Chief Information Security Officer

Southern Methodist University - Dallas, TX

Full-time - Senior

Dallas, TX

Educational Services

About the position

The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at SMU is a senior-level leader responsible for establishing and maintaining the enterprise vision, strategy, and program to ensure the protection of information assets and technologies. This role involves leading a talented Information Security Team to create safe online-first solutions that support the university's mission of fostering the next generation of World Changers. The CISO will oversee IT risk management, compliance, security architecture, and incident response, ensuring that the university's information resources are safeguarded against security breaches while adhering to regulatory obligations.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and monitor a comprehensive information security and IT risk management program.
• Conduct architecture reviews, risk assessments, and business impact analyses for IT projects and technologies.
• Establish and maintain security policies, standards, and procedures in line with best practices and regulatory requirements.
• Lead strategic security planning and oversee the operation of the Security Operations Center (SOC).
• Manage tools and processes for vulnerability scanning and regular security assessments.
• Ensure compliance with regulations including FERPA, HIPAA, GLB, PCI, and respond to audits.
• Manage security aspects of vendor relationships and build relationships with external agencies.
• Develop and implement security training for faculty and staff.
• Oversee incident response planning and investigation of security breaches.
• Participate in governance committees to embed data security into university operations.

Requirements

• Prior managerial experience in an Information Technology and service context.
• Professional IT security management certification, such as a CISSP, CISM, or similar.
• Extensive experience (7+ years) in information security and/or IT risk management.
• Experience running a security program in a complex environment.
• Solid understanding of security protocols and operations.
• Working knowledge of current IT risks and experience implementing security solutions.
• Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills.
• Strong written communication skills.
• Ability to lead and motivate cross-functional teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills.

Benefits

• Outstanding place to work with world-class benefits.
• Diverse workforce of high-performing professionals.