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Cybersecurity Operations Manager

Salary

$158,288.00 - $222,892.80 Annually

Location

Tacoma, WA

Job Type

Non-Classified

Remote Employment

Flexible/Hybrid

Job Number

T0460-25A

Department

Information Technology

Division

Information Technology

Opening Date

10/27/2025

Closing Date

11/17/2025 5:00 PM Pacific

+ Description

+ Benefits

+ Questions

Position Description

The City of Tacoma's Information Technology Department is seeking a Senior Technology Manager to lead the Cybersecurity Operations team. This role reports to the City’s Chief Information Security Officer and is responsible for supervising a team of cybersecurity analysts who deploy, manage, and monitor security tools, respond to incidents, and proactively identify and mitigate threats to the organization. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader with deep technical knowledge of security operations and a proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop team members.

We offer flexible hybrid work (about 90% remote); however, teleworkers must reside in Washington State within two hours of their onsite work location. You’ll be supported by leadership that trusts your judgment and work in a culture where equity, accessibility, and continuous learning are minimum expectations. If you’re proactive, curious, and confident navigating both technology and local government, this is a place where you can make a lasting impact.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Team Management

+ Lead and develop a cybersecurity team through coaching, performance reviews, and goal setting.

+ Manage task assignments, scheduling, and 24/7 coverage (as needed) including on-call rotations.

+ Foster a collaborative, accountable, and growth-oriented team culture.

Security Operations

+ Oversee selection, deployment, maintenance, and use of security tools (SIEM, EDR, email security, etc.) in hybrid cloud/on-prem environment.

+ Lead incident investigations, incident response, threat hunting, and proactive analysis of security events.

+ Drive improvements to controls and processes based on risk and threat intelligence.

Program Management & Collaboration

+ Align security initiatives with IT, compliance, and risk teams; support audits and regulatory efforts (e.g., NIST, ISO, CIS Controls, etc.).

+ Track metrics and report on team performance, incident trends, and control effectiveness.

+ Contribute to policy development, risk assessments, and security architecture reviews.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Minimum Education*

Bachelor's degree in information technology or directly related field

Minimum Experience*

6 years of progressively responsible information technology and project management experience in the area of assignment including 1 year as a technology supervisor, manager or subject-matter expert.

Licensing, Certifications and Other Requirements Obtained Upon Hire:

North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection certification (NERC-CIP)

Criminal Justice Information Services certification (CJIS)

*Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of education

Knowledge & Skills

+ Knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks and standards – including NIST Cybersecurity Framework, NIST 800 series publications, and CIS Critical Security Controls.

+ Strong leadership and team management skills – ability to lead operations teams, delegate effectively, mentor staff, and foster professional growth.

+ Expertise in security monitoring and incident response – skilled in detecting, analyzing, and responding to threats and complex cyber incidents.

+ Ability to design and implement security solutions – proficiency in researching, evaluating, and architecting technical controls that meet regulatory, operational, and business requirements.

+ Strong communication and collaboration skills – capable of engaging with internal stakeholders, partners, and vendors to promote a security-first culture.

+ Analytical and problem-solving skills – adept at evaluating risks, monitoring performance metrics, and identifying trends to improve cybersecurity effectiveness.

+ Commitment to continuous learning – ability to stay current with emerging security technologies, tools, and best practices.

Selection Process & Supplemental Information

This recruitment is being managed by Kim Susee, if you would like to be notified of similar opportunities or stay connected with things going on at Tacoma Public Utilities and the City of Tacoma, connect with me on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-susee-359ab5119/) !

Compensation & Benefits

Pay Details:

Hourly Rate: $76.10 - $107.16

Annual Salary: $158,288.00 - $222,892.80

Employee Benefits | City of Tacoma (https://tacoma.gov/government/departments/human-resources/employee-benefits/)

The Department

The Information Technology Department supports the City’s technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, application development, and innovation efforts across all City departments. The Cybersecurity Operations Team is part of the IT Department’s Information Assurance line of business and is responsible for protecting the City’s digital assets through the use of best practice controls and methodologies.

A Commitment to Equity & Diversity

At the City of Tacoma, we're on a mission to make our workforce as diverse and inclusive as the community we serve. We actively seek out candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. Join our team at the City of Tacoma and help us build a more vibrant, inclusive, and equitable community for all.

The Community

Tacoma is centrally located just 32 miles south of the city of Seattle and 31 miles north of the state capital, Olympia. The City of Tacoma is also home to the Port of Tacoma, which is among the largest container ports in the United States. Like most cities in the northwest, Tacoma is surrounded by beautiful nature, offering residents many opportunities for outdoor adventures.

Largely suburban in nature with a small, but dense, urban core, Tacoma is home to numerous institutes of higher learning that attract students from across the country. The University of Washington Tacoma, Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, a satellite campus of the Evergreen State College, three community/technical colleges, and several trade and business schools are within Tacoma's geographic area. Downtown's Cultural District is the site of the Washington State History Museum, Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum, and America's Car Museum.

