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Role Summary

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The University of Southern California (USC) Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) is seeking a Manager of Network Engineering in Security & Cloud and with an exceptional commitment to service excellence to join our team.

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As the Manager of Network Engineering Security & Cloud, you will be an integral leader within the Infrastructure Services team while reporting to the Director of Network Engineering.  This is a full-time position eligible for all USC Benefits + Perks available to its tenure such as comprehensive medical coverage, generous PTO and retirement matching, and free tuition.

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This Manager of Network Engineering Security & Cloud will support the overall architecture, design, implementation, and operations of the campus network and cloud infrastructure.  The Manager will deliver leading-edge expertise to manage critical incidents and problems, and delivers consistent and reliable network operations including DDI, Firewall, VPN and load balancing.  The Manager supports governance for the network, driving the implementation of standards, procedures, and quality measures. The Manager will also be a people manager and coach, responsible for developing and performance managing a small team which may include contractors and student workers.  As part of the leadership team for Infrastructure Services, the Manager models and cultivates ITS culture, values, and behaviors.

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Company Overview

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USC's ITS organization represents a wide variety talented team committed to supporting a collaborative culture and delivering secure and innovative IT services, core to the mission of USC. ITS values accountability, excellence, and commitment to exceptional customer experience. ITS strives for a supportive culture that encourages employees to do their best work every day and where individuals are recognized and celebrated for their contributions.

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USC is the leading private research university in Los Angeles—a global center for arts, technology, and international business. With more than 49,500 students, we are located primarily in Los Angeles and various US and global satellite locations. As the largest private employer in Los Angeles, responsible for $8 billion annually in economic activity in the region, we offer the opportunity to work in a dynamic environment in careers that span a broad spectrum of talents and skills across a variety of academic and professional schools and administrative units. As a USC employee and member of the Trojan Family—the faculty, staff, students, and alumni who make USC a great place to work—you will enjoy excellent benefits, including a variety of well-being programs designed to help individuals achieve work-life balance.

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Join the USC ITS team and work as a trusted partner in shaping an environment of innovation and excellence.

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The annual base salary range for this position is $173,000 to $190,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

• Drives successful day-to-day operations of the network engineering staff, managing network security and design and enterprise architecture, and manages strategic initiatives (e.g., routing protocols, LAN/WAN technologies, network security and management tools).
• Tracks and reports network engineering metrics. Defines standard processes for the design, implementation, maintenance, and reporting of network operations, driving continuous improvement, and proactively managing critical incidents and problems.
• Facilitates effective governance by leading regular team and committee meetings, implementing standards, procedures, and quality measures. Manages the implications of security and compliance guidelines by embedding university policies and procedures into work plans and workflows. Participates in governance boards, councils, meetings, and campus-wide technology initiatives to understand current and future business needs.
• Provides vision and high-level direction for infrastructure services within the larger context of the ITS and USC environments. Builds and maintains strong relationships with ITS leaders, customers, partners, and stakeholders.
• Works closely with ITS leadership to identify, implement, and support cost effective, leading solutions for all aspects of network engineering, maintaining currency with industry innovations. Provides thought leadership around process optimization, and administers the department budget by creating, planning, monitoring, reconciling, and directing resources.
• Actively drives the process of embedding ITS values and behaviors. Leads by example, demonstrating ethics and high accountability to create a culture of trust and transparency. Accountable for the development of team members by helping them set and achieve goals for their career growth. Fosters an collaborative environment that values team member differences, creating a sense of belonging and appreciation. Drives best-in-class customer service to the university through effective team member engagement.

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree or combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education.
• 6 years of experience in information technology.
• 3 years of experience in a management or leadership role.
• Direct, hands-on experience with network transport, design, planning and implementation.
• In-depth understanding of routing protocols — LAN and WAN, Ethernet VPN (EVPN), Dark Fiber and Ethernet delivery, firewall technologies, client/server architectures, system design, QoS, load balancers, forward/reverse proxies, converged storage, and converged voice-to-administrative network services.
• Experience with firewalls and encryptions, and DNS, DHCP, and other routing and switching fundamentals.
• Experience with data centers, email or network consolidation, and/or other enterprise-wide technical consolidations.
• Demonstrated experience developing positive working relationships, managing high-performing, multifunctional teams with strong collaboration, communication, and technical documentation skills.
• In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values.

