with key government and private sector partners including the NSA, DHS, Cyber Command, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Naval Base Kitsap, Cloud Security Alliance, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, etc.
• Supervise the CAE/CISS websites and other communication platforms.
• Identify, prepare, submit, and manage grants for research and capacity building with various government and industry sources.
• Develop and coordinate research consortiums with other Universities and Colleges both inside and external to the CAE program.

Teaching:

• Teaching three courses per academic year, with primary teaching responsibilities onsite at the Bellingham campus.
• Advise senior projects.

Cyber Range:

• Set the vision and direction for Cyber Range Poulsbo.
• Mange the staff and budget.
• Maintain relevant government, academic, and industry partnerships.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. (by time of application) in Cybersecurity or related field.
• Experience, knowledge and research in Cybersecurity
• Experience in teaching at the University Level
• Experience or interest in outreach and professional speaking.
• Experience or interest in writing and managing grants.
• Experience or interest in developing a vision for the evolution of cybersecurity curriculum in response to changes in the discipline.
• For appointment at the Associate Professor level (tenure-track), a research record and demonstrated evidence of successful teaching commensurate with standards for promotion to those ranks in the department.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experiences with developing and maintaining an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD).
• Experience in managing and maintaining an ABET accredited degree.
• National or International reputation in cybersecurity education with participation in academic service at a national level.
• Industry Experience in Cybersecurity

Conditions of Employment

Must be able to travel and spend time at multiple locations including Poulsbo and Kirkland in addition to Bellingham.

All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to HR@wwu.edu if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Salary

The starting salary range for an assistant professor appointment, tenure-track is generally between $100,000-$105,000, with placement within the position’s salary range being based on qualifications and professional experience. The entire salary range for the assistant professor position is generally $100,000-$110,000, with the upper end of the salary range typically being achieved through collectively bargained salary adjustments which include a 10% salary increase accompanying tenure.

The starting salary range for an associate professor appointment, tenure-track is generally between $105,000-$110,000. The entire salary range for the associate professor position is $115,000-$130,000, with the upper end of the salary range typically being achieved through collectively bargained salary adjustments which include a 10% salary increase accompanying tenure.

Relocation assistance may be available per University guidelines. Salary and Start-up funds are to be determined upon being offered the position.

Benefits Information Benefits Overview for Faculty Positions

Bargaining Unit

 United Faculty of Western Washington

Application Instructions

Interested candidates must apply online. For application information and instructions, go to the WWU Employment website.

A complete application should include:

• Application Letter (max 3 pages): a letter of application that addresses how you meet the required and preferred qualifications for the position, and your ability and commitment to fulfill the responsibilities of the position. 
• Diversity Statement (max 2 pages): a separate statement of demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion in teaching, scholarship and/or service describing past experiences, contributions to diversity and inclusion efforts, the impact on students, faculty, staff and/or your field, and a description of how you will demonstrate a commitment in these areas in teaching, research, and/or service at WWU.  
• Teaching Statement (max 2 pages): a separate statement of your teaching experience and/or interests, and plans for teaching introductory and advanced courses up through and including graduate M.S. courses. Please include a summary of teaching evaluations, if applicable. 
• Research Statement (max 4 pages, not including references): in a separate statement, please detail your research interests, current and future projects, and plans for recruiting and involving both undergraduate and graduate students.
• Vita: A full curriculum vitae.
• References: the names and contact information for at least three professional references.  Please do not send letters of recommendation; these will only be required for semi-finalists, and will be requested from the provided references via Western’s PageUp electronic application system.
• Undergraduate & Graduate Transcripts: unofficial copies of transcripts are acceptable for initial application review. 

Closing Date Notes

For priority consideration, applications should be received by April 25, 2025.  Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.  Screening interviews are anticipated to be conducted via Zoom in early May.  Finalist interviews are anticipated to be conducted on campus late May through early June.  Inquiries about the position may be addressed to the search committee and Department Chair, Prof. Filip Jagodzinski, at filip.jagodzinski@wwu.edu.  

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to assembling a diverse, broadly trained faculty and staff. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. In compliance with applicable laws and in furtherance of its commitment to fostering an environment that welcomes and embraces diversity, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and parenting status), disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or genetic information in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policy on Ensuring Equal Opportunity and Prohibiting Discrimination and Retaliation. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services at vpsa.office@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires and rehires, which includes a sexual misconduct background check.