Government and Public Sector - Cybersecurity Operations & Threat Detection Response - Senior Manager

Government and Public Sector - Technology Consulting - Cybersecurity Operations & Threat Detection - Senior Manager 

From strategy to execution, the Government & Public Sector practice (“GPS”) of Ernst & Young provides a full range of consulting and audit services to help our Federal, State, Local and Education clients implement new ideas to help achieve their mission outcomes. We deliver real change and measurable results through our diverse, high-performing teams, quality work at the highest professional standards, operational know-how from across our global organization, and creative and bold ideas that drive innovation. We enable our government clients to achieve their mission of protecting the nation and serving the people; increasing public safety; improving healthcare for our military, veterans and citizens; delivering essential public services; and helping those in need. EY is ready to help our government shape the future with confidence.

The opportunity  

As a Senior Manager in Security Operations & Threat Detection and Response within EY’s Government & Public Sector (GPS) practice, you will lead the strategy, design, transformation, and operation of mission‑critical Security Operations Centers (SOCs) for federal, state, local, and education clients.

This role blends strategic cybersecurity advisory, operational leadership, and business development ownership in classified and highly regulated environments, up to the Top Secret (TS) level. You will lead large, complex engagements supported by cleared delivery teams, serve as a trusted advisor to senior government stakeholders, and act as a primary driver of revenue growth for EY’s GPS Threat Detection & Response offerings. You will be accountable for originating opportunities, leading pursuits, shaping solutions, and expanding long‑term client relationships—while remaining deeply engaged in delivery excellence and execution.

This role is expected to lead the modernization of government security operations through AI‑enabled analytics, automation‑driven workflows, and XDR‑led telemetry unification across hybrid and multi‑cloud environments. The Senior Manager will be accountable for transforming traditional SOC models into metrics‑driven, outcome‑oriented operations that improve detection fidelity, reduce response time, and operationalize compliance at scale across mission‑critical federal programs.

Your key responsibilities 

• Define and drive security operations strategies and target operating models aligned to agency missions, risk tolerance, and regulatory mandates.
• Design and implement SOC operating models that support cleared, U.S.-based delivery in environments up to the TS level, hybrid architectures, and follow‑the‑sun coverage where permissible.
• Own engagement delivery outcomes, ensuring services meet EY quality standards, contractual SLAs, and government client expectations.
• Contribute to the development of EY GPS and global cybersecurity methodologies, assets, and accelerators in Threat Detection & Response.
• Lead the design and operation of AI‑enabled and automation‑driven SOC capabilities, including agent‑based workflows and advanced analytics that accelerate alert triage, enrichment, and response.
• Drive XDR‑led detection strategies, unifying telemetry across EDR, NDR, SIEM, identity, cloud, and SaaS platforms into a coherent and prioritized threat detection model.
• Oversee multi‑cloud and hybrid SOC architectures, integrating Azure, AWS, and on‑prem environments into centralized detection and response operations.
• Own security operations performance metrics, including MTTD, MTTR, dwell time, alert fidelity, and automation coverage, using these KPIs to drive continuous improvement and executive‑level reporting.
• Establish fusion across adjacent operational domains, including vulnerability management, identity security, data protection, and threat intelligence, reflecting how GPS programs are funded, governed, and measured.
• Oversee day‑to‑day SOC operations supporting classified (up to TS) and unclassified environments, including:
• Threat monitoring, alert triage, and escalation
• Incident containment, eradication, and recovery coordination
• Detection engineering, use‑case development, advanced analytics, and tuning across SIEM and XDR platforms
• Threat hunting and integration of cyber threat intelligence
• SIEM and SOAR runbook development and optimization
• Act as Incident Commander and executive escalation point for high‑severity cyber incidents, coordinating response with client leadership and government stakeholders.
• Integration of automated response and orchestration to reduce analyst burden and improve response consistency.
• Lead post‑incident reviews using MITRE ATT&CK and adversary‑informed defense techniques to measurably improve detection coverage and response effectiveness.
• Advise senior government stakeholders on SOC modernization roadmaps, translating operational metrics and detection outcomes into mission risk, compliance posture, and investment justification.
• Lead SOC assessments and maturity reviews using EY and industry frameworks (e.g., NIST CSF, NIST 800‑53, RMF, ISO 27001).
• Develop actionable roadmaps to mature clients’ SecOps capabilities across tooling, cleared workforce models, processes, and governance.
• Prepare and deliver client‑ready proposals, Statements of Work (SoWs), executive briefings, and classified or unclassified presentations as required.

• Ensure adherence to EY risk management, independence, and quality standards across all engagements.
• Oversee documentation of SOC procedures, incident records, and governance artifacts to support audits, inspections, and regulatory reviews.
• Support clients in aligning security operations with public sector mandates and regulations (e.g., FISMA, FedRAMP, CMMC, NIST, Zero Trust).

• Lead business development efforts for Security Operations, SOC transformation, and managed detection and response engagements across GPS clients.
• Originate opportunities by building trusted relationships with senior government stakeholders and identifying mission‑driven and regulatory cybersecurity needs.
• Own and lead end‑to‑end pursuits, including:
• Opportunity shaping and qualification
• Solution architecture and cleared delivery model design
• Pricing, margin management, and risk review
• RFP/RFI responses, orals, and executive negotiations
• Serve as the primary relationship lead for assigned accounts, driving account planning, pipeline development, and sustained revenue growth.
• Lead, mentor, and develop multidisciplinary teams of analysts, engineers, and consultants.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative culture aligned with EY values and public service mission outcomes.

To qualify for the role you must have  

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, Engineering, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Typically 8–12+ years of cybersecurity experience, including 4–5+ years in SOC or incident response leadership roles.
• Experience leading large, complex cybersecurity engagements in consulting or managed services environments.
• Demonstrated experience supporting government or highly regulated clients.
• Must be comfortable working in-person as needed
• Professional Certifications (highly desirable)
• 2 or more of:
• GIAC Security Expert (GSE) preferred or other SANS GIAC certifications
• CISSP, CISM, CISA, CRISC
• ITIL Foundation or higher
• Cloud and modern security certifications are an advantage:
• CCSP, Microsoft SC 200/SC 100, Azure Security Engineer
• AWS Security Specialty, Google Professional Cloud Security Engineer

Due to the nature of our work in the Government and Public Sector, work may be required to be completed at client, EY and/or contractor sites. Our goal is to assign professionals to projects within a commutable distance of their work location office.  In certain circumstances, travel may be required beyond your work location based on client and project needs. Candidates should be willing to travel 20 – 30% or more.

Ideally, you'll also have  

• Proven ability to lead client engagements end‑to‑end while owning pipeline and revenue growth.
• Strong commercial acumen, including pricing, margin management, and risk governance.
• Executive‑level communication, stakeholder management, and negotiation skills.

• Ability to operate calmly and decisively during high‑pressure cyber incidents. Deep understanding of SOC operations (Tier 1–3), incident response lifecycle, and threat hunting.
• Demonstrated ability to make senior‑level technical decisions across detection engineering, incident response, and adversary tradecraft in complex government environments.
• An active U.S. security clearance is required due to the nature of government client work.
• Top Secret (TS) clearance is highly preferred.

What we look for 

We’re interested in intellectually curious people with a genuine passion for cybersecurity. With your expertise, we’ll turn to you to speak up with innovative ideas that could make a lasting difference not only to us – but also to the industry. If you have the confidence in both your presentation and technical abilities to grow into a leading expert here, this is the role for you.

At EY, you’ll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale, support, inclusive culture, and technology to become the best version of you. And we’re counting on your unique voice and perspective to help EY become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all.