JobsGenerac

Director Cybersecurity Operations

Generac · Waukesha, WI

Posted Aug 30, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Walk me through a major security incident you personally directed, from the first alert to the final lessons-learned report.

whether the candidate has actually run incident command end to end, including the messy coordination parts

Tell me about a time you had to brief an executive team or board during an active incident. What did you say, and what did you leave out?

ability to translate technical chaos into business language under pressure

Tell me about a time you had to build or rebuild a team that spanned both engineering and operations disciplines. What was the hardest part?

leadership range across two different team cultures and skill sets, not just one

Describe a disagreement you had with a peer leader, like someone in GRC or product security, over how a security control should work. How did it resolve?

cross-functional influence and whether they can align operations with compliance without becoming a bottleneck

Tell me about a time an audit or regulatory request landed on your desk with a tight deadline. How did you pull the evidence together?

readiness to support audit and compliance obligations without derailing day-to-day operations

Technical

How would you design the operating model for a global SOC that has to run around the clock, and where would you draw the line between internal staff and an XDR or MSSP partner?

depth of thinking on build-vs-buy tradeoffs and 24/7 coverage design, not just familiarity with the terms

Describe how you'd stand up SOAR capability in an environment that currently has none. What do you automate first and why?

whether they know how to sequence automation work for real MTTD/MTTR gains rather than automating for its own sake

How have you used AI or machine learning to actually improve analyst workflows, versus where you've seen it oversold?

whether their AI experience is concrete and outcome-based or just buzzword familiarity

Tell me about a telemetry source you decided not to onboard into the SIEM, or one you cut. How did you make that call?

understanding of the cost-versus-detection-value tradeoff in telemetry management

How do you turn a piece of threat intelligence into an actual detection rule mapped to MITRE ATT&CK? Give me a concrete example.

whether detection engineering experience is hands-on or theoretical

What operational metrics would you put in front of the board, and how would you connect them to actual risk reduction rather than just activity counts?

maturity in metrics design and ability to speak the language of business risk, not vanity SOC stats

Situational

Say your MDR provider is missing SLA targets on detection response time three months running. What do you do?

how they hold external vendors accountable without just escalating or firing the contract impulsively

If you inherited a SOC with high alert volume but low-quality signal and a burned-out analyst team, what would your first ninety days look like?

prioritization instincts and whether they lead with people or tools first

Walk me through how you'd design an after-hours surge model for major incidents that doesn't quietly burn out your best people.

practical sustainability planning versus just throwing more on-call hours at the problem

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The full job description

As published by Generac.

