THE ORGANIZATION: SURREY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Surrey School District (“Surrey SD”) is the largest school district in British Columbia, serving over 74,000 students across 103 elementary schools, 20 secondary schools, and 5 learning centres. The District is known for its commitment to innovation and personalized learning, offering a wide range of programs and initiatives to support student success. This includes a focus on technology integration, experiential learning, and social and emotional learning. Surrey SD also places a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion, striving to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students and staff. Overall, Surrey SD is a dynamic and forward-thinking school district dedicated to providing high-quality education to all students.

In addition to its academic programs, Surrey SD also offers a variety of extracurricular activities and sports teams, providing students with opportunities to develop their interests and talents outside of the classroom. The District has received numerous awards and accolades for its innovative programs and commitment to student achievement, making it a respected leader in the education community.

To learn more, please visit Surrey School’s website.

THE OPPORTUNITY: IT DIRECTOR, CYBER SECURITY

The IT Director, Cyber Security (“Director”) is responsible for developing and leading the implementation of a comprehensive cyber security program to protect the privacy and confidentiality of staff and student data, in addition to the integrity and availability of organizational information systems and associated data.

The Director will provide strategic leadership, manage complex technical initiatives, and work collaboratively with business and IT stakeholders to align priorities and plans with District Cyber Security goals.

The Director will lead and oversee the development, enforcement, and maintenance of policies, procedures, measures, and mechanisms to ensure compliance with regulatory and policy requirements. This includes identifying, evaluating, and reporting on information security risks to the Executive Director IT, executive team, and board of trustees as necessary.

As a new role, this is an opportunity to build a robust and responsive cyber security framework for BC’s largest and fastest growing district, balancing the needs of parents, students, and educators with enterprise cyber security best practices.

Reporting

This position reports to the Executive Director, IT. The IT Director, Cyber Security oversees IT team members responsible for technical information security technologies including incident management teams and chairs the District’s Cyber Security Advisory Team.

Nature & Scope

The Director will actively contribute to the overall strategic planning of the organization, providing guidance and execution in their expert domain. They will work closely with the Executive Director of IT and other executive leadership to ensure the security of systems and adherence to relevant policies and standards.

The Director, will oversee a variety of IT-related risk management activities, including but not limited to information security projects and communications, identity and access management, web site and application security, technology and system security, and information security incident response.

This role requires an individual with a strong technical background in cyber security, as well as proven leadership skills in managing projects, leading project teams, and developing metrics for ongoing performance measurement and reporting to executive leadership and the board of school trustees as necessary.

The Director is responsible for providing cyber security leadership to the organization, understanding the strategic and innovation priorities of the business, and liaising with relevant stakeholders to ensure the delivery of value to the organization.

Key Accountabilities

• Develop, implement, and monitor a strategic, comprehensive enterprise information security program,

• Manage the information security organization, including direct and indirect reports,

• Establish and maintain effective cyber security governance structures to ensure that risks are appropriately identified, managed, and reported,

• Lead incident response for cyber security events and ensure the district’s Incident Response Plan is up-to-date and tested annually,

• Develop and manage information security budgets and monitor for variances,

• Deliver information security and risk management awareness training programs for all employees,

• Provide regular reporting on the status of the information security program to enterprise risk teams and senior leaders,

• Develop and enhance an information security management framework,

• Provide strategic risk guidance for IT projects,

• Liaise with the enterprise architecture team to ensure alignment between security and architecture,

• Coordinate information security and risk management projects on behalf of the organization,

• Monitor the external environment for emerging threats both locally and globally and create strategic action plans to mitigate these risks and improve the organization's cyber security posture,

• Ensure security programs are compliant with relevant laws, regulations, and policies,

• Liaise among the Information Technology security team, district cyber security advisory committee, corporate compliance, risk management, audit, legal, and HR management teams as required,

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders to ensure that cyber security risks and concerns are identified and addressed,

• Collaborate with business units to ensure that their technology environments are secure and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations,

• Develop and implement incident response plans and participate in regular tabletop exercises to ensure preparedness for cyber security incidents,

• Continuously assess and improve the organization's cyber security maturity level.

