Chief Information Security Officer

Southern Illinois Healthcare has exclusively retained Kirby Partners to support its search for a Chief Information Security Officer.

Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) is a not-for-profit health system headquartered in Carbondale, Illinois, that serves the southernmost 16 counties of Illinois through its four hospitals, the SIH Cancer Institute, SIH Mulberry Center, and more than 30 outpatient clinics.

SIH offers many of the region’s most advanced services, including Southern Illinois’ only Level II Trauma Center, comprehensive cancer center, open-heart surgery program, obstetrics emergency department, Level II-E Special Care Nursery, and inpatient behavioral health center. As a regional leader in cardiovascular care, neuroscience, women’s and children’s services, cancer care and robotic-assisted surgery, SIH is recognized nationally for outcomes and quality in heart attack and stroke care, maternal health, surgical oncology and radiation oncology. SIH is a mission-driven healthcare system that strives to improve the health and well-being of all people in the communities they serve.

SIH is the region’s leading provider of charity care, unreimbursed care, and community benefit, contributing more than $1.5 billion over the last decade. Through affiliations with organizations such as Prairie Heart Institute, SIU School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Network and the BJC Collaborative, SIH expands access to advanced care, specialized expertise and innovative treatment options throughout Southern Illinois.

SIH Facilities

• SIH Memorial Hospital of Carbondale is the regional leader in tertiary, high-level services for heart, brain, spine, obstetrics, cancer, trauma, and robotic-assisted surgery. As the only designated Level II Trauma Center in Southern Illinois, the hospital serves as the region’s primary referral center offering care in 45+ specialties. The hospital was named on U.S. News & World Report‘s list of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care for the third consecutive year.
• SIH Herrin Hospital is a rural hospital located 10 miles to the east of Carbondale. It is well known for rehabilitation, orthopedic, and emergency services, including national recognition for its response to heart attack and stroke patients.
• SIH St. Joseph Memorial Hospital is a critical access hospital in Murphysboro and an integral part of the SIH system, serving as a regional provider of specialized outpatient services and robotic-assisted urological surgeries.
• SIH Harrisburg Medical Center includes the SIH Mulberry Center, the only inpatient mental health facility of its kind in the southern 16 counties. Because of its specialized behavioral health expertise, the hospital plays a key role and serves the entire system.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Chief Innovation Officer, the CISO will lead the organization’s enterprise cybersecurity, information security, risk, and resilience strategy at a pivotal time of technology transformation. The CISO will serve as a trusted strategic advisor to executive leadership and a key partner across clinical, operational, and technology functions. This is an opportunity to shape a modern, risk-based security program that protects patient care, critical operations, sensitive information, and the broader SIH enterprise while enabling innovation and digital transformation.

The CISO will have broad enterprise influence and ownership across cybersecurity strategy, governance, architecture, incident response, identity and access management, third-party risk, cloud and emerging technologies, business resilience, and security awareness. The leader will guide the organization in balancing security and risk with clinical workflow, operational priorities, usability, and innovation—helping SIH build security into the way technology and care are delivered rather than treating it as a separate function. The CISO will also provide clear, decision-oriented insight to executive leadership and the Board, translating complex cyber risks into actionable priorities and measurable outcomes.

Leading a team of six, the CISO will have the opportunity to build upon and further develop a high-performing security organization while strengthening partnerships across the enterprise and the broader healthcare ecosystem. SIH is looking for a collaborative, strategic leader who can elevate cybersecurity maturity, develop talent, build organizational resilience, and bring a pragmatic, secure-by-design mindset to an evolving healthcare environment. For the right leader, this is a chance to make a meaningful impact where cybersecurity is directly connected to patient safety, operational continuity, innovation, and the organization’s ability to serve its communities.

