Director, Cybersecurity Operations Center (SOC)

Who We Are

Applied Materials is a global leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. We design, build and service cutting-edge equipment that helps our customers manufacture display and semiconductor chips – the brains of devices we use every day. As the foundation of the global electronics industry, Applied enables the exciting technologies that literally connect our world – like AI and IoT. If you want to push the boundaries of materials science and engineering to create next generation technology, join us to deliver material innovation that changes the world. 

What We Offer

Salary:

Location:

You’ll benefit from a supportive work culture that encourages you to learn, develop, and grow your career as you take on challenges and drive innovative solutions for our customers. We empower our team to push the boundaries of what is possible—while learning every day in a supportive leading global company. Visit our Careers website to learn more. 

At Applied Materials, we care about the health and wellbeing of our employees. We’re committed to providing programs and support that encourage personal and professional growth and care for you at work, at home, or wherever you may go. Learn more about our benefits. 

As the Director of our global Cybersecurity Operations Center (SOC), you will lead a world‑class team responsible for monitoring, detecting, investigating, and responding to cyber threats across a complex global enterprise. This is a high‑impact leadership role that requires a strategic mindset, operational excellence, and the ability to drive continuous improvement in a 24x7x365 environment.

You will shape our detection and response strategy, mature our capabilities, strengthen our global posture, and ensure our SOC remains resilient, adaptive, and aligned with both business objectives and regulatory expectations.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute the global SOC strategy aligned with enterprise risk objectives and the broader security program.

• Forecast emerging threats and evolve capabilities in threat detection, incident response, and cyber defense.

• Partner with the CISO and executive stakeholders to communicate risk, readiness, and operational performance.

Operational Excellence

• Lead global SOC operations, spanning threat detection, incident response, threat hunting, cyber intelligence, and digital forensics.

• Oversee triage, escalation, containment, and remediation of security incidents.

• Build and maintain playbooks, response procedures, and operational KPIs.

• Drive consistent service delivery across regions and time zones.

Technology & Architecture

• Oversee SIEM, SOAR, EDR, NDR, and related detection technologies; ensure scalability, performance, and global standardization.

• Collaborate with engineering and architecture teams to advance automation, telemetry integration, and detection logic.

• Champion a data‑driven approach to security, leveraging analytics and machine learning where applicable.

Team Leadership & Development

• Manage, mentor, and grow a high‑performing team of SOC managers, analysts, threat hunters, and incident responders.

• Foster a culture of curiosity, accountability, and rapid learning.

• Ensure continuous skill development and readiness for high‑severity incidents.

• Ensure SOC operations align with industry frameworks (NIST CSF, MITRE ATT\&CK, ISO 27001).

• Oversee documentation, reporting, audit readiness, and compliance evidence for security operations.

• Partner with Legal, HR, IT, and Business Continuity teams during major events.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in cybersecurity with at least 5 years leading SOC or incident response functions at scale.

• Proven ability to lead during crises and communicate effectively with senior leadership.

• Experience managing global or multi‑regional teams and 24x7 operations.

• Deep expertise in incident response, threat analysis, detection engineering, and cyber defense tools (SIEM/SOAR/EDR/NDR).

• Strong understanding of cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP) and hybrid enterprise environments.

Preferred

• Experience in a global Fortune 500 or similarly complex global organization.

• Certifications such as CISSP, CISM, GIAC (GCIA, GCED, GCIH, GMON), or similar.

• Experience with zero‑trust strategies, advanced correlation logic, and automation at scale.

• Familiarity with ITIL, DevSecOps practices, and security monitoring for OT/ICS environments.

Additional Information

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The salary offered to a selected candidate will be based on multiple factors including location, hire grade, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and with consideration of internal equity of our current team members. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus and a stock award program, as applicable.

For all sales roles, the posted salary range is the Target Total Cash (TTC) range for the role, which is the sum of base salary and target bonus amount at 100% goal achievement.

Applied Materials is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

In addition, Applied endeavors to make our careers site accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact us via e-mail at Accommodations_Program@amat.com, or by calling our HR Direct Help Line at 877-612-7547, option 1, and following the prompts to speak to an HR Advisor. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.