The IT SOC Manager provides strategic and operational leadership, ensuring rapid detection and response to cyber threats while continuously improving people, process, and technology. This role partners closely with other teams in the information security organization as well as with IT, risk management, legal, privacy, and business leaders to protect the organization from evolving cyber risks. LOCATION Role is based in Jacksonville, Florida, with interaction across global teams and time zones Participation in major incident response activities outside standard business hours may be required Rarely, travel may be required to support team engagement or leadership meetings DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Lead, mentor, and develop a geographically distributed SOC team, including analysts across multiple shifts and regions Drive a culture of accountability,
continuous improvement, and operational excellence Define roles, skill sets, training paths, and
career development plans for SOC staff Manage staffing models to support 24x7 operations Security Operations Oversee daily SOC operations, including monitoring, triage, investigation, containment, and remediation of security incidents Ensure consistent execution of response playbooks and standard operating procedures Coordinate cross functional response efforts with DFIR, IT, legal, privacy, HR, and communications teams Threat Detection & Monitoring Ensure effective use and
continuous improvement of security tooling such as SIEM, XDR, NDR, and threat intelligence platforms Drive enhancements to detection use cases, alert, and automation Evaluate emerging threats and attacker techniques and translate intelligence into actionable detection strategies Metrics, Reporting & Governance Define and track SOC KPIs and metrics (e.g., MTTD, MTTR, alert quality, coverage) Provide clear, concise reporting to executive leadership on SOC performance, risk posture, and incident trends Ensure SOC operations align with internal policies, regulatory requirements, and industry frameworks (e.g., NIST) Strategy &
Continuous Improvement Develop and execute a multiyear SOC maturity roadmap aligned to business and risk priorities Identify opportunities for
process optimization, automation, and technology improvements Participate in vendor evaluation, tool selection, and budget planning related to SOC capabilities Support audits, tabletop exercises, and purple team activities MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS Bachelor’s degree in Information Security, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience 8+ years of experience in cybersecurity operations, incident response, or threat detection Experience managing security teams or leading SOC operations
Hands on experience with enterprise security tools (SIEM, EDR/XDR, and threat intelligence platforms) Strong understanding of attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) Proven ability to lead teams in high pressure, time sensitive environments Excellent
communication skills with the ability to brief technical and non technical stakeholders PREFERRED EXPERIENCE Experience operating a SOC in a large, complex, or regulated enterprise environment Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, GCED, GCIH, or equivalent Familiarity with cloud security operations (AWS, Azure, GCP) Experience managing globally distributed or follow the sun SOC models Prior experience supporting
executive level incident communications Vaco by Highspring values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply.
EEO Notice Vaco by Highspring is an
Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation,…
