Senior Manager, Security Operations & Engineering

Job Description We have an exciting opportunity for a Sr Manager Security Operations & Engineering at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, based in our Evanston, Illinois, office. The Senior Manager of Security Operations & Engineering leads and strengthens UL Research Institutes (ULRI) and UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE) security operations, ensuring effective prevention, detection, response, and recovery from cyber threats. This role provides strategic and operational oversight across incident response, threat detection, vulnerability management, and security tooling, while aligning efforts with enterprise risk and business goals. A key partner to IT, Legal, and business teams, this position embeds security into core processes, translates strategy into measurable outcomes, and drives continuous improvement to maintain resilient, audit-ready, and business-aligned security operations. UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement At UL Research Institutes (ULRI) and UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have studied the unintended consequences of innovation, designed solutions to mitigate risk, created new safety standards and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking the tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge. What you’ll learn and achieve: As the Sr Manager Security Operations & Engineering, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you: Drive the long-term strategy, roadmap, and operational execution of Security Operations & Engineering in alignment with ULRI and ULSE goals, objectives, enterprise risk priorities, and resilience commitments. Lead and manage enterprise security operations, including incident response, threat detection, security monitoring, vulnerability management, and operational security engineering. Own the end-to-end security incident lifecycle, ensuring timely detection, triage, containment, remediation, post-incident reviews, lessons learned, and executive reporting. Lead the advancement of AI security monitoring, governance, and controls to protect enterprise data, secure internal and external AI use cases, and mitigate emerging AI-driven risks. Oversee the enterprise vulnerability and exposure management program, including scanning, risk-based prioritization, remediation coordination, metrics, and executive-level reporting. Drive the implementation, optimization, integration, and operational maturity of security tooling, including SIEM, EDR, MDR, CSPM, DSPM, CNAPP, vulnerability scanners, cloud security platforms, and related security technologies. Establish and mature security operations processes, playbooks, runbooks, standard operating procedures, and repeatable workflows to improve operational consistency, response effectiveness, and measurable outcomes. Partner with Identity, Infrastructure, Application, Cloud, and Architecture teams to improve security telemetry, embed security controls into enterprise environments, and strengthen visibility across systems, applications, and data. Continue to mature Microsoft Purview capabilities, including eDiscovery, Insider Risk Management, Data Loss Prevention, Information Protection, and related data protection controls. Oversee third-party MSSP security functions, vendor relationships, service provider performance, operational budgets, and annual forecasting for security operations. Provide executive-level visibility, briefings, metrics, KPIs, dashboards, and risk-based insights to the CISO and senior leadership, including progress against NIST CSF v2 audit findings, compliance requirements, control validation, and enterprise risk reduction objectives. What you’ll experience working at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement: We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for nearly 130 years, embedding conscientious stewardship into everything we do. People: Our people make us special. You’ll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today’s global challenges require. Interesting work: Every day is different for us here. We see what’s on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You’ll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good. Grow and achieve: We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs. Values. Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster the partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive. Total Rewards: All employees at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are eligible for bonus compensation based on the level of the position. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days. What makes you a great fit: While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes: Ability to conduct comprehensive gap analysis across various business functions and IT systems. Skilled in identifying potential risks and vulnerabilities and developing effective risk mitigation plans and controls. Strong leadership and people-management skills with the ability to build, mentor, and scale security operations teams. Demonstrated ability to translate technical security events into clear, risk-based business impacts for executive audiences. Deep understanding of security operations & engineering concepts, including incident response, threat intelligence, vulnerability management, and monitoring. Proven experience driving operational maturity using recognized cybersecurity frameworks and best practices. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach to decision-making. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive and board-level reporting. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, evolving environment. High degree of integrity, accountability, and professionalism. Professional education and experience requirements for the role include: Bachelor’s degree in Information Security, Computer Science, Information Technology etc. Master’s degree is preferred. 7 years of progressive experience in cybersecurity, with at least 3 years in a security operations leadership role. Knowledge and experience working in Azure and AWS security settings. Experience working on Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and NIST SP800-171 v2 preferred but not required Hands-on experience with security technologies such as SIEM, EDR, MDR, vulnerability management, and cloud security platforms. Demonstrated experience leading incident response and vulnerability management programs in an enterprise environment. Experience working in regulated or audit-driven environments is strongly preferred. Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, CISM, GIAC, or similar) preferred but not required. About UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being. To learn more, visit our websites UL.org and ULSE.org. Salary Range: $144,304.94-$198,419.29 Pay Type: Salary Join our Talent Community to stay informed about our upcoming opportunities! UL Research Institutes is a leading independent safety science organization with global reach. Dedicated to exploring vital questions related to public safety, we sense and act on risks to humanity and our planet. Since 1894, our trusted research has engaged the ingenuity of top minds across scientific disciplines to engineer a safer and more sustainable world. Science builds the knowledge required to mitigate increasingly urgent safety problems like environmental and chemical pollution or artificial intelligence inequities — and our rigorous, objective investigations uncover that knowledge. In collaboration with a global network of scientists and safety professionals, we define the safe and sustainable use of things ranging from legacy materials to new and emerging technologies. Our discoveries support the development of practical standards and policies by UL Standards & Engagement. Together, we are advancing safety science for the greater good.