Director of Cybersecurity (CISO-Level)

About the role

The university in Riyadh seeks a senior leader to define and govern its cybersecurity strategy, risk posture, and digital trust ecosystem. Reporting to the Vice President/Executive Leadership, the Director will operate at a CISO‑level, shaping security across academic and administrative units.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy aligned with university vision, Saudi regulatory frameworks (NCA ECC, CSCC) and international standards (ISO 27001, NIST, COBIT).
• Establish governance frameworks, policies, standards and compliance programs institution‑wide.
• Lead enterprise cyber risk management, including identification, assessment, mitigation and executive reporting.
• Direct incident response, crisis management and business continuity/disaster recovery at an institutional level.
• Oversee Security Operations Center (SOC), threat intelligence, vulnerability management and protection of critical infrastructure and data assets.
• Ensure full compliance with internal and external audit requirements.
• Drive secure digital transformation initiatives such as cloud security, identity and access management (IAM) and zero‑trust architecture.
• Build and lead high‑performing cybersecurity teams, manage vendors and contracts, and foster a culture of security awareness.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Security, Computer Science, IT or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in cybersecurity, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role (CISO, Head of Cybersecurity, Director of Information Security).
• Proven experience in regulated environments such as government, higher education or large‑scale enterprises.
• Professional proficiency in English and Arabic.
• Industry certifications (CISSP, CISM, CISA, CRISC) are preferred.

Required skills

• SIEM, SOC operations, IDS/IPS, EDR.
• Cloud security solutions.
• Zero‑trust architecture.
• Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Identity Governance.
• Vulnerability management and threat intelligence.
• Incident response and business continuity planning.
• Enterprise risk management and compliance with ISO 27001, NIST, COBIT.