With an eye towards expanding California’s preparedness and response to destructive cyber-attacks, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services recently announced that the State of California is conducting a national search for a new Commander of the California Cybersecurity Integration Center (Cal-CSIC).

“We are at a transformational moment in how we approach cybersecurity,” said Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci. “Collaborative cyber-threat information sharing and mitigation is critical to the safety and security of our state. We are looking for a uniquely qualified individual to further the state’s leadership in this important area.”

The Cal-CSIC was created by executive order in 2015 and is California’s top line cybersecurity center, tasked with preparing and protecting the nation’s largest state from cyber threats and attacks.

The Cal-CSIC has a broad statutory mandate, and is intended to break down silos and integrate competencies from across the government. It acts as the leader and coordinator of the California Department of Technology, National Guard, and California Highway Patrol, among other stakeholders, in their efforts to protect California from nation-states, organized crime, and other cyber threat actors.

Finding the right individual to fill this important role is all the more essential, officials said, as the state has seen a significant increase in the frequency, scale and sophistication of cyber incidents targeting Californians in recent years.

The Cal-CSIC commander is a position appointed by the Governor and will be tasked with strengthening the state’s cybersecurity strategy and improving inter-agency, cross-sector coordination to reduce the likelihood and severity of cyber-attacks.

More information on the job posting can be found at: https://www.gov.ca.gov/priority-recruitment/.

Cal OES is responsible for the coordination of overall state agency response to major disasters in support of local government. The agency is responsible for assuring the state’s readiness to respond to and recover from all hazards – natural, man-made, war-caused emergencies and disasters – and for assisting local governments in their emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and hazard mitigation efforts.