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Preferred Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in either Business Administration, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems or related fields.
• 10 years of experience in information technology.
• 5 years of experience in a management or leadership role.
• Cisco or equivalent certifications.
• Proven experience supporting large-scale network implementations and upgrades.
• Demonstrated experience delivering reliable, quality network service within a higher education environment or large private-sector organization with federated operations.
• Exemplary communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present the business side of technical topics to non-technical audiences, and persuasively and effectively interact with various stakeholders, individuals, and groups.

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.

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We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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• Notice of Non-discrimination
• Employment Equity
• Read USC’s Clery Act Annual Security Report
• USC is a smoke-free environment
• Digital Accessibility

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If you are a current USC employee, please apply to this USC job posting in Workday by copying and pasting this link into your browser: https://wd5.myworkday.com/usc/d/inst/1$9925/9925$125107.htmld

Unacast is a global location intelligence and insights company transforming our understanding of human activity in the physical world. Using state-of-the-art machine learning and artificial intelligence, Unacast extracts valuable information from location data, delivering trustworthy, reliable, and privacy-friendly location intelligence. Companies across industries, at every stage of growth, rely on Unacast’s actionable human mobility insights to make more informed decisions that better align with the world around them.

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Overview:

Unacast is seeking a hands-on Director, Information Security to own and execute our security strategy from soup to nuts - balancing high-level strategic planning with day-to-day security operations. You’ll define long-term security strategies while also rolling up your sleeves to implement security measures across our cloud-based infrastructure and services. You will also be the voice of Unacast’s security practices to internal stakeholders and external customers.

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You'll collaborate closely with leadership, engineering, and operations teams to safeguard our systems, ensure regulatory compliance, and continuously improve our security posture. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and is eager to make a direct, lasting impact on Unacast’s security landscape.

• Establish and execute security roadmaps for protecting Unacast’s data, systems, and cloud environments (AWS, GCP) to safeguard against potential threats, ensure regulatory compliance, and align with industry best practices.
• Own end-to-end security operations, including conducting risk assessments, penetration testing, and managing security audits.
• Monitor evolving threats and ensure our security framework adapts to emerging risks, compliance requirements, and industry best practices.
• Serve as the go-to security expert, advising leadership on risks, best practices, and mitigation strategies.
• Implement and enforce security controls, including access management, intrusion detection systems, and access controls, while also establishing device-level endpoint standards to safeguard both physical endpoints and virtual networks in cloud environments.
• Lead security audits and certifications (e.g. ISO 27001) ensuring compliance with relevant standards.
• Integrate security into engineering workflows, working closely with developers to embed security best practices into cloud architecture and product development.
• Manage and respond to cloud security incidents and breaches, ensuring timely resolution and minimal disruption.
• Lead security awareness efforts including the deployment of training programs to foster a culture of security vigilance.
• Serve as the external face of security including supporting customer security reviews, RFPs, and compliance inquiries.
• Track and report security metrics, providing clear visibility into risks, incidents, and security improvements.
• Work closely with the Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) to ensure that data privacy and security strategies are aligned, protecting personal and sensitive data across all systems.
• Document and maintain security policies, including the Unacast Security Handbook, ensure they are aligned with evolving standards and communicated to relevant stakeholders.

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years in security experience managing both strategy and execution.
• One or more relevant industry certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, CISM, CISA, or AWS Security Specialty.
• Hands-on expertise in securing cloud environments (AWS, GCP), implementing security controls, and managing incidents.
• Experience with achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 certification, SOC 2, or similar standards.
• Experience integrating security into engineering, DevOps, and cloud environments.
• Strong analytical skills to assess threats and design effective security solutions.
• Excellent communication skills—able to translate complex security topics for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Expertise in relevant security regulations, laws, and standards, with an in-depth understanding of data protection, cybersecurity best practices, and Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) and Disaster Recovery Planning.
• Expertise in security frameworks, standards and best practices, including hands-on experience with incident response, risk assessment, penetration testing, and security audits.
• Awareness of emerging security threats, trends, and new technologies impacting the field.
• Team player with a strong business mindset, playing a critical role in establishing credibility and building trust with customers to drive business outcomes.
• A roll-up-your-sleeves mentality, eager to own, build, and execute security initiatives at all levels.

