Chief Information Security Officer

Company Overview:

Aireon has deployed the world’s first and global space-based air traffic surveillance system, which is revolutionizing the entire aviation industry.  The Aireon system provides real-time aircraft monitoring spanning never before covered areas of the planet, including remote, oceanic and polar regions.  Aireon’s receivers are hosted on the Iridium constellation, which consists of 66 operational satellites in low-earth orbit and utilizes a unique cross-linked satellite architecture creating a web of coverage around the world.  The Aireon system enables safer, more efficient and more environmentally friendly aviation travel, resulting in significant CO2 emission reductions.  Numerous Air Navigation Service Providers have already signed on as customers and are receiving Aireon’s space-based ADS-B data, including NAV CANADA, NATS (UK), Naviair (Denmark), Enav (Italy), the Irish Aviation Authority, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Air Traffic and Navigation Services (South Africa) and more.

We are committed to offering an employment experience and benefits package that enables you and your family to grow with us and to share in our success.

The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) has delegated authority from the CEO & CTO for the direction, oversight, prioritization, and implementation of Information and Cyber Security Management at Aireon.  It is similarly responsible for providing assurance and attestation to the business and its wider stakeholders as to the level of compliance with applicable legislation, regulation, and standards.

The role ensures that Aireon’s security plans, policies, and practices reflect the changing threat and business environment in a proportionate and pragmatic way, reflecting established corporate risk tolerances, and working with the wider governance community in the ANSP environment that has already established various requirements and governance processes. It is also the focal point for liaison with key stakeholders across the business, and externally with regulators, customers, and governing bodies.

The role ensures that Aireon’s information and cyber security controls are well balanced, and can protect, detect and respond to threats in an effective and timely manner. It works with Executive leadership to define and deliver on an effective strategy, influencing business cases and timelines to ensure that suitable controls are always in place.

The post holder also has accountability to deliver an enduring, fit-for-purpose, and robust Information and Cyber Security management function.

What You'll Do

• Work across the organization supporting the leaders and cyber-security subject matter experts with customers, supply chain, and Aireon employees to enable them to successfully understand and discharge their security accountabilities. Ensure they have sufficient clarity, direction, and priority to be able to deliver on their mission while maintaining and enhancing information and cyber security.
• Ensure engagement with the whole organization. Ensure that industry knowledge and technical information can be translated into a secure, informed series of processes that can both maintain compliance against business standards for information and cyber security and enable innovation and competitive advantage in commercial tenders.
• Maintain alignment with relevant standards (including NIST 800-53 and 171) providing suitable assurance to ensure compliance and continual improvement of controls.
• Advise and communicate cyber metrics to Aireon’s Board of Directors and Executive Leadership to enable delivery against an effective cyber security vision, culture, and strategy that provides the right controls to defend the business but retains the agility to create an organization that is pioneering, market-leading and innovative.
• Continue to develop and deliver industry-leading security cultures, creating the right tools, content, and messaging to drive continual improvement of the human aspects of security controls.
• Provide industry thought leadership, representing Aireon in all matters relating to Information and Cyber Security with EASA and industry bodies (such as CANSO and ICAO), influencing policy and direction as required to best support the correct outcomes.
• Challenge existing practices and controls to drive the continual improvement of information and cyber security, and safety, across the organization.
• Continue to develop and build information and cyber security function that can support the whole business moving forward, developing existing staff, attracting new talent, and reorganizing responsibilities as necessary to ensure that Aireon is best placed to maintain both security and safety.
• Support the security tasks to “shift left” in the software development lifecycle & collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver baked-in security principles
• Support major projects with consultancy services and security insight and direction. Act as a key stakeholder on many internal boards, supporting Aireon in making the correct decisions to manage and reduce risk.
• Implement Aireon’s zero trust security model and zero trust network architecture

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrable passion for information and cyber security
• Educated to Degree level in an appropriate discipline e.g., IT, or Cyber Security. Professional certification such as CISSP, CISM, or equivalent experience
• Strong proven track record of working in a CISO / Head of Information Security role leading cyber security programs in an organization that has a low tolerance for service disruption or incidents, preferably with experience of working in Critical National Infrastructure.
• Proven ability to influence across an organization and up to Board Level with a proven track record of excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent presentation skills, with experience in presenting to a Board level audience. Able to convey complex technical issues to non-technical staff, enabling suitable business decisions
• Able to develop a network of stakeholders across the business to support and enable all areas of business (i.e. Engineering and Operations, Commercial data services, Corporate IT, etc) as well as 3rd parties to ensure they meet the security requirements.
• Experience in leading security cultural change within a large complex organization.
• In-depth knowledge of the threat landscape and relevant threat actors
• Experience in supporting incident management activities
• Experience with various standards including NIST 800-53, 800-171, ISO27001, etc.
• Good experience with the audit and assessment procedures required to identify cyber vulnerability and weakness in an organization, and to prove compliance.
• Experience in the development and implementation of appropriate risk mitigation plans, policies, processes, and technical controls.

About You

You are a critical thinker. You are proactive and precise. You take the initiative to make things happen and look at different points of view when reason leads you to do so.

You think strategically. Through business strategy, you align business goals to ensure that security decisions are consistent with the overall operations and vision.

You are proactive. You take initiative to keep yourself up to date on current threats and vulnerabilities to provide appropriate actions to address them. Having a plan to deal with issues as they arise with resourceful prioritization.

You are a natural leader. You are a highly skilled and supportive leader managing and motivating a team of security professionals in a supportive work environment.

1-3-6-12 Month Plan

In the first month, we’ll expect you to…

• Get onboarded and train with your manager
• Get acclimated into the role
• Understand the tools and different stakeholders
• Get to know our current system’s performance of our security function, as well as policies and procedures in place

In 3 months, we’ll expect you to…

• Prioritization of the next three to six months of organizational improvements
• Begin to document a strategic security plan that prioritizes key initiatives for the next quarter
• Gather reporting from 3rd party vendors and advise and communicate findings to leadership
• Deliver actions to focus on correcting the security standing in the organization

In 6 months, we will expect you to…

• Start providing evidence of impact and defining a portfolio of security metrics
• Develop an executive reporting process so that the team is aligned with expectations
• Address challenges as they emerge

In 12 months, we’ll expect you to…

• Provide industry thought leadership, representing Aireon in all matters relating to Information and Cyber Security
• Challenge existing practices and controls to drive the continual improvement of information, security, safety, and reliability across the organization

About the Team

• Headquartered in McLean, VA
• This position is within the Aireon Engineering team which consists of more than 50 team members
• Will have opportunities to collaborate with multiple teams across the company in person and virtually through Teams meetings, one-on-on meetings, company all hands and corporate events. Teams use Microsoft Office tools for collaboration and communication.
• Manage a Cyber Security Incident Response (CSIRT) Team comprised of all relevant skill. Includes individuals with expertise in security, IT operations, legal, human resources, and public relations—to ensure a comprehensive approach that will be instrumental in dealing with and mitigating a cyber-attack. Collaborate with the PMO and legal to align security related managed services for an optimal security posture.
• Align Corporate IT activities with security best practices

Perks and Benefits

• Premium medical, dental and vision plan
• Life Insurance and AD&D
• Short Term and Long-Term Disability
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Retirement 401K plan with Employer Matching
• Education Assistance and Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid Time Off, Sick Leave, Floating Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Company Sponsored Events
• Employee Referral Program

Aireon is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or status as a protected veteran. EOE of Minorities/Females/Vets/Disability and other protected categories.