Director of Information Security

Would you love to work for a fast-growing company with amazing perks and benefits including educational and professional development and a great Work-Life balance? Then Forward Slope, an Accelint Company, wants you to join our team! We are a fast-paced global engineering company in the Department of Defense (DoD) industry with a great reputation for over 22 years.

Forward Slope (FSI) currently has an opening for a Director of Information Security to join our team. This position is located in San Diego, California.

Job Description:
The Director of Information Security is a hands-on leadership role responsible for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of our cybersecurity program. This role combines strategic leadership, operational execution, and direct technical work. The ideal candidate will be an experienced security practitioner who is equally comfortable implementing organizational vision and configuring a firewall, drafting policies and responding to incidents, and communicating risks to executives and regulators. Above all, the candidate must be able to lead, grow and inspire the cybersecurity team.

Key Responsibilities:
Cybersecurity Strategy and Program Leadership

• Work closely with the CISO to evolve the company's cybersecurity strategy and align it with business objectives, regulatory requirements, and threat intelligence.
• Define and track security metrics, KPIs, and KRIs to measure program effectiveness and maturity.

Risk Management and Compliance

• Lead the company's efforts to maintain compliance with DFARS, CMMC (Levels 2 and 3), NIST SP 800-171, NIST SP 800-53, and ITAR/EAR regulations.
• Conduct risk assessments across business units, IT infrastructure, and vendors; develop actionable mitigation plans.
• Prepare the organization for cybersecurity audits and assessments, including CMMC certification.

Technical Security Operations

• Evaluate, implement, configure and operate critical security technologies and controls including:
• Firewalls, endpoint protection, SIEM, vulnerability scanning, DLP, encryption technologies, IAM/MFA.
• Perform vulnerability management, threat hunting, and forensic investigations where necessary.
• Develop and manage the company's Incident Response playbooks and lead and execute all incident response activities.

Policy Development, Training, and Awareness

• Create, maintain, and enforce security policies, standards, procedures, and guidelines.
• Build a strong security awareness culture through ongoing education, attack simulations, and training.
• Coordinate security onboarding and annual training programs to ensure all employees meet compliance requirements.

Team Building and Leadership

• Build and lead a small, high-performing security team of engineers and analysts.
• Mentor and develop internal talent, providing clear career progression opportunities.
• Partner with IT, software engineering, HR, contracts, and executive leadership to embed security practices across the business.

Emerging Threats and Continuous Improvement

• Stay informed of emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and regulatory changes.
• Evaluate and adopt new security tools, frameworks, and practices to maintain a forward-leaning security posture.
• Participate in external cybersecurity working groups and forums to evaluate and share best practices.

Required Qualifications:

• Currently hold an active U.S security clearance or be able to obtain one
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Systems, or a related field.
• 8 years of progressive experience in information security roles, including 2 years in a leadership capacity.
• In-depth knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks (NIST, CMMC, DFARS, RMF).
• Strong technical background securing hybrid environments (Windows/Linux, on-premises, cloud).
• Proven incident response experience and technical security engineering skills.
• Relevant certifications: CISSP, CISM, or equivalent.
• Must be able to travel occasionally to customer sites and secure facilities as needed.

Desired Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, or related field.
• Experience with FedRAMP, ISO 27001, SCAP scanning, and RMF process implementation.
• Familiarity with DevSecOps, secure coding practices, and software supply chain security.
• Hands-on scripting experience (Python, Bash, PowerShell) and familiarity with infrastructure-as-code concepts.

Salary Range:

• $150,000 - $175,000 per year*

Job Type:

• Full-Time Salary Exempt

Why Join Forward Slope?

• Fast-paced global company with a great reputation in the DoD industry for over 22 years
• Great and fun work culture
• Amazing benefits package for full-time employees (including 100% employer contribution for employee medical benefits)
• 3 weeks of PTO a year
• 11 paid company holidays a year
• Team Building - Continuous appreciation events for our employees
• Education and Professional Development – programs to help you with your educational and professional growth!

Forward Slope, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local law. We ensure that all employment decisions, including hiring, promotion, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment, are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation with regard to the application and selection process, please contact us at (619) 299-4400 and ask for the Human Resources Dept.

• The listed pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this position for the location for which it has been posted and is not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Other compensation considerations may include, but are not limited to, job responsibilities, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, or other applicable factors.

Salary : $150,000 - $175,000