THE PERSON

The Director should be an experienced technology leader, comfortable with the complexities of cyber security and the broader operations within an enterprise organization. Experience leading information and technology security and risk mitigation within a public-sector environment is an asset. Possessing an inclusive and collaborative leadership style, they build trust with district staff by creating a team environment, leveraging the expertise and strength that exists across the organization. The Director should be decisive and possess sufficient business acumen, political savvy, and discretion to assist the department with complex decisions and guide staff through challenging initiatives.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in information systems or equivalent work experience. A minimum of seven years of IT experience, with five years in an information security role and at least two years in a supervisory capacity;

• Professional security management certification, such as CISSP, CISM, CISA or other similar credentials, is desired;

• Experience in understanding cyber threats, mitigating controls, incident response, and the ability to develop information security policies and procedures;

• Knowledge of cyber security planning and operations, design, and deployment, as well as current and emerging cyber threats, security technologies, technology directions, and strategic application to enable business needs; and

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to explain technology solutions in business terms, establish rapport, influence , negotiate and mediate resolutions to complex situations.

Professional and Personal Qualifications

• Strong budget planning, financial management, and resource management skills;

• Ability to set and maintain competing priorities through effective management and delegation skills;

• High level of personal integrity, as well as the ability to professionally handle confidential matters and show an appropriate level of judgment and maturity;

• Ability to lead cross-functional, interdisciplinary teams to achieve tactical and strategic goals;

• Poise and ability to act calmly and competently in high-pressure, high-stress situations.

• Project management skills, including financial/budget management, scheduling, and resource management;

• Knowledge of relevant legal and regulatory requirements such as PCI Compliance and BC's FIPPA legislation, as well as common information security management frameworks such as ISO/IEC 27001, ITIL, COBIT, and ones from NIST;

• Excellent analytical skills, the ability to manage multiple projects under strict timelines, as well as the ability to work well in a demanding, dynamic environment to meet overall objectives;

• Demonstrated ongoing career development through active and self-motivated professional development; and

• Extensive experience in vendor and sourcing management.

Competencies and Personal Characteristics

Creativity and Innovation – Develops new insights into situations; questions conventional approaches; encourages new ideas; designs and implements new or cutting edge programs/ processes.

Effective Working Relationships – Treats colleagues, and stakeholders with respect; resolves conflicts in a timely manner, negotiates effectively, and provides effective feedback to colleagues/employees.

Communication – Clearly presents written and verbal information; writes with clarity and purpose; communicates effectively in both positive and negative circumstances; listens well.

People Development – Fosters learning and development of others through coaching, managing performance and mentoring; has a genuine desire to develop others and help them succeed; formally and informally recognizes deserving staff and colleagues.

Stakeholder / Student Focused – Anticipates and attends to the needs of internal and external stakeholders of the organization; keeps student interests in the forefront.

Leadership – Achieves desired organizational results by encouraging and supporting the contribution of others; a proactive and positive team player who acts with a sense of urgency and leads by example; sets and communicates clear goals.

Accountable – Holds self and others accountable for responsibilities; focuses on results and measuring attainment of outcomes in a business focus.

Strategic – Develops a plan in support of organizational strategic direction. Demonstrates an understanding of the link between one’s job responsibilities and overall organizational goals.

Integrity and Honesty – Demonstrates a resolute commitment to and respect for the spirit behind the rules and core values of the organization, setting an example of professionalism and ethical propriety.

Influential and Collaborative – Has an open and consistent approach to working with others and possesses strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and develop/maintain partnerships, obtaining stakeholder agreement.

COMPENSATION

A competitive compensation package will be provided including an attractive base salary and excellent benefits. Further details will be discussed in a personal interview.

To apply, please visit our website.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Pearce Fraser, Morgan Maguire, or Tony Kirschner

LEADERS INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE SEARCH

#880—609 Granville Street

Vancouver, BC V7Y 1G5

Phone: (604) 688-8422

Email: vancouver@leadersinternational.com

Surrey School District

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IT Director, Cyber Security