Job ID #32264: Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Director, IT Infrastructure

Job description

Contribute to the City of Hamilton, one of Canada’s largest cities - home to a diverse and strong economy, an active and inclusive community, a robust cultural and dining scene, hundreds of kilometers of hiking trails and natural beauty just minutes from the downtown core, and so much more. Join our diverse team of talented and ambitious staff who embody our values of sensational service, courageous change, steadfast integrity, collective ownership and being engaged empowered employees. Help us achieve our vision of being the best place to raise a child and age successfully. #BeTheReason Job ID #32264: Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Director, IT Infrastructure Union: Non-Union Job Description ID #: 7753 Close date: Interested applicants please submit your application online at by 4:00 p.m. on October 14, 2026. Vacancy type: This posting is for an existing vacancy Internal applicants should apply with your work e-mail address . External applicants are considered only after the internal posting process has been completed. Only applicants chosen for an interview will be contacted. SUMMARY OF DUTIES Reporting to the Chief Information Officer (CIO), the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) & Director, IT Infrastructure will be responsible for implementing and running the enterprise cybersecurity and technology infrastructure program. The CISO & Director, IT Infrastructure is responsible for establishing and maintaining the enterprise vision, strategy, and program to ensure information assets, technologies, and infrastructure are adequately protected. This includes oversight of the City's data center, network infrastructure, and telephony and related infrastructure across approximately 180 sites. The CISO will lead efforts to secure the organization’s information and IT assets by developing and implementing strategies to mitigate risks, ensure operational stability, manage security incidents, and ensure compliance with relevant policies and regulations. The CISO will ensure that the business complies with all relevant IT security regulations and standards when acquiring new technology. This involves understanding the legal and regulatory landscape, assessing the technology's security features, and ensuring it meets the required compliance criteria. The CISO will lead the IT Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Teams consisting of approximately 45 staff members. GENERAL DUTIES STRATEGY & PLANNING Lead and provide strategic direction to achieve business goals by articulating standards, prioritizing technology initiatives and coordinating the evaluation, deployment, and management of current and future security and infrastructure technologies. Participate in the development and implementation of IT strategies in collaboration with the IT Management team. Provide advice and recommendations to the Senior Management team on strategic infrastructure and security architectures and best practices to ensure the integrity of the City environment. Develop and communicate security and technology plans and directions to senior management team, staff, partners, customers and stakeholders. Collaborate with the appropriate departments to develop and maintain a security technology plan that supports organization risk assessment needs. Direct development, execution and updating of cyber incident response and assist with technology business continuity planning and execution. Design and develop enterprise security standards, architecture, security technology evaluation and implementation. Review proposed infrastructure and application projects and solutions for compliance to defined City security and technology policies, procedures and standards. Perform corporate cultural analysis and develop change strategies that are flexible and adaptive in collaboration with the IT Management Team to support effective adoption of new applications, technologies and related processes. Conduct research and provide recommendations on security products, services, protocols, and standards in support of all infrastructure procurement and development efforts. Provide insight into emerging security technologies, trends and changes in the IT landscape. Identify and validate those security technologies that are right for the City and develop the best strategy for adoption and implementation. Maintain current knowledge of security industry trends and emerging technologies in anticipation of new business processes and system alterations. Establish and manage delivery of quality service through the establishment and monitoring of Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Devise strategies and make recommendations for enterprise information/data and solution architectures that meet the City’s security objectives and goals, working in collaboration with City senior management team. Coordinate with the IT Management Team to effectively and efficiently utilize IT resources – including personnel and equipment – across the IT organization. Manage and maintain strategic relationships with the corporate departmental leadership - across the City with a view to sustained insight into City business strategies and directions and the provision of advice and guidance on opportunities for managing risk by complying with the City’s security and infrastructure policies and procedures. Oversee the support, management and administration of contracts for spending on services and products related to managed security hardware and applications. This includes overseeing the preparation and execution of requests for proposals (RFPs), bid proposals, contracts, and other documentation for security applications and hardware. Negotiates enterprise wide contracts with software and service providers as required and liaise with City vendors for prompt rectification of any security problems or emergencies. This will require the definition and facilitation of communication between the City and its providers in order to deliver products and services according to plan and within budget. Participate in the evaluation, installation, configuration and deployment of new applications, systems software, products, and/or enhancements to existing applications to ensure compliance with the City’s security policies. Oversee the delivery of IT cyber and infrastructure related projects using standard project management practices and methods. ACQUISITION & DEPLOYMENT Assess and communicate risks associated with technology-related investments and purchases. Provide recommendations to mitigate the risks including identification of alternative solutions. Develop business case justifications and cost/benefit analyses for technology spending and initiatives. Define requirements for new technology implementations and communicate them to key business stakeholders. Review hardware and software acquisition and maintenance contracts and pursue master agreements to capitalize on economies of scale. Define and communicate corporate procedures, policies, and standards for the organization for acquiring, implementing, and operating new network systems, equipment, software, and other technologies. Approve and prioritize projects and the project portfolio as they relate to the selection, acquisition, development, and installation of major information systems in collaboration with the IT Management Team. Collaborate