Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) / Digital Security Lead

CONFIDENTIAL RETAINED SEARCH

Search Reference: TNF-CISO-2026 | Enterprise Cybersecurity Leadership Mandate

ABOUT THIS SEARCH

Top Notch Finders has been retained on an exclusive and strictly confidential basis to identify a Chief Information Security Officer / Digital Security Lead for a well-established aerospace and defense organization. To protect the interests of our client and of every candidate who engages with us, the identity of the company and the specific location of the mandate are disclosed only to qualified candidates under a confidentiality agreement. All inquiries and applications are received and managed solely by Top Notch Finders.

POSITION SNAPSHOT

• Reports to: CEO, CTO, or Chief Risk Officer.
• Location: Onsite/Hybrid at headquarters or a major cleared facility; specifics disclosed to qualified candidates.
• Clearance: Active TS/SCI mandatory.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The CISO leads enterprise cybersecurity strategy, protecting IT, OT, and product/embedded systems from escalating ransomware, nation-state, and supply-chain cyber threats, while ensuring compliance with CMMC, NIST 800-171, and export control regimes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the enterprise cybersecurity strategy across corporate IT, operational technology, and product security.
• Lead incident response, threat intelligence, and security operations center (SOC) functions.
• Ensure CMMC 2.0 certification readiness and compliance with DFARS cybersecurity clauses.
• Build and lead a security engineering and governance team.
• Partner with Engineering on secure-by-design product development and embedded systems security.
• Report cyber risk posture to the board and executive leadership.
• Manage relationships with DoD, CISA, and industry cybersecurity information-sharing bodies.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 12+ years in cybersecurity leadership, including 5+ years in a CISO or equivalent senior role.
• Active TS/SCI clearance or immediate eligibility.
• Deep expertise in CMMC, NIST 800-171/800-53, and DFARS requirements.
• Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or a related field; CISSP/CISM preferred.
• Experience securing both enterprise IT and product/embedded/OT environments.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience responding to nation-state-attributed incidents.
• Background in aviation and aerospace-specific threat landscapes.
• Prior experience briefing government customers on security posture.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND HOW TO APPLY

This is a discreet, retained engagement. Your candidacy will never be presented to any organization without your explicit prior authorization, and no application will be visible to the hiring company at this stage. Accomplished cybersecurity executives with cleared-environment credentials are invited to submit a resume in confidence through the Top Notch Finders website. Please reference search code TNF-CISO-2026 in your submission. Do not include classified information of any kind in your application materials. Only candidates whose backgrounds align closely with the mandate will be contacted.