CSIRO seeks CISO to give hackers heave-ho

Australia’s national science agency – the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is seeking a chief information security officer to lead its new cyber defence function.

The application window for CSIRO’s new CISO, who will report to CIO Brendan Dalton, closes next week.

The agency, as Australia’s largest patent holder and owner of an ever-increasing wealth of intellectual property, is a key target for hackers whom successfully breached one of its key partner agencies – the Bureau of Meteorology – in 2015.

The successful candidate will head CSIRO’s cyber operations and provides strategic direction for information security within the organisation.

“The role will involve pragmatic thought leadership regarding cyber security and the assurance of CSIRO’s significant science data assets and platforms; setting the agencies cyber agenda and security strategy, ensuring compliance and managing risks,” an information document for the role noted.

“The CISO leads a small team responsible for policy, education, training, cyber security incident response, risk assessment, contract review, incident prevention, detection and forensics. The role also works through partnerships across business units and functional groups and with CSIRO partners on security and related initiatives.”

The CISO will sit on the executive of CSIRO’s Information Management and Technology, a function made up of 300 staff spread across twenty-seven CSIRO sites nationally. They will be required to “develop and execute an enterprise wide security strategy and roadmap that mitigates risk through the right balance of security measures and operational flexibility”.

Applicants are expected to have at least 5 years’ experience in a senior enterprise-wide IT security role and “exceptional levels of integrity”. The incoming CISO will be required to obtain a Federal Government ‘top secret’ level security clearance and can work from Sydney, Canberra or Melbourne.

Applications will be accepted until January 17.