Cybersecurity Manager

Job Summary

The Cybersecurity Manager serves as a strategic collaborator, bridging the gap between technical execution and business strategy, ensuring our data remains secure while our operations stay agile. This isn’t only about managing firewalls; it’s about leading a high‑impact team to stay ahead of evolving threats. This role reports to the School of Medicine and Public Health’s Chief Information Security Officer. The right individual views security as a human challenge, not just a technical one.

While they have the background to understand the "how," their superpower is the "who." In this role, your primary mission is to build a high‑trust security culture that includes coaching team members, transforming security into a strategic partner, and collaborating with faculty, staff, and students. We need a leader who can help build a high‑performing team and a resilient organizational culture, making everyone around them smarter, faster, and more security‑conscious through positive influence and mentorship.

This role is fundamental to protecting the integrity of our HIPAA‑regulated patient data and ensuring that the School’s $1 B+ research enterprise remains resilient against an increasingly sophisticated global threat landscape.

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of cybersecurity services and infrastructure, ensuring that best practices and standards are applied.
• Determine necessary technical changes to improve security.
• Lead the development of procedures and training for daily administrative tasks related to cybersecurity services and infrastructure.
• Ensure that change management processes are followed for cybersecurity services and infrastructure.
• Direct the daily activities of the cybersecurity team by prioritizing technical workflows, managing resource allocation, and providing technical mentorship to ensure security projects are completed on schedule and security standards are consistently met across all units.

The starting salary for this position is $120,000 annually and is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Employees can expect generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; and retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage.

• 5 years of experience in cybersecurity.
• The ability to communicate with different audiences from technical IT folks to SMPH leadership.
• Proven experience navigating high‑stakes disagreements between technical requirements and business needs.
• Working knowledge of cybersecurity industry standards (e.g., HIPAA, NIST, ISO, CIS, etc.).
• Exhibited ability to consult in the development, design, and implementation of security best practices and standards.
• Demonstrated ability to identify risk associated with business processes, operations, information security programs, and projects.

• Experience managing a team.
• Hands‑on experience with Kubernetes and cloud security (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Technical knowledge of research data security.
• Proven experience automating repetitive cybersecurity tasks.
• Knowledge of Zero Trust Architecture.
• Understanding of Infrastructure as Code.
• Cybersecurity certifications such as CISSP, CISA, CISM, or GIAC.

Bachelor's degree preferred.

The University of Wisconsin‑Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran.