Your cybersecurity recruitment specialists
A security leader has to set priorities that the business can act on: which risks need attention, where to invest and how to build a team that can deliver. Nexus IT Group recruits CISOs, VPs of Security and Director-level security leaders for companies building, expanding or replacing their cybersecurity leadership.
Our retained executive searches begin with the responsibilities of the appointment. A first security leader needs a different brief from an executive taking over an established team. We work with your hiring leaders to define the experience, authority and business context the person will need before approaching candidates.
Define the security leadership mandate
We discuss your security environment, the team the leader will inherit and the priorities they will own. That includes reporting relationships, the people involved in the decision and the balance between hands-on technical work and leading the function. Compensation, location expectations and the interview process become part of the brief from the start.
Reach leaders beyond the applicants
Our cybersecurity recruiters use outbound sourcing, referrals and their professional network to approach potential candidates. We spend time understanding the work each person has delivered, the teams they have led and why they would consider a move. Several conversations establish experience, motivation and expectations before we put a candidate in front of your hiring team.
Keep a confidential search moving
For confidential appointments, we agree how to present the opportunity and what can be shared with candidates. We coordinate conversations with the hiring team and any board or audit committee members involved in the search. Through interviews and offer discussions, we keep both sides informed about compensation expectations, competing processes and the decisions needed to reach a hire.
Four ways to staff a security team from a CISO search to a contract incident responder
Executive Search (Retained)
We run retained searches for the security leadership roles that a company only hires once every few years, including CISO, VP of Security, Director of Information Security and Head of Security Engineering. These searches are usually confidential, since a sitting security leader is rarely told the search is happening, and they almost always involve a board or audit committee that wants to meet the shortlist. Our retained work holds a 96% candidate retention rate, which matters more in security than in most disciplines because a leader who leaves inside a year takes the whole roadmap with them.
Direct Hire
Most security professionals are employed, hold an active clearance or certification they are in no hurry to move, and ignore job adverts entirely. That is why our cybersecurity recruiters work outbound rather than waiting on applications, and why we can put a shortlist of vetted security engineers, analysts or architects in front of you within 4 days of taking the requirement. We confirm certifications, clearance status and hands-on tool experience before anyone reaches your inbox, so the first conversation is about fit rather than verification.
Contract Staffing
Security work arrives in bursts. An audit lands, a breach needs containing, a SOC 2 or PCI deadline moves up, or a cloud migration needs an application security reviewer for six months. We act as both the recruiter and the W2 employer for the length of the contract, which keeps co-employment risk off your side and lets you end or extend the engagement without a further fee. Our contract placements hold a 94.3% quality of hire ratio, measured on contractors who complete the full term.
Recruitment as a Service
Some security teams need a steady flow of candidates rather than one search, particularly managed security providers and consultancies hiring analysts in tiers. Our Recruitment as a Service subscription handles the whole top of the funnel, so candidate marketing, sourcing, screening and delivery sit with us while your security leads only run the final interviews. We generate an engaged pipeline for a named security role in under 7 days, at a fraction of what the same volume would cost on a per-placement fee.
Cybersecurity leadership roles we recruit for
- Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
- Chief Security Officer (CSO)
- Director of Application Security
- Director of Cloud Security
- Director of Governance, Risk and Compliance
- Director of Identity and Access Management
- Director of Incident Response
- Director of Information Security
- Director of Security Engineering
- Director of Security Operations
- Head of Security
- Head of Security Engineering
- VP of Security
Recruit with Nexus IT Group in cybersecurity
What our cybersecurity clients have said about working with Nexus IT Group
The great thing about nexus IT group is that it has a smaller family feel, but they are able to deliver IT candidates better than the largest IT staffing suppliers that we work with. They have delivered high quality cybersecurity professionals for several years to our firm.
I’ve been in Talent Acquisition for 15 years and have used many IT staffing firms over the years. I highly recommend Nick and nexus IT group over any other IT staffing services. nexus’ commitment to quality and delivery is top tier. They take the time to understand your needs, provide thorough screening, and make sure that candidates have a positive on-boarding experience.
Working with nexus IT group has made my job much easier. Having a recruiting firm who specializes in IT and within my industry, and who understands our specific culture and hiring needs has been instrumental in our talent acquisition talent strategy.
