Staff Program Manager, Strategic Cyber Security Programs (Contractor)

Location: Austin, TX 78701 – Onsite Roles

Duration: 5+ months with possibility of longer term extensions

Pay rate: $88 - $90/hr on W2

If interested, please email your resume to grace.johnson@motionrecruitment.com

We are seeking a highly experienced Staff Program Manager to support the Strategic Cyber Security Programs.

In this role, you will lead the execution of our most critical and high-impact cyber security initiatives ensuring robust protection of our organization’s digital assets and infrastructure. You will partner closely with cross-functional teams, internal and external stakeholders, and executive leadership including regular engagement and presentations with the C-suite.

This role demands a blend of deep expertise in driving cybersecurity programs, advanced technical program management, hands-on AI project experience, and a commanding executive presence.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the planning and on-time execution of mission-critical cyber security programs, initiatives, and projects, spanning risk reduction, compliance, incident response, vulnerability management, and more.

Serve as the senior program lead and trusted advisor for C-suite and executive stakeholders, regularly synthesizing and presenting status, risks, and strategic recommendations with executive presence and confidence.

Strategize, organize, and drive cross-functional program execution in partnership with Product, Engineering, Security, Operations, and external partners.

Leverage advanced AI tools (Claude, Cursor, Gemini, etc.) to drive program automation, reporting, risk tracking, and insight generation innovating with AI to optimize execution, communication, and planning.

Build and institutionalize AI-driven and workflow automation solutions (including recurring status, risk intelligence, meeting notes/action capture, and data summarization) for cybersecurity program delivery efficiency.

Identify, plan, and negotiate priorities across cybersecurity, product, and technology teams, resolving conflicts and elevating issues to senior leadership when necessary.

Develop and maintain program plans, roadmaps, and resource allocation for complex, multi-phase cybersecurity efforts.

Drive improvements in security and program operating practices, including agile planning cadences, secure resource prioritization, and tool standardization (e.g., Jira, Confluence).

Ensure risk identification, mitigation, and management of program scope, budgets, schedules, and resource utilization communicating potential risks and mitigation plans to executive stakeholders.

Deliver clear and compelling executive communications, technical presentations, program readouts, and progress reports at the senior leadership level.

Collaborate closely with senior leaders, including CTO, CISO, CIO, and their teams, aligning cybersecurity execution with organizational vision, regulatory requirements, and business continuity goals.

Required – MUST HAVES

8+ years experience in technical program and project management in software or technology-driven organizations, with significant focus on cyber security initiatives.

Proven success managing and delivering large-scale, business-critical cybersecurity programs and projects.

Direct experience in cyber security domains such as security operations, risk management, compliance, incident response, and vulnerability management.

Experience delivering programs in enterprise and/or regulated environments with high visibility and critical risk implications.

Strong, credible executive presence, with proven experience communicating, presenting, and influencing at the C-suite level.

Advanced technical acumen, including hands-on experience with AI tools (Claude, Cursor, Gemini, or similar) for program acceleration, reporting, and automation.

Deep experience leading Agile teams and delivering in Scrum / SAFe environments.

Strong program management and project leadership skills ideally with relevant certifications (PMP, PgMP, MPM), Agile/Scrum (CSM, CPO), and ITIL frameworks.

Expertise in building and implementing program management systems, including creating reporting, training, and communications for cross-functional technical teams.

Technical proficiency in tools commonly used for program delivery (Jira, Confluence) experience with AWS, Java a plus!

If you are a results-driven program leader with a track record of delivering at the executive level in cybersecurity, technical program management, and AI-driven process improvement, we’d love to hear from you!