Information Security Titles

Hello, I have been a long time lurker her on TechExams. I used this site to complete my Net+, Sec+, and to help with my CISSP.

Now I am looking for some advice and guidance on an issue that has come up. I am working with a company that has a need for a Director in Information Security, however they do not want to title it Director of Information Security.

So, I am trying to determine some title names that can be given to this position that have the same level of distinguish without being named Director.

Would love to see what we can come up with on this great board.

The job description would read like a Director of Information Security.

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Comments

markulous

Senior/Lead IS Officer?

tedjames

Information Security Officer
Chief Information Security Officer
Chief Information Systems Security Officer
Chief Security Officer

soccarplayer29

I like the ones mentioned above but here are some additional thoughts:

Chief Technology Officer
Information Security Manager
Information Security Director
Security Program Manager
Information Systems Security Officer

cyberguypr

Is their issue the word "Director"? Do they have any problem with "manager" or "officer"?

Danielm7

cyberguypr wrote: »

Is their issue the word "Director"? Do they have any problem with "manager" or "officer"?

That's what I'm wondering. Plus, once people start adding "Chief" to the front, i.e CTO, CISO, etc, they're typically higher than directors anyway. Although, it might not be a ranking thing, they might just want to signify that the person isn't actually a manager of people.

NetworkNewb

Chief Tactical Cyber Warfare Agent

Guaranteed to get you a lot of hits on a job board

cyberguypr

Exactly where I'm going. Although titles generally mean nothing, at this level many places do pay attention to them as they are used for compensation bands, seniority/hierarchy status, or whatever. Knowing the driver behind the limitation may eliminate many of the options thrown here.

iBrokeIT

Just a stab in the dark here but my guess would be they don't want an overly inflated title.

Traditionally in the corporate environments I've been a part of the Director level positions have had multiple Manager level positions reporting into them. That person might view this new position as closer to Manager level work than Director level at their previous environment(s) and doesn't want to give the wrong impression of their responsibilities to others outside the company.

Although who knows except for the person with the issue...

Why not just ask the person directly, what is the issue with title and what would they feel more comfortable with as a title?

636-555-3226

So you want a guy who's really good at security and should effectively be one step down from a CISO yet you don't want to pay him the salary that comes along with a "Director." In real life that means you'll be posting for an InfoSec Manager which a Director/CISO's responsibilities. The job title will attract analysts who want to be managers while managers will ignore the job unless they're looking for the same job title at another company. Analysts won't qualify for the job b/c the responsibilities will be too much, but the managers won't make the jump because it's the same title for what they're doing now but a lot more work that should get paid a lot more money. Meanwhile people who actually could qualify as Directors won't be interested because they don't want to be an InfoSec manager and they want to be a director. And they want the money that comes with it.

The only way you're going to attract a qualified candidate is to name the job what is actually is and pay the money that comes with it. Otherwise you're going to end up disappointed one way or the other.

dhay13

IT Coordinator
Security Coordinator

chrisone

Sounds like someone up above is intimidated by the title.

jeremywatts2005

Why not go government style

SIOC (Strategic Information & Operations Center) Senior Manager

Purple team Senior Technical Manager

Or my favorite

You are way underpaid and got suckered into taking on all this work and you are going to burn out fail and quit within a month manager

renacido

In the private sector Chief ________ Officer implies you're a C-level company officer, above the level of VP or Director.

636-555-3226

Haha purple team gave me the biggest laugh all day. Only a matter of time before there is a purple team... Maybe that's what I'll call our interns this summer once I figure out what part they can play next to the red & blue team.

stryder144

636-555-3226 wrote: »

Haha purple team gave me the biggest laugh all day. Only a matter of time before there is a purple team... Maybe that's what I'll call our interns this summer once I figure out what part they can play next to the red & blue team.

My kids youth pastor calls all boy/girl pairings a Purple Alert! Reading his Purple Team Senior Technical Manager title made my mind wander down that particular path..."how does one technically manage pairings...is that the same as the matchmaker in Mulan?". I really should lay off of the caffeine!

Sheiko37

Supreme Overlord of Security

ISfromAbove

So the issue isnt about money or anything like that. The person is being placed in a job that they have worked for, but the Director title might not be so good for their resume if something was to happen to the company or anything like that. (nothing is planned to happen or wrong doings happening). Based on this they are trying to be fair to the individual and help with his career progression and reward him for hard work and everything. They just dont want to hurt his career in the long run.

I know this individual very well as if it was my OWN blood so i know they arent doing this to hurt him. Infact if he wants the title to be Director of Information Security then they will do that. He is nervous from a resume stand point on how that will look.

Danielm7

ISfromAbove wrote: »

I know this individual very well as if it was my OWN blood so i know they arent doing this to hurt him. Infact if he wants the title to be Director of Information Security then they will do that. He is nervous from a resume stand point on how that will look.

Why? Has he not been in security for very long? Is he still 100% technical? What title does he want?

TechGuru80

Information Security Officer is one I have seen before.

Mike-Mike

Security Pimp

veritas_libertas

Cyber Pathogen Hunter?

sec_jester

Senior Manager, Security
Senior Manager, Information Security
or some variation of that....

renacido

ISfromAbove wrote: »

So the issue isnt about money or anything like that. The person is being placed in a job that they have worked for, but the Director title might not be so good for their resume if something was to happen to the company or anything like that. (nothing is planned to happen or wrong doings happening). Based on this they are trying to be fair to the individual and help with his career progression and reward him for hard work and everything. They just dont want to hurt his career in the long run.

I know this individual very well as if it was my OWN blood so i know they arent doing this to hurt him. Infact if he wants the title to be Director of Information Security then they will do that. He is nervous from a resume stand point on how that will look.

The only reason I could imagine a Director title would be seen in a negative light on his resume is if he wants to be in very technical roles with little/no managerial responsibility or if his last job title was CISO or VP.

Understand that "Director" implies you're responsible for managing a budget, a major function (IT Operations, Enterprise Apps, Security, etc) with several managers reporting to you, each of whom having direct reports of their own. You're a manager of people, processes, projects, spending, and strategy for a department. The title Manager implies you have direct reports and are responsible for a functional area though you may not have your own budget and you have less responsibility than a typical Director.

If your friend is in an advanced technical role, titles like Technical Director, Senior Engineer, and Architect are a better fit than Director or Manager.