Capital One has used nexus IT group’s recruitment services for a number of IT positions at varying levels, over the past 4 years. We’ve had a high success rate working with nexus IT group which is a testament to the caliber of their work and their internal sourcing and vetting practices.
I’ve dealt with a lot of hiring firms in my 18 years in the investment banking profession, and the majority of them have been awful to mediocre at best. Dealing with Nexus IT Group, on the other hand, was a breath of fresh air. After only one one opening, I was blown away by the quality and quantity of resumes I received. Nexus IT Group pays close attention to my demands and requirements. As a result, the individuals who were referred to me were excellent fits for our open positions. I appreciate the personal and professional expertise you offer to the process.
SAIC provides government services to several federal agencies across the US. We needed to recruit several new cybersecurity talent for our growing practice area. Travis quickly understood our business and the requirements of each cybersecurity need. nexus IT group showed patience, flexibility, and expertise in the search process. If you’re looking for good cybersecurity recruiters then you can’t go wrong with nexus IT group.
It is hard to put into words what nexus IT group has done for our organization. nexus IT group knows exactly what we look for and they get the right candidates 99% of the time. Anyone looking to hire tech talent would be lucky to have nexus IT group on their side. They have great work ethic, responsive, and a wide array of market knowledge.
We’ve enlisted the help of a number of IT recruiting firms in the past. Nexus IT Group has contributed to the success of many great hires by working professionally, diligently, and efficiently. We contacted Nexus IT Group after being introduced to them, and we were instantly impressed by their promptness and ability to focus on our needs. We received 3 resumes the same day and 3 more the next day, and we were able to hire four people in less than a week. We added an additional individual through Nexus IT Group a few weeks later as a result of vast network, service and professionalism. I highly recommend working with Nexus IT Group.
Our cybersecurity staffing skills keep our clients coming back
Information Security Manager
A multinational financial services and asset management company needed its first internal cybersecurity hire in the US. The client came to Nexus IT Group through its VP of Talent.
Our cybersecurity recruiters sourced 302 candidates, submitted six candidates and made one hire for the Information Security Manager role.
Threat & Incident Manager
A large US electronic trading firm needed a Threat & Incident Manager who could work onsite in Connecticut. The small candidate pool required a nationwide outreach strategy.
Our cybersecurity recruiters contacted 424 candidates, held meetings with 15 and submitted five. The client interviewed three candidates, made one offer and received one acceptance.
Frequently asked questions about cybersecurity recruiting
We recruit CISOs, VPs of Security, Heads of Security and Director-level leaders across the security function. The brief may focus on leading the whole organization or a discipline such as security engineering, security operations or governance, risk and compliance. We start with the responsibilities and reporting relationships rather than relying on a title alone. That helps us define the experience a candidate needs for your particular appointment.
Executive search focuses on a leadership appointment and the decisions that person will own. Our broader cybersecurity practice also recruits engineers, analysts and other specialists through direct hire and contract engagements. A retained leadership search gives the team room to approach candidates who are not applying to job advertisements and assess their experience over several conversations. We discuss the requirement first so the engagement fits the role.
We run confidential retained searches for security leadership roles. At the start, we agree what candidates can be told about the company and the appointment, who will be involved and how introductions will be handled. Those details become part of the search brief. Contact our team to discuss the confidentiality requirements for your search.
We begin by understanding the company, the role and the experience the hiring team needs. Our recruiters speak with candidates about their technical background, leadership responsibilities, motivation and expectations before submitting them for client review. Several conversations help us clarify fit and identify questions the hiring team should explore in its interviews. We then work with both sides through the interview and offer process.
Timing depends on the scope of the role, compensation, location expectations and the availability of the people making the decision. A confidential leadership appointment may also require careful coordination of introductions and interviews. We discuss those constraints before agreeing the search plan and keep the hiring team informed as the candidate pool develops. The timing of an individual placement depends on its requirements and is not a guarantee for another search.
We agree the engagement and payment structure with the hiring company before the search begins. The arrangement depends on the seniority of the role and the work involved in the assignment. Retained executive search is one of the services offered by our cybersecurity practice. Contact the team to discuss the scope and receive terms for your search.