Director of Cybersecurity

Description

The company builds satellite buses, the commercial spacecraft platforms that carry customer payloads and fly on launch vehicles.

Demand for these buses has grown sharply as more launch vehicles come online, launch costs fall, and new payload companies appear.

The company produces buses at scale by combining its own software, vertical integration, and hardware designed for manufacturing. Its spacecraft serve uses from earth observation to communications.

The Director of Cybersecurity is a senior leadership role covering enterprise security strategy, operations, and compliance. The role reports to the VP of IT & Security and is based on-site at the Playa Vista office.

The director leads the Cybersecurity (SOC) Lead and the security team, protecting company information from changing cyber threats. The role owns the SOC, threat and vulnerability management, incident response, and governance, risk, and compliance for a fast-growing space and satellite manufacturer that works in regulated, often controlled environments.

The role requires deep technical skill, strategic oversight, and strong leadership, and works closely with IT, compliance, engineering, and executive leadership.

The company is a fast-growing startup that has raised more than $500M in funding.

Responsibilities

• Define and carry out a multi-year cybersecurity strategy that matches investments and controls to business goals and emerging threats.
• Create and maintain security policies, standards, reference architectures, and playbooks for infrastructure, cloud, endpoints, and applications.
• Own the security budget, technology evaluations, and resource allocation, cutting spend where possible while strengthening defenses.
• Lead the SOC Lead and team in 24/7 monitoring, detection, triage, and response, and make sure staffing, coverage, and surge support are adequate.
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex incidents, owning incident response readiness, containment, eradication, and post-incident analysis and remediation.
• Oversee proactive threat hunting, malware analysis, and threat intelligence integration to get ahead of new cyber risks.
• Own the selection, tuning, and optimization of SIEM, EDR/XDR, IDS/IPS, CASB/SASE, SOAR, and vulnerability management systems to catch threats while reducing false positives.
• Drive automation, build and track KPIs and dashboards, and report threats, incidents, and defensive posture to executives.
• Lead work to achieve and keep CMMC, ISO 27001, NIST 800-171, and other accreditations needed for government and commercial programs.
• Own risk assessments, audits, tabletop exercises, data protection, and continuous monitoring, and make sure audit findings are fixed on time.
• Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing security team by setting goals, managing performance, and leading hiring, training, and professional growth.
• Work with the IT function to build security into infrastructure, projects, and daily operations, and support IT tickets and projects when needed.
• Report on security posture, incidents, KPIs, and risk to the VP of IT & Security and executive leadership, translating technical risk into business terms.

Requirements

• Have 8+ years in cybersecurity operations, including 4+ years in SOC leadership or security management.
• Be proficient with security tools such as SIEM, EDR/XDR, IDS/IPS, CASB/SASE, Nessus, Burp Suite, and firewalls, and with scripting in languages such as Python or PowerShell.
• Understand networking protocols and operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Have experience leading CMMC, ISO 27001, and/or NIST 800-53 or 800-171 programs, including audits and continuous monitoring.
• Show strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, and a record of leading teams under pressure.
• Nice-to-have: A bachelor's degree in computer science, cybersecurity, information technology, or a related field, with a master's preferred.
• Nice-to-have: CISSP, CISM, GIAC GCIH, or CompTIA Security+ certification, strongly preferred.
• Nice-to-have: Experience in aerospace, defense, satellite, or advanced manufacturing environments.
• Nice-to-have: Experience working in classified or controlled environments. An active or prior U.S. security clearance, such as Secret or TS/SCI, is a strong plus.
• Nice-to-have: Familiarity with AWS GovCloud and FedRAMP-aligned cloud operations.
• Nice-to-have: Hands-on experience with Elastic SIEM and building SOC automation and playbooks.

Conditions

You must be a U.S. person, meaning a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, because of the nature of the company's programs.

The role is based on-site at the Playa Vista office.

Compensation ranges depend on role, level, location, and market data. Base pay is set case by case and may vary with job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities, and internal equity.

The company's work falls under U.S. export control laws, including ITAR and the EAR. To be eligible, applicants must either qualify as a U.S. person under ITAR, including U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, refugees admitted under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, and individuals granted asylum under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be able to obtain the required export authorizations from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, or another applicable U.S. government agency.

More information on ITAR is available from the linked source.

Benefits

• Equity in the company, so you share in the value of the work you build.
• Full-time hires are also eligible for long-term incentives in the form of stock options.
• Company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, plus $100k of life insurance at no cost.
• A 401(k) plan with a 100% match on the first 3% and a 50% match on the next 2%.
• Starting at 15 days of vacation, growing to 20+ days annually, plus 10 paid holidays.
• 8 weeks of paid parental leave, plus childcare reimbursement of up to $350/day for work-related travel.
• A catered lunch every day and unlimited snacks.
• Monthly office socials, pickleball tournaments, run club, and family gatherings.
• A desk setup with the tools you need to work at your best.
• An office in Playa Vista built for in-person collaboration and flexibility in balancing work and life.
• The chance to work alongside experts from aerospace, new space, and other cutting-edge industries and make a lasting difference.