Cybersecurity Lead

Novaspect, Inc. is seeking a hands-on Cybersecurity Lead (IT/OT) to advance enterprise cybersecurity across both information technology and operational technology environments. This role sets direction, manages risk, and strengthens governance, assurance, and resilience for complex IT and OT operations.

Responsibilities

• Set the direction for Novaspect’s cybersecurity program across IT and OT environments, defining priorities and maintaining a risk-based roadmap aligned with business needs, operational requirements, customer commitments, and evolving threats. Coordinate internal resources and external cybersecurity expertise to support program execution.
• Establish and maintain cybersecurity policies, standards, architecture principles, technical requirements, and secure design practices across enterprise IT, OT, cloud, applications, data platforms, and integrations.
• Assess cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, drive remediation and compensating controls, and coordinate exceptions, risk acceptance, and escalation. Ensure material risks have clear ownership, appropriate visibility, and a defined path for treatment or acceptance.
• Evaluate cybersecurity implications and define security requirements for new technologies, software, AI-enabled solutions, infrastructure changes, integrations, customer connectivity, and other significant initiatives, ensuring material risks are identified and addressed early in the technology lifecycle.
• Partner with IT, OT, Engineering, and Operations to strengthen industrial cybersecurity, including asset visibility, network segmentation and industrial DMZs, secure remote and vendor access, identity and privileged access, vulnerability management, patching and lifecycle management, monitoring, and compensating controls for legacy or constrained systems.
• Establish and oversee Novaspect’s AI governance and security program in partnership with the AI Transformation Lead and business stakeholders, covering policies, standards, risk assessments, control requirements, third-party AI risk, governance reviews, and alignment with NIST AI RMF and ISO/IEC 42001.
• Provide cybersecurity direction for incident preparedness and response, coordinate cross-functional action during significant incidents, and strengthen response plans through exercises, lessons learned, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with Technology and business stakeholders on business continuity, disaster recovery, and cyber resilience, ensuring critical technology dependencies, cyber incident scenarios, backup and recovery capabilities, and recovery requirements are appropriately addressed and tested.
• Oversee cybersecurity assurance and third-party risk activities, including SOC 2, customer security assessments and discussions, audits, penetration testing, vendor risk reviews, and alignment with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST SP 800-82, and ISA/IEC 62443.
• Oversee cybersecurity awareness and education, including phishing simulations, role-based training, targeted communications, and follow-up activities to strengthen employee behaviors and reduce human-related cybersecurity risk.
• Monitor and communicate cybersecurity posture, material risks, incidents, remediation progress, and program maturity using clear metrics, risk-based recommendations, and decision support for Technology leadership.
• Provide technical guidance and coaching to Technology Team members and other stakeholders to strengthen cybersecurity capability and accountability across the organization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, information technology, computer science, engineering, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Eight or more years of progressive cybersecurity experience across security engineering, architecture, operations, risk management, incident response, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience leading significant cybersecurity initiatives, governance programs, technical workstreams, or security domains, with a track record of driving results across multiple teams.
• Experience managing and coordinating work performed by managed security providers, cybersecurity consultants, or other external security specialists.
• Demonstrated cybersecurity experience supporting OT/ICS environments, such as manufacturing, industrial automation, process control, critical infrastructure, or similarly complex operational environments.
• Strong understanding of enterprise and industrial cybersecurity, including network segmentation, firewalls, secure remote access, identity and privileged access, endpoint security, vulnerability management, security monitoring, cloud security, and cyber recovery.
• Experience applying recognized cybersecurity frameworks and industry practices such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST SP 800-82, CIS Controls, ISA/IEC 62443, or comparable frameworks.
• Experience developing or applying cybersecurity policies, standards, architecture requirements, and secure design principles across complex technology environments.
• Experience assessing cybersecurity risk and translating technical findings into practical recommendations, remediation plans, compensating controls, and risk decisions.
• Experience participating in and coordinating cybersecurity incident investigation, containment, remediation, and recovery, and supporting security assessments, audits, customer security reviews, or similar assurance activities.
• Strong communication, leadership, and influencing skills, including engaging executives, technical teams, business stakeholders, customers, vendors, auditors, and external security partners on cybersecurity risks, requirements, and recommendations.

Technologies

• NIST AI RMF
• ISO/IEC 42001
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework
• NIST SP 800-82
• ISA/IEC 62443
• CIS Controls
• SOC 2
• Microsoft Defender
• Entra ID
• Microsoft 365
• Azure security capabilities

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant experience securing OT, ICS, SCADA, distributed control systems, manufacturing, process automation, or other industrial environments.
• Experience with industrial cybersecurity architecture, OT asset discovery or monitoring, segmentation, industrial DMZs, secure remote access, and compensating controls for legacy systems.
• Experience with AI governance, AI risk management, responsible AI practices, the NIST AI RMF, or management systems such as ISO/IEC 42001.
• Experience supporting SOC 2, customer cybersecurity assessments, penetration testing, or third-party cybersecurity risk management.
• Experience with Microsoft security technologies such as Microsoft Defender, Entra ID, Microsoft 365, Azure security capabilities, or comparable enterprise security platforms.
• Experience working with industrial vendors, OEMs, systems integrators, or customer-managed environments.
• Experience leading significant cybersecurity incident response, business continuity, disaster recovery, or cyber resilience exercises.
• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, GICSP, CISM, CCSP, GIAC, or ISA/IEC 62443 certifications are helpful but not required.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off: starting at 15 vacation days, 10 holidays, and 10 days of Personal, Sick, & Safety Time (PSST)
• 401K with 4% company match
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Excellent health & wellness benefits
• Student debt & tuition reimbursement
• Referral bonus

Compensation

• Base Range: $125,000 - $145,000 per year
• Bonus Potential: 5%

Location and Schedule

• Location: Schaumburg, IL (onsite)
• Travel: Ability to travel periodically to Novaspect, customer, or operational locations as required

Role Requirements (Physical)

• Ability to work extended periods on a computer

About Novaspect, Inc.

Novaspect, Inc. is an employee-owned company that engineers, sells, and services industrial process controls.