We believe power is a promise - a shared commitment to be there for others when it matters most. For more than 65 years, we've turned big ideas into solutions that help protect homes, strengthen businesses and build a more resilient, efficient, sustainable energy future. Ready to Power a Smarter World with us? Are you a visionary cybersecurity leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, innovation, and operational excellence? Generac is seeking a Director of Cybersecurity Operations to lead and evolve our global security operations and cybersecurity engineering functions, safeguarding a growing technology-driven enterprise. Reporting directly to the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), this high-impact leadership role is responsible for shaping and executing Generac's cybersecurity operations strategy while building a world-class security program capable of detecting, responding to, and mitigating emerging threats across our global environment. You will provide strategic oversight of enterprise incident response capabilities, partner closely with managed security and XDR providers, and drive the modernization of security operations through advanced automation, SOAR technologies, and AI-driven security solutions. In addition, you will lead global Cybersecurity Engineering teams responsible for the design, optimization, and management of Generac's enterprise security technology ecosystem. This includes enhancing security telemetry, advancing SIEM capabilities, and ensuring our security infrastructure remains adaptive, resilient, and ahead of an evolving threat landscape. The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in security operations and cyber defense with exceptional leadership capabilities, bringing a proven track record of developing high-performing teams, driving cybersecurity transformation, and influencing executive stakeholders. This role offers the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the security posture of a global organization while helping shape the future of cybersecurity at Generac. This position reports directly to the CISO and is based full-time onsite at Generac's corporate headquarters in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Responsibilities to include:  Security Operations Center Leadership: • Provide strategic and operational leadership of the global security operations center, establishing the vision, operating model, and maturity roadmap for a world class detection and response capability • Establish and monitor performance objectives for the operations function, including detection coverage, alert quality, and response time targets, with continuous improvement against measurable outcomes. Incident Response Strategy and Execution  • Own strategic direction of the enterprise Incident Response function, including playbooks, escalation paths, tabletop and technical exercises, and executive communications.  • Partner with XDR service providers and managed security services to deliver around the clock detection and response coverage, ensuring clear roles, service levels, and accountability across internal and external teams. • Lead major incident response engagements, coordinating internal, managed service, and external partner resources through containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. SOAR and AI Enabled Operations  • Mature the operations function by establishing SOAR capabilities that automate triage, enrichment, and response actions to reduce mean time to detect and mean time to respond.  • Leverage AI capabilities to augment analyst workflows, improve signal quality, and scale the operations team to meet the demands of the modern threat landscape.  Cybersecurity Engineering Leadership • Lead the Cybersecurity Engineering teams responsible for managing enterprise security technology capabilities, including endpoint, network, cloud, identity, and email security platforms. • Drive engineering standards for deployment, configuration, lifecycle management, and health monitoring of security technologies across a global environment.  SIEM and Telemetry Management • Own the strategy for integrating and rightsizing telemetry into the SIEM, ensuring the right sources, parsing, enrichment, and retention to support timely reporting and automation. • Continuously evaluate telemetry value against cost, tuning ingestion and detection content to keep pace with, or ahead of, threats as they emerge. Threat Detection and Intelligence  • Establish detection engineering practices that translate threat intelligence into high quality detections mapped to industry frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK. • Operationalize threat intelligence to prioritize detection coverage, threat hunting, and response readiness for the threats most relevant to the business. Managed Services and Vendor Governance • Govern the performance of XDR, managed detection and response, and incident response retainer partners through defined service levels, quality reviews, and continuous improvement plans.  • Right size the balance of internal and external capabilities to optimize cost, coverage, and institutional knowledge.  Team Leadership and Development  • Build, lead, and develop high performing global engineering and operations teams, including hiring, mentoring, performance management, and succession planning.  • Establish a sustainable surge and after hours response model that is well practiced and supported by clear procedures, training, and tooling. Metrics, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement  • Define and report key operational metrics for executive and board level audiences, tying operational performance to measurable risk reduction.  • Drive post incident reviews and continuous improvement across people, process, and technology. Collaboration and Enterprise Alignment  • Partner with enterprise cybersecurity functions, including governance risk and compliance, product security, and regional security leaders, to align operations with enterprise strategy and compliance obligations. • Support audit, regulatory, and customer assurance activities with timely evidence and operational expertise. Minimum Job Requirements Education Work Experience • 10 years of progressive experience in cybersecurity, with at least 5 years leading security operations, incident response, or security engineering functions.  • Demonstrated leadership of global teams spanning engineering and operations disciplines. • Experience directing enterprise incident response, including major incident command and coordination with external incident response partners, legal counsel, and executive leadership • Experience managing XDR, MSSP, or managed detection and response service providers, including contract, service level, and performance management.  • Experience implementing or operating SOAR platforms and SIEM technologies at enterprise scale, including telemetry onboarding, detection engineering, and automation. • Experience with industry security best practices and frameworks, including but not limited to NIST CSF, MITRE ATT&CK, and ISO 27001. • Knowledge / Skills / Abilities • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to brief executives during high pressure incidents and translate technical detail into business terms. • Strong understanding of modern security operations, including detection engineering, automation, and the application of AI to security operations workflows. • Strong analytical and problem solving skills, with the ability to make sound decisions quickly under pressure. Preferred Job Requirements Education Certification / License • CISSP, CISM, or GIAC certifications such as GCIH or GCED, or equivalent • Work Experience • Leadership of a large scale security operations center or managed detection and response function. “We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.”

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