With its affordable housing and distinctive neighborhoods and business districts, the city has been recognized numerous times as a best city to live in the nation. To see a few of the great things Tacoma has to offer, view this YouTube Video!

View this exciting video to learn more about the City of Tacoma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n5MWl8KFvI

Application Process

Interested individuals should apply online by completing the application and attaching a resume and cover letter by the closing date and time listed on the job announcement. Applications received without attaching the required materials may not progress in the selection process. Applicants who have the strongest backgrounds related to the responsibilities of this position may be invited to participate in the interview process, which may include a work problem. Appointment is subject to passing a background check.

Get Assistance

For assistance with the application process or questions regarding this job announcement please contact the Human Resources office at (253) 591-5400 by 4:00 p.m. of the closing date of the job announcement.

For technical difficulties using the NEOGOV system, call the applicant support line at 1-855-524-5627 between 6:00a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. This will allow us to assist you before the job announcement closes.

Communication with the City of Tacoma

We primarily communicate via email during the application process. Emails from Tacoma.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure that you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk email folders.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision plans for the whole family; paid holidays and paid leave; participation in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System (alternate plan for Police/Fire); continuing education and advancement opportunities and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities and incentives.

Medical Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Dental Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Vision Coverage: For eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Paid Leave: City employees are entitled to received paid holidays, sick/vacation leave or personal time off (PTO), depending upon union affiliation and appointment type.

Insurance Plans: Employees are covered by a long-term disability plan. Short-term and expanded long-term disability insurance plans are also available to employees. The State Industrial Insurance Act also covers employees.

Deferred Compensation: Income can be set aside on a pretax basis and invested for supplementation of normal retirement income.

Retirement: All employees of the City, except members of the Police and Fire services, Tacoma Rail and certain project employees, are included in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System. Information on the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System can be found at www.cityoftacoma.org or by calling (253) 502-8200.

Other Employment Information

Direct Deposit: Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule by direct deposit.

Salary Increases: Based on satisfactory job performance, the City provides for a regular progression of salary increases for most classifications according to the salary schedule.

Union Affiliation: Many job classifications are covered by union security provisions which require union membership, dues, or payment of equivalent service fees.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

01

This Supplemental Questionnaire is part of the application process; accordingly, it should be completed carefully. Do not indicate "see resume" or copy unrelated content from your resume when answering these questions. Answer all information requested in each question. Failure to do so may result in rejection of your application. I certify that the information provided is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any falsification may cancel any terms, conditions, or privileges of employment.

+ Yes

+ No

02

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States for any employer. There is no sponsorship available for this position. Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B status)?

+ Yes

+ No

03

Which best describes your level of education?

+ High school or equivalent

+ Associate's degree

+ Bachelor's degree

+ Master's degree

+ Doctorate degree

04

If applicable, what field is your degree in?

05

How many years of experience supervising technical staff in an IT environment (supervisor, manager or subject-matter expert)?

+ Less than 2 years

+ 2 years but less than 3

+ 3 years but less than 4

+ 4 years but less than 5

+ 5 years but less than 6

+ 6 years but less than 7

+ 7 years but less than 8

+ 8 years but less than 9

+ 9 years but less than 10

+ 10+ years

06

One of the City's Principles that guides us is Equity. Describe what equity means to you and your experience working with diverse groups of people.

07

Describe your experience leading and managing cybersecurity operations teams. Include the team size, their duties and responsibilities, and how you contributed to the team’s effectiveness and success.

08

List the product names within the categories noted below with which you have experience. For each, explain your roll in the acquisition, engineering, implementation, operation, and/or administration. • Endpoint Detection and Response / Extended Detection and Response (EDR/XDR) • Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) • Intrusion Detection/Prevention System (IDPS) • Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) • Vulnerability Management (VM) • Identity and Access Management/Privileged Access Management (IAM/PAM) • Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) or its components

09

Describe a time when you had to secure a cloud-based system or application (e.g., in Azure, AWS, or GCP). What specific security controls did you implement, and how did you balance security with usability or performance requirements?

10

Which of the following certifications do you have? (Check all that apply)

+ Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification

+ Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) certification

+ Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) certification

+ Project Management Professional (PMP) certification

+ ITIL v3 certification

+ Other information security-specific certification not listed above

+ No certifications

11

Please tell us how you learned about this job opening.

+ Job Interest Card notification

+ Internet search

+ Professional organization

+ Military organization

+ Union job posting

+ City of Tacoma employee

+ Online job board posting

+ Word of mouth

+ LinkedIn

+ SEED

+ TTEP (Tacoma Training and Education Program)

+ Indeed

+ Facebook

+ Instagram

+ Careers in Government

+ Government Jobs

+ NWPPA

+ Outreach Event

12

Please provide specific information regarding how you learned about this job opening. Thank you, your feedback will be used to evaluate our success reaching the public and refine our methods for future job postings.

Required Question

Employer

City of Tacoma

Address

Human Resources Department 747 Market Street Tacoma, Washington, 98402-3764

Phone

253-591-5400

Website

http://www.tacoma.gov

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