Director of Defense Security

We are an in-office company and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

We are looking for a highly technical and operationally strong Director (target) / Sr. Director of Security to lead defense security compliance and IT for our growing Gov Business Unit. This is not a check-the-box compliance leadership role. This leader will architect scale and operate secure environments handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) classified workloads regulated development environments and mission-critical defense programs across multiple geographies and regulatory regimes.

You will be leader a team of 10 security and IT professionals as well as 6 secure facilities across Applied U.S. locations and drive the execution across security engineering IT compliance and classified operations while partnering closely with the Global Security org Engineering Product Legal Facilities Government Programs and executive leadership.

• Lead security and IT strategy for the Defense Business Unit across classified and unclassified environments.
• Lead and scale the Government Security Defense Cyber and Defense IT organizations.
• Architect and operate secure enterprise and engineering environments supporting CUI and classified data handling.
• Build and scale secure networks enclave architectures endpoint security identity systems monitoring capabilities and operational controls for defense programs.
• Drive implementation and operational maturity for:
• CMMC
• IL4 / IL5 / IL6 environments
• UK Cyber Essentials Plus
• NIST 800-171 / 800-53
• Additional global government and defense security requirements as business needs evolve
• Partner with engineering and product organizations to enable secure development and deployment pipelines for regulated environments.
• Own execution for:
• Secure enterprise architecture
• Classified network operations
• Identity and access management
• Detection and response
• Vulnerability management
• Asset management
• Endpoint and infrastructure security
• Security operations and monitoring
• Insider risk and data protection

• Collaborate closely with the Enterprise Security and IT org to align long-term security infrastructure and operational strategy across the company.
• Work closely with key Defense Business Unit stakeholders including the General Manager Government Program Management organization and defense program leadership teams to ensure security and IT capabilities enable business growth and mission execution.
• Lead audits assessments accreditations and ongoing compliance operations across government programs.
• Partner with Facilities and physical security teams to support secure spaces classified operations and government inspection readiness.
• Influence executive stakeholders and drive security-first operational maturity across rapidly scaling defense initiatives.
• Manage mentor and scale high-performing security and IT teams.
• Build strong relationships with government customers assessors auditors and defense partners.

• 10 years of experience in cybersecurity infrastructure enterprise IT or security engineering leadership roles.
• Experience leading security and IT programs in defense aerospace government or highly regulated environments.
• Strong hands-on understanding of:
• CUI handling requirements
• Classified environments and networks
• Secure enclave architectures
• Government cloud and hybrid environments
• Enterprise security architecture
• Zero Trust principles
• Deep familiarity with one or more of the following:
• CMMC
• IL4 / IL5 / IL6
• NIST 800-171
• NIST 800-53
• DFARS
• FedRAMP
• UK Cyber Essentials Plus
• Proven experience building and operating security programs beyond baseline compliance requirements.
• Strong technical depth with the ability to engage directly in architecture and operational decisions.
• Experience leading mature operational teams and driving execution in fast-paced environments.
• Excellent cross-functional communication and executive influence skills.
• Ability to balance security operational agility and engineering velocity.

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Active security clearance preferred or willingness and ability to obtain and maintain one.
• Ability to work onsite 5 days per week from Virgina/DC office location.

• Experience in commercial-first or dual-use technology companies selling into defense and government customers (vs. traditional defense primes or pure government contractors)
• Familiarity with integrating acquired teams facilities or security programs into a parent organizations security posture
• Experience operating in high-growth fast-paced environments where security programs must scale alongside rapid business expansion
• Comfort navigating the tension between engineering velocity and security/compliance requirements in software-driven organizations
• Experience with international defense security frameworks or foreign military sales (FMS) compliance beyond U.S. domestic requirements

Compensation at Applied Intuition for eligible roles includes base salary equity and benefits. Base salary is a single component of the total compensation package which may also include equity in the form of options and/or restricted stock units comprehensive health dental vision life and disability insurance coverage 401k retirement benefits with employer match learning and wellness stipends and paid time off. Note that benefits are subject to change and may vary based on jurisdiction of employment.

Applied Intuition pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum intended target base salary for new hire salaries for the position. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience credentials & certifications educational attainment skill level requirements interview performance and the level and scope of the position.

Please reference the job postings subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes the base salary range for this full-time position in the location listed is: $200000 - $260000 USD annually.

Dont meet every single requirement If youre excited about this role but your past experience doesnt align perfectly with every qualification in the job description we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Applied Intuition is an equal opportunity employer and federal contractor or subcontractor. Consequently the parties agree that as applicable they will abide by the requirements of 41 CFR 60-1.4(a) 41 CFR 60-300.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and that these laws are incorporated herein by reference. These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity or national origin. These regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin protected veteran status or disability. The parties also agree that as applicable they will abide by the requirements of Executive Order 13496 (29 CFR Part 471 Appendix A to Subpart A) relating to the notice of employee rights under federal labor laws.