on the preparation of RFPs, bid proposals, contracts, scope of work reports, and other documentation for infrastructure projects and associated efforts with the Manager, Infrastructure & Operations. Review the planned purchase of technology equipment and supplies for architecture compliance and that they meet operational requirements of the business. OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT Design and direct the governance activities associated with ensuring compliance with the enterprise architecture. Plan, develop and deploy security measures in collaboration with infrastructure, application and security resources. Identify and research security technologies that are right for the City of Hamilton and develop/refine adoption strategies. Maintain current knowledge of industry trends and emerging technologies in anticipation of new business processes and system alterations. Continually analyze/review and improve upon security technology standards across the organization to maintain a technological and competitive edge within the market and ensure compliance with the City security policies and procedures. Direct the design and execution of vulnerability assessments, penetration tests, security audits, ensuring legislative compliance across multiple domains. Provide continuous delivery of technical services through management of service level agreements with end users and monitoring systems, programs, and equipment performance. Ensure equipment and software operation adheres to applicable laws and regulations. Convey the technology vision through the establishment and maintenance of regular written and in-person communications with the organization’s executives, decision-makers, stakeholders, department heads, and end users regarding pertinent IT activities. Coordinate with the IT Management Team to effectively and efficiently utilize IT resources – including personnel and equipment – across the IT organization. Manage and develop operational and capital budgets and forecasts to support strategic and operational requirements in collaboration with IT Management. Ensure that employees are provided with and use the appropriate equipment, material and/or procedures required to perform the assigned duties. Ensure that all employees perform work in accordance with applicable Health and Safety legislation and all City of Hamilton corporate and departmental policies and procedures. Ensure that appropriate action is recommended for those employees who do not work in compliance with legislation, policies and procedures. PEOPLE LEADERSHIP Leads, coaches and develops a multidisciplinary team; establishes clear roles, performance expectations and accountability for results. Leads change and maintains a respectful, inclusive and psychologically safe workplace where employees have the tools, training and support required to perform effectively. Promotes sound professional judgment, curiosity and solution-oriented thinking, and encourages employees to challenge assumptions, identify practical improvements and respond constructively to evolving technology and operational needs. Perform such other duties from time to time, as may be assigned, which are directly related to the normal job function. QUALIFICATIONS University Degree in field of Computer Science, Information Systems, or Master’s or PhD. degree in one of these fields preferred. Fifteen (15) years of relevant experience in the field with demonstrated leadership capability including 10 years’ direct experience managing and/or directing the direction, development and implementation of Cybersecurity programs, security hardware, data centre and network operations. Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) or other similar credentials. Very familiar with NIST or similar related Cybersecurity frameworks and delivering outcomes and maturity alignment across applicable domains. Knowledge of change management practices, business process flow analysis and re-engineering and methodology development and process review. Experience with multi-platform environments, infrastructure and security architectures. Demonstrated experience in strategic security technology and network infrastructure planning, execution and policy Experience in strategic technology planning, execution and policy Knowledgeable across multiple technical areas and business segments relevant to the City’s security, network and infrastructure architecture. Knowledge of network and data security practices and experience in interpreting the applicability of local and federal laws/regulations to City operations. Ability to prioritize and execute work in a high-pressure environment and make sound, timely decisions during major incidents, emergencies and service disruptions. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with colleagues and client departments to identify needs and deliver secure, reliable, scalable and sustainable security and infrastructure solutions. Strong knowledge of IT Service Management principles and practices, including incident, request, problem, change, configuration, asset, capacity, availability, continuity and service-level management. ITIL certification is considered an asset Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change, foster collaboration and build high-performing teams focused on accountability, reliability, service excellence and customer outcomes Excellent communication, facilitation, negotiation, report-writing, presentation and relationship-management skills, with the ability to explain complex technical issues, risks and investment needs to technical and non-technical audiences Experience developing and managing operating and capital budgets, business cases, financial forecasts, procurement activities, contracts, licensing and technology investment recommendations Knowledge of business processes, governance, cybersecurity, risk management, budgeting, procurement, vendor management and public-sector accountability NOTE As a condition of employment, the successful applicant(s) will be required to obtain, satisfactory to the City of Hamilton, a Criminal Record & Judicial Matters (CRJM) Check, at their own expense, prior to beginning work in this position. The City of Hamilton will also undertake a social media review of the successful candidate. Disclaimer: Please be advised that Human Resources frequently audits resumes of internal/external applicants to ensure/validate information provided is consistent and trustworthy. Falsification of information provided at any time throughout the recruitment process may be grounds for disqualification and, for internal applicants, subject to discipline up to and including termination. Please note that your application may be shared with third party recruitment supports solely for the City of Hamilton position(s) to which you have applied. All resulting offers of employment will be provided directly from the City of Hamilton. Terms: The City is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection processes. Consistent with our Values and Corporate Culture Pillars, the City of Hamilton is committed to providing equitable treatment to all with respect to barrier-free employment and accommodation without discrimination. The City will provide accommodation for applicants in all aspects of the hiring process, up to the point of undue hardship. If you have an accommodation need, please contact Human Resources as soon as possible to make appropriate arrangements.