Responsibilities

• Set the enterprise cybersecurity strategy: partner with the Chief Innovation Officer, ITS Leadership and executive leadership to establish and execute SIH’s cybersecurity strategy, roadmap, operating model, governance, and investment priorities.
• Lead enterprise cyber risk and resilience: oversee a risk-based security program that protects patient care, critical operations, and sensitive information, including incident preparedness and response, ransomware readiness, business continuity, disaster recovery, and cyber resilience.
• Direct cybersecurity operations and architecture: provide strategic oversight of security monitoring, threat intelligence, vulnerability management, penetration testing, digital forensics, identity and access management, and secure architecture across networks, cloud, applications, endpoints, data, and third-party integrations.
• Protect the connected healthcare environment: partner with clinical, biomedical, facilities, and technology leaders to manage cybersecurity risks associated with IoT, operational technology, digital health, AI, automation, analytics, and other emerging technologies.
• Strengthen governance, compliance, and third-party risk: establish security policies, standards, controls, and accountability while overseeing third-party and supply-chain risk and supporting compliance with HIPAA, HITRUST, PCI DSS, NIST, and other applicable frameworks and requirements.
• Build a high-performing security organization and culture: lead, develop, and grow the information security team; build enterprise-wide security awareness; establish meaningful performance and risk metrics; and foster strong partnerships across SIH and the broader healthcare and cybersecurity community.

Upcoming and ongoing projects

• Identity and Access Management (IAM) program maturity
• Privileged Access Management (PAM) maturity
• Third Party Risk Management (TPRM) maturity
• Cloud Security program development
• AI Security program development
• Device and endpoint security maturity (segmentation and technical controls)
• Reporting Metrics/Benchmarking maturity
• Assess gaps in tools and team skills
• Assess tools and systems overlap for potential simplification
• Develop automation in workflows to improve efficiencies
• Integration of tools into unified operational platform (ServiceNow)
• Data protection maturity (encryption and DLP)
• Integration of the cybersecurity program with enterprise risk management
• Team development

Qualifications

Required education

• Bachelor’s degree in information security, cybersecurity, information technology, computer science, or a related discipline
• Equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience may be considered

Required qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive information security, cybersecurity, technology risk, or related experience
• 7+ years of enterprise security leadership, complex program leadership, and/or supervisory experience

Preferred qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field
• CISSP, CISM, or comparable senior-level information security certification
• Relevant healthcare, privacy, risk, cloud, or technical certifications
• Experience developing and implementing cybersecurity strategies for AI, ML, and other emerging technologies

Location

This position offers a hybrid schedule. However, relocation or residency within a commutable distance from Carbondale, IL, is required. Relocation assistance will be available.

About Carbondale, Illinois

A robust college town

Carbondale is located near the southern tip of Illinois, in a beautiful region known as “Little Egypt”, and is close to the Mississippi River and on the edge of the Shawnee National Forest. Carbondale is home to Southern Illinois University, recognized nationally for its outstanding education, research, and athletics. The town has a vibrant community built around its diverse cultural activities and offers many amenities of a large city while maintaining the comforts and charm of a small town. Although the title is unofficial, many residents consider Carbondale the “Capital of Southern Illinois” and enjoy a low cost of living, great schools, and a strong sense of community.

Outdoor lifestyle

Southern Illinois is surrounded by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, scenic lakes, and a national forest that provide numerous ways to enjoy nature, including two stops along the Southern Illinois Golf Trail. Area state parks offer opportunities for boating, fishing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, horseback riding, and cycling. Carbondale is a Bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) with an established system of designated bicycle routes. Southern Illinois is also home to the starting point of the scenic Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.

Access to big cities

Carbondale has excellent Amtrak service with three trains daily to and from Chicago, and with one train daily to and from Memphis and New Orleans, making weekend getaways easily accessible. Some area wineries also offer bed and breakfast accommodations. Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois, a public airport in Marion, Illinois (IATA: MWA, ICAO: KMWA), located about 5 miles west of downtown Marion, is serviced by American Airlines with daily non-stop flights to Chicago.

Procedure for Candidacy

Final candidates should expect two interviews with Kirby Partners recruiters (including a video conference interview). You may be asked to complete our “Executive Profile” and submit references to be considered for presentation to the search committee.