This is a remote position that will require periodic meetups at our office in Ashburn, VA and/or occasional travel. Preference for candidates who reside in the Washington DC metro area (DC, MD or VA). We offer competitive salaries, benefits and unlimited PTO. The typical base salary range for this role is $170,000 to $210,000. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, job level, internal equity, and budget. Exact salary offers will be determined by factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience and geographic location.

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Unacast is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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Unacast is committed to making the job application process accessible to everyone. If you are living with a disability (visible or not visible), we will provide a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process. To request an accommodation in connection with the application or recruiting process, please contact Human Resources at 703-840-8850. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.

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Unacast participates in the E-Verify program.

Company Description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

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Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

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Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

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As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

• Partnering with sales teams to meet and exceed sales quotas by building and implementing strategic technical account plans
• Positioning, demonstrating, and designing security architectures across the Palo Alto Networks portfolio based on customer business needs and architecting complex environments, including network security, security operations, and cloud security.
• Driving customer adoption of the Palo Alto Networks security platform by helping customers achieve enhanced security, operational efficiency, and business flexibility
• Conducting technical discovery to understand customer requirements and aligning solutions to their specific needs
• Leading proof-of-concept (PoC) engagements, technical workshops, and product demonstrations to showcase the capabilities of our security platform
• Collaborating with Professional Services, Customer Success, and Specialist teams to ensure seamless implementation and adoption of solutions
• Effectively communicating complex security concepts to a variety of stakeholders, from technical practitioners to executive leadership
• Orchestrating supporting resources (Specialists, Channel Partners, Customer Support) to drive a unified strategy for customer success
• Promoting end-to-end security solutions, including Palo Alto Networks and partner professional services, to maximize customer security posture and business value
• Staying ahead of industry trends, competitive landscapes, and emerging security threats to position Palo Alto Networks as the cybersecurity leader
• Continuously investing in personal development to enhance technical expertise and professional skills while actively contributing to the District Systems Engineer community and industry events
• Demonstrating diversity in technical knowledge across SOC, Cloud, Networking, and NetSec, with an emphasis on SOC and Cloud, to drive cross-training and develop platform expertise across the team
• Becoming a technical leader with the desire to grow into a Palo Alto Networks portfolio architect, gaining expertise from NGFW to SASE, SOC, Cloud, and Unit 42 consulting services
• Balancing technical acumen with strategic thinking—acting as one part technical architect and one part CTO
• Building and maintaining strong relationships while demonstrating strong consulting skills
• Understanding the competitive landscape deeply, at least in your area of specialty
• Designing and architecting large, complex environments, leveraging expertise in your technical domain
• Developing strong business acumen with near-term potential to grow into CTO/CIO/CISO-level leadership
• Willingness to travel up to 50% within the assigned district
• Serving as a role model and mentor for inside Systems Engineers

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in pre-sales, sales engineering, or a similar technical role
• Strong understanding of data networking, security architectures, and modern cloud computing environments
• Experience delivering cybersecurity solutions that solve complex technical challenges and align with customer business initiatives
• Ability to influence and gain buy-in from key stakeholders, whether in customer-facing or internal engagements
• Strong technical presentation, workshop, and proof-of-concept delivery skills
• Expertise in designing, implementing, or managing one or more of the following security solutions: Network Security, SASE, SaaS, CNAPP, or SOC Transformation Technologies
• Experience collaborating with Customer Support teams to ensure successful implementation and adoption of security solutions
• Field sales position requiring travel for in-person customer engagements (please discuss specifics with the recruiter)

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Preferred Qualifications

• Background in complex sales cycles involving multiple decision-makers and multi-product solutions is preferred

Additional Information

The Team

Our District Systems Engineers work closely with customers across the commercial sector to secure their digital environments. We educate, inspire, and empower organizations to transform their security architectures and adopt the most advanced cybersecurity solutions available today.

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You will be supported by industry-leading tools, systems, and a team dedicated to your success. At Palo Alto Networks, collaboration is at the heart of what we do. Everyone is committed to helping each other succeed, whether in solutions selling, learning, or professional development. Our District Systems Engineering community is driven by the mission to be our customers’ cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting their digital way of life.

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Compensation Disclosure

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary + commission target (for sales/commissioned roles) is expected to be between $198000/YR - $273000/YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

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Our Commitment

We’re problem solvers that take risks and challenge cybersecurity’s status quo. It’s simple: we can’t accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.

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We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at [email protected].

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Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.

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All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.