Cyber Security Defense Manager - Incident Response

Cyber Security Defense Manager - Incident Response Las Vegas, NV Fusion HCR is Hiring! Position: Cyber Security Defense Manager – Incident Response Location: Las Vegas, NV (Hybrid, Local Candidates Only) Type: Direct Hire Industry: Gaming Position Overview Client of Fusion HCR is seeking an experienced Cyber Security Defense Manager – Incident Response to oversee the full incident response lifecycle for a premier casino entertainment organization. This role will manage day-to-day incident response operations, drive continuous improvement of threat detection capabilities, and lead a critical transition of MSSP (Managed Security Service Provider) services to a new partner. The ideal candidate brings deep incident response leadership experience, strong technical detection knowledge, and proven success managing complex vendor transitions in a cybersecurity context. Incident Response Leadership Oversee the full incident response lifecycle: preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident lessons learned (per NIST SP 800-61 or similar frameworks) Manage day-to-day incident response operations, including triage, investigation coordination, forensic analysis, and executive-level reporting Develop, maintain, and regularly test incident response playbooks, runbooks, and escalation procedures Detection Engineering & Capability Enhancement Drive continuous improvement of threat detection engineering, including SIEM rule tuning, EDR/XDR configuration, threat intelligence integration, and behavioral analytics Collaborate with SOC, threat hunting, and security engineering teams to reduce false positives and accelerate MTTD/MTTR Lead initiatives to mature internal blue-team capabilities across endpoints, cloud, identity, network, and email environments MSSP Transition Management Lead the end-to-end transition of MSSP services from the current provider to a new partner, including planning, knowledge transfer, contract/SLA alignment, and cutover execution Conduct due diligence on the new MSSP, define transition success criteria, and mitigate risks during handover Establish governance for the new MSSP relationship, including performance monitoring, service reviews, and incident handoff protocols Ensure the transition strengthens rather than disrupts detection and response effectiveness Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing incident response team of internal analysts, responders, and cross-functional partners Provide performance management, career development, and technical coaching to team members Foster a culture of continuous learning through tabletop exercises, red/blue team simulations, and post-incident reviews Stakeholder Collaboration & Reporting Serve as primary point of contact for major incidents, briefing executive leadership, legal, compliance, and external regulators as needed Coordinate with IT, legal, risk, business units, and external partners (e.g., law enforcement, forensics firms) during incidents Produce executive-level reports on incident trends, program maturity, detection improvements, and transition status Program Maturity & Compliance Align incident response practices with industry standards (NIST, ISO 27001, MITRE ATT&CK, etc.) and regulatory requirements Drive metrics-driven improvements and maturity assessments for the IR program Contribute to enterprise-wide security initiatives, including vulnerability management, threat intelligence, and security awareness Required Qualifications 10+ years of progressive cybersecurity experience, including 5+ years in incident response, digital forensics, or security operations leadership Proven experience leading cyber incident response teams and managing complex, high-impact incidents Demonstrated success in vendor/MSSP transitions or outsourcing handovers in a cybersecurity context Strong understanding of detection technologies (SIEM, EDR/XDR, SOAR, threat intelligence platforms) Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field (Master's preferred) Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, GIAC GCFA/GCIH/GCTI, or similar Preferred Qualifications Experience in a regulated industry (finance, healthcare, critical infrastructure, or gaming) Hands-on technical experience with tools such as Splunk, Elastic, CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, or similar Prior experience building or maturing an internal SOC/IR function while reducing MSSP dependency Why Join? This is a high-visibility leadership opportunity to build and mature a critical incident response function, lead a strategic MSSP transition, and shape long-term security program maturity for a premier gaming organization. #J-18808-Ljbffr Fusion HCR