The posting
Position Summary
Stanbridge University is seeking a strategic and hands-on Director of Information & Security (DOIS) to lead the institution’s cybersecurity, infrastructure, systems governance, and enterprise technology operations. This leadership role is responsible for safeguarding university systems and data, ensuring operational continuity, strengthening compliance posture, and advancing technology initiatives that support academic innovation and institutional growth.
The DOIS serves as both a technical leader and operational strategist, overseeing cybersecurity programs, network and server infrastructure, cloud environments, disaster recovery, endpoint management, identity and access governance, and IT policy development. This role collaborates closely with executive leadership, academic departments, compliance stakeholders, and external vendors to ensure secure, scalable, and efficient technology operations across the university.
The ideal candidate combines strong technical depth with higher education or regulated-environment leadership experience and can balance cybersecurity rigor with user experience, operational practicality, and institutional mission alignment.
This is a full-time, on-site leadership position based at Stanbridge University's Irvine, California campus. Regular on-campus presence is required to support infrastructure operations, cybersecurity oversight, cross-functional collaboration, and institutional leadership initiatives.
Essential Functions & Responsibilities
Cybersecurity & Risk Management
- Lead the university’s enterprise cybersecurity strategy, roadmap, and operational security posture.
- Develop, implement, and maintain security policies, standards, and procedures aligned with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.
- Oversee vulnerability management, endpoint security, threat detection, SIEM monitoring, patch management, penetration testing, and incident response activities.
- Direct security investigations, remediation efforts, forensic coordination, and breach response procedures when necessary.
- Conduct regular security risk assessments and recommend mitigation strategies across infrastructure, applications, and third-party systems.
- Manage identity and access management (IAM), multi-factor authentication (MFA), privileged access controls, and account governance.
- Ensure cybersecurity awareness and training initiatives are implemented across faculty, staff, and administrative departments.
- Maintain disaster recovery and business continuity strategies, including testing and recovery validation.
Infrastructure & Systems Administration
- Oversee enterprise infrastructure operations including servers, networking, virtualization, storage, wireless environments, cloud services, and telecommunications systems.
- Lead infrastructure modernization initiatives and lifecycle planning for enterprise systems and hardware.
- Ensure reliability, scalability, uptime, and performance of university technology systems.
- Direct backup, redundancy, and recovery operations to minimize operational risk.
- Oversee Microsoft 365, Azure/AWS environments, directory services, device management, and institutional enterprise systems.
- Monitor system performance, capacity planning, and infrastructure optimization initiatives.
- Manage vendor relationships, service providers, licensing, and technology contracts.
Governance, Compliance & Policy
- Maintain governance frameworks and operational standards across departments.
- Ensure compliance with applicable regulations and standards, including FERPA, HIPAA (where applicable), GLBA, PCI-DSS, and cybersecurity best practices relevant to higher education.
- Develop and maintain institutional IT policies related to acceptable use, access controls, data retention, incident response, and information security.
- Ensure institutional technology platforms support WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards and incorporate OWASP security best practices throughout application and infrastructure environments.
- Support accreditation and audit activities by maintaining accurate documentation, controls, and compliance evidence.
- Partner with institutional leadership to evaluate and mitigate operational and cybersecurity risks.
- Maintain asset management and technology inventory governance processes.
Leadership & Strategic Operations
- Lead and mentor IT infrastructure and security personnel, fostering accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
- Develop departmental goals, operational KPIs, and strategic technology initiatives aligned with university priorities.
- Collaborate with academic leadership to support instructional technologies, simulation environments, and campus innovation initiatives.
- Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and technology investment planning.
- Provide executive-level reporting on cybersecurity posture, operational performance, incidents, risks, and strategic initiatives.
- Serve as an escalation point for critical infrastructure and security incidents.
- Promote a service-oriented IT culture focused on responsiveness, professionalism, and institutional partnership.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Ability and willingness to work on-site at the Irvine, California campus on a full-time basis.
- Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
- 7+ years of progressive IT leadership experience with direct responsibility for infrastructure, cybersecurity, and enterprise systems.
- Strong experience managing enterprise networks, cloud infrastructure, endpoint security, and identity management systems.
- Working knowledge of web application architecture, API integrations, authentication protocols (SSO, SAML, OAuth), and cloud-hosted enterprise applications.
- Experience with cybersecurity frameworks, risk management, and compliance standards.
- Demonstrated experience leading incident response and security remediation efforts.
- Experience managing vendors, technology procurement, and operational budgets.
- Strong understanding of Microsoft enterprise environments, virtualization platforms, cloud services, and network security architecture.
- Excellent leadership, communication, documentation, and organizational skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Systems, Business Administration, or related field.
- Higher education or regulated-environment experience strongly preferred.
- Industry certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CEH, Security+, AWS Security Engineer, CCNA, or similar.
- Experience supporting LMS platforms, educational technologies, or academic technology ecosystems.
- Experience with compliance audits and governance programs.
- Familiarity with AI governance, cloud security architecture, and zero-trust security models.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Strong cybersecurity operations and infrastructure management expertise.
- Ability to communicate technical concepts effectively to executive and non-technical stakeholders.
- Strategic thinking with strong operational execution capabilities.
- Excellent problem-solving and crisis management skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong analytical and documentation abilities.
- Commitment to confidentiality, integrity, and operational excellence.
Conditions of Employment
- This is an on-site position located in Irvine, California. Regular physical presence on campus is required to effectively perform the essential functions of the role.
- Must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily and maintain consistent on-campus attendance unless otherwise approved by university leadership.
- A job-related assessment may be required during the interview process.
- Must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily and be physically present in the office (unless otherwise noted).
- Employment verification will be conducted to validate work experience per accreditation standards.
- Offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check.
- Official transcripts are required prior to hire. Degrees earned outside the United States must be evaluated by a recognized credential evaluation service to determine U.S. degree equivalency and applicable subject-area coursework.
- Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
- Compensation Range: $120,000–$160,000 annually. Compensation is based on education and experience.
Work Environment
- Standard office/classroom/lab setting.
- Duties are typically performed while sitting at a desk or computer workstation.
- Subject to frequent interruptions, operational incidents, and technology-related emergencies.
- Occasional evening or weekend availability may be required for maintenance windows, emergencies, or incident response.
Physical Demands
- Regularly sits for extended periods.
- Proficient in using electronic keyboards, computer systems, and technical equipment.
- Effective verbal communication via phone, video conference, and in person.
- Ability to read technical documentation and monitor systems for extended periods.
- Able to lift, carry, and/or move objects weighing 10–25 pounds as needed.
Employee Benefits
- Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
- Retirement Plan (401k)
- Exciting university events
- Seasonal motivational health and wellness challenges
- Work/Life Balance initiatives
- Onsite wellness program / Staff Chiropractor
- Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
- Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
- Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
Institutional Values
- Diversity and Inclusion: Stanbridge University’s motto, “Strength through Diversity,” reflects our deep commitment to honoring the diverse backgrounds of our students, faculty, staff, and surrounding communities. We strive to build an inclusive learning environment and uphold anti-discrimination practices in all aspects of university life.
- Innovation and Technology: We embrace cutting-edge technology to enhance student learning through interactive, hands-on experiences, including virtual reality and simulation labs—ensuring students are prepared for the demands of modern healthcare practice.
- Community Engagement: Through initiatives such as Stanbridge outREACH, students are empowered to give back to local and global communities, cultivating compassion, civic responsibility, and social awareness.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Stanbridge University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
