Sr. Director, Information Security

Job Summary:

The Sr. Director of Information Security is responsible for establishing and maintaining the ICANN’s enterprise information security vision, strategy, and programs to ensure information assets and technologies are protected. This person will oversee security risk management, compliance, incident response, and cybersecurity initiatives while fostering a security-first culture across the organization.

Key Responsibilities & Duties:

●      Security Strategy & Leadership: Develop and implement an enterprise-wide information security strategy aligned with business objectives.

●      Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate security risks while ensuring compliance with regulatory and industry standards.

●      Cybersecurity Operations: Oversee information security operations, including threat intelligence, vulnerability management, and incident response.

●      Compliance & Governance: Ensure adherence to security frameworks, policies, and industry regulations such as NIST CSF, ISO 27001, NIST SP 800 series, GDPR, CCPA, and SOC 2.

●      Incident Response & Crisis Management: Lead efforts to detect, investigate, and remediate security incidents, ensuring minimal disruption to business operations.

●      Security Awareness & Training: Foster a culture of security awareness by conducting employee training and implementing best practices.

●      Technology & Architecture Oversight: Guide the selection, deployment, and management of security technologies, including firewalls, SIEM, endpoint protection, and IAM solutions.

●      Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: Work closely with executive leadership, Engineering and Information Technology (E&IT), legal, and compliance teams to align security objectives with business needs.

●      Third-Party Risk Management: Evaluate and monitor vendors, partners, and supply chains to manage information security risk.

●      Budget & Resource Management: Develop and manage the cybersecurity budget, ensuring the efficient allocation of monetary, time and people resources.

●      Incident Response: Provide expertise to Crisis Management Team; oversight and accountability for resolution of information security incidents.

●      Mentorship: Encourage and facilitate the development of a significant knowledge base in others; may define role of staff members

●      Other duties as assigned or requested

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):  (Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions)

●      Strong interpersonal communication skills and the ability to maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, vendors, business owners and the public are required

●      Hands-on experience with security technologies, including SIEM, IDS/IPS, encryption, and cloud security solutions.

●      Strong knowledge of IT infrastructure, networking, and cloud environments.

●      Proven track record in managing security incidents and crisis response.

●      Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

●      Experience in highly regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, or government.

●      Familiarity with AI-driven security solutions and emerging threat landscapes.

●      Background in ethical hacking, penetration testing, or red teaming

●      General understanding of all areas of ICANN’s business and functional groups, including relevant industry issues

●      Demonstrated expertise in a diverse variety of IT process improvement concepts, practices, and procedures

●      Ability to effectively facilitate meetings at senior management level

Education and Experience Requirements:

●      Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, IT, Engineering, or a related field.

●      Minimum fifteen (15) years of experience in related field.

●      Minimum eight (8) years of supervisory experience

●      Industry certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CISA, or CCISO.

●      Fluency, both written and spoken, in English is required

●      ICANN is a global organization that values diversity; preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated skills in additional languages besides English

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements:

●      Work is performed in a normal office environment with limited privacy and some exposure to background noise

●      While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand and walk. The employee regularly is required to sit. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear; use hands and arms to reach, handle or feel. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.  

●      The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds