Head of Security & IT Operations (Sunnyvale)

About Taara: Born at X, Google's Moonshot Factory, Taara is on a mission to connect billions of people lacking abundant and affordable internet today by pioneering the way we use light to deliver faster, cheaper, more reliable connectivity. Lead the charge in bringing our groundbreaking wireless optical communication and photonics chip technologies to the world. Drive our growth story as we scale innovative solutions across the world. Join us to light the way for bridging the digital divide and illuminating the future.

Role Overview: Taara is seeking a highly motivated and experienced individual to lead our security program and manage our IT operations. This critical role will be responsible for safeguarding Taara's products, services, physical assets, software, and data from evolving threats, while also ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of our IT infrastructure. The ideal candidate will possess a strong blend of technical expertise in cybersecurity and system administration, along with excellent collaboration and communication skills.

How you will make 10x impact:

Security Program Management:

• Develop and Implement Security Strategy: Design, implement, and continuously improve Taara's comprehensive security program, encompassing physical device security, software security, network security, end-point security and data protection.

• Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate security risks across all Taara operations, including hardware and software development, software deployment, and field operations.

• Policy and Compliance: Develop, maintain, and enforce security policies, standards, and procedures to ensure compliance with relevant regulations and to meet our customers’ security requirements.

• Incident Response: Lead the development and execution of Taara's incident response plan, including detection, analysis, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident review.

• Security Architecture: Collaborate with engineering teams to embed security best practices into the design and development lifecycle of Taara's products and systems.

• Vulnerability Management: Oversee regular security assessments, penetration testing, and vulnerability scanning, and drive remediation efforts.

• Security Awareness Training: Develop and deliver security awareness training programs for all Taara employees.

• Vendor Security: Assess and manage the security posture of third-party vendors and partners.

• Physical Security: Oversee physical security measures for Taara's facilities, including access control, surveillance, and asset management and tracking.

System Administration:

• Network and IT Management: Oversee Taara’s corporate network infrastructure, device management (MDM), and software lifecycle management. Manage and maintain Taara's IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, workstations, and cloud environments to ensure zero downtime and high availability of internal tools and services.

• IT Operations Team Management: Staff, lead and develop the IT operations team.

• User Support: Provide technical support to Taara employees, troubleshooting hardware, software, and network issues. Define SLAs and performance metrics

• System Provisioning: Configure, deploy, and manage employee workstations and necessary software for end-point management and security.

• Access Management: Administer user accounts, permissions, and access controls across various systems and platforms.

• Backup and Disaster Recovery: Implement and manage robust backup and disaster recovery solutions for critical data and systems.

• Software and Hardware Procurement: Assist with the procurement and lifecycle management of IT hardware and software. Manage vendor relationships and optimize spend across SaaS tools, licenses, and hardware.

• Automation: Identify opportunities for automation to improve IT efficiency and reliability.

What you should have:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

• 5+ years of experience in a dedicated security role (e.g., Security Engineer, Security Analyst, Security Lead) and as a system administrator, network administrator, or similar role.

• Proven experience developing and implementing comprehensive security programs, and a strong understanding of cybersecurity frameworks (e.g., NIST, SOC 2, ISO 27001).

• Proficiency in administering operating systems, endpoint security, networking, and SIEM systems.

• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills.

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to work in the Sunnyvale office at least 3 days per week.

It’d be great if you also had these:

• Master's degree in a relevant field.

• Experience in a hardware-focused environment or managing security for physical devices.

• Familiarity with hardware security.

• Experience with scripting languages (e.g., Google App, Java) for automation.

• Experience with network security best practices and technologies.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $180,000-210,000 + bonus + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.