Lead I.T. Security Specialist

Join a team of dedicated professionals who help protect the systems that support one of our community's most essential resources: water. Cucamonga Valley Water District (CVWD) is seeking a skilled and strategic Lead IT Security Specialist to lead and implement IT and cybersecurity best practices and strategies, while strengthening our security posture and safeguarding the technology that powers reliable water services. If you're an experienced IT professional with strong leadership skills and a passion for protecting mission-critical systems, we'd like to hear from you. Join us in securing the technology that helps deliver safe, reliable water to our community. FILING DEADLINE This recruitment is open until a sufficient number of applications are received . Candidates are highly encouraged to apply early. The first review of applications will take place on Thursday, July 30, 2026. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS RECRUITMENT MAY CLOSE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. JOB DESCRIPTION Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class. Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job. DEFINITION To perform a wide variety of specialized professional support duties for the Information Technology Division of the Finance and Technology Services Department, including but not limited to leading, coordinating, and participating in the analysis, design, and implementation of IT security best practices; solutions for Supervisory Control and Data (SCADA), servers, desktops, and cloud infrastructure; develops compliance strategies for IT security programs; leads the assessment of risks of non-compliance to management policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines and reports findings to management; oversees, reviews, analyzes, and coordinates security upgrades and vulnerability management program; provides expert technical systems and infrastructure security advice, recommendations, and assistance in the development or implementation of risk-based mitigation plans. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The Lead IT Security Specialist is the experienced advanced journey level. Incumbents in this class are distinguished from the Information Technology Specialist II by performing the full range of duties assigned. At this level, incumbents perform the more complex and specialized workloads while exercising broader discretion and independent judgment within established guidelines. Emphasis is on leads and participating in the technical analysis and correlation of security data/logs to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities or to determine the root cause of a security-related event/incident; researches evaluates, implements and recommends security tools, products, platforms, and standards based on industry trends, business requirements, and technical infrastructure; monitors, analyzes, and responds to security event using security-event management tools; maintains awareness and knowledge of current changes within legal, and Disaster Recovery plan activities and may act on his/her behalf in his/her absence if appointed. SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED Direct supervision is received from the Information Technology Manager. ESSENTIAL AND MARGINAL FUNCTION STATEMENTS Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following: Essential Functions: 1. Ability to communicate and present security risk concisely and effectively (written, oral, and presentation). 2. Demonstrated leadership and problem-solving skills. 3. Ability to manage effectively and work closely with business leaders in a high-pressure, fast-paced, highly collaborative environment with multiple deadlines and competing priorities. 4. Proven knowledge of security architecture design, network security, vulnerability management, and threat intelligence analysis. 5. Administer system backup and restore, ensuring data integrity for recovery. 6. Perform systems support functions for servers and network equipment operating in a LAN/WAN environment. 7. Experience in security, operations, control assessment, risk management, auditing, and/or internal controls. 8. Experience with security and privacy, legal, and regulatory requirements. 9. Knowledge of common information security management frameworks, such as NIST, CIS, ISO 27001, COBIT, or PCI DSS. 10. Experience performing information security risk assessments and risk analysis. 11. Strong understanding of encryption, security certificates and advanced authentication measures. 12. Strong understanding of networking concepts and protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, LAN, WAN, DHCP, DNS, routing protocols). 13. Expert-level knowledge of security systems such as SIEM, IPS firewalls, and related network security tools. 14. Experience with operating systems such as Windows, Unix, Apple, SQL, Azure, and Oracle databases. 15. Experience with Industrial Control Systems software such as Siemens, Wonderware, and similar platforms. 16. The ability to support and handle urgent issues after hours. 17. District employees are expected to work overtime, weekends, evenings, and holidays as required to accommodate the District's needs, in addition to responding as a Disaster Emergency Service Worker. Marginal Functions: Perform related duties and responsibilities as required. Support vendors in the maintenance of WAN circuits. Participate in setting direction for the Information Technology Division. May be designated to act on behalf of the Information Technology Manager in their absence. Participate in strategic planning and reporting on budget, disaster planning, and master planning. Perform maintenance and support of firewalls, routers, network equipment and work with outside vendors supporting these devices. Requests for Quotes (RFQ) and Statements of Work (SOW) standard proc