Job Description
About Cox Farms
Cox Farms, which operates Mucci Farms and BrightFarms, is part of the Cox Enterprises family of businesses and is a pioneering leader in the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) industry. Backed by Cox Enterprises' long-standing commitment to building stronger businesses and a better world, Cox Farms is dedicated to revolutionizing food production through sustainable and innovative technology. Our cutting-edge facilities leverage advanced agronomic, production, and greenhouse systems to deliver fresh, high-quality produce to consumers year-round, minimizing environmental impact while maximizing resource efficiency.
As we continue to expand and innovate, we are seeking an experienced Security Lead to build and lead a threat-focused security program that protects our people, systems, and operational technology across a growing multi-site agricultural enterprise.
POSITION OVERVIEW
Cox Farms is establishing a dedicated security function to protect a complex, multi-site operational environment that sits at the intersection of corporate IT and physical production systems. The Security Lead will be responsible for building the program, the team, and the institutional security posture from the ground up, operating with a high degree of autonomy and with the full backing of IT leadership.
This is a leadership role as much as a technical one. You will set direction within your domain, make consequential decisions about control design and investment, and represent the security function to senior business stakeholders. Your peer Infrastructure Lead owns the environment you are protecting; close alignment between these two roles is foundational to the function's success.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Partner with the AVP of IT Operations to define and own the security strategy for Cox Farms, including threat modeling, risk prioritization, and program roadmap
- Lead implementation and ongoing management of security tooling: SIEM/logging, endpoint protection, vulnerability management, threat detection, and email security
- Own identity and access management standards including MFA policy, conditional access, and privilege management in collaboration with the Infrastructure Lead
- Establish and maintain OT/IT security boundaries for greenhouse and plant-floor environments across Cox Farms facilities
- Develop and maintain security policies, incident response playbooks, and disaster recovery documentation
- Manage security vendor relationships and third-party assessments; provide oversight of any outsourced SOC or MSSP engagements
- Lead security awareness training and phishing simulation programs
- Serve as the primary security escalation point for the IT Operations team
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business, or related field; or equivalent experience
- 10+ years of progressive security experience, with demonstrated ownership of a security program or function
- Strong understanding of threat-based security frameworks and the ability to prioritize controls by actual risk impact
- Hands-on experience with endpoint protection, SIEM platforms, vulnerability management tools, and identity security
- Experience with Microsoft security stack: Entra ID, Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Cloud, and Purview
- Working knowledge of network security principles: segmentation, firewall policy, and intrusion detection
- Demonstrated ability to build and communicate security programs to both technical teams and non-technical business stakeholders
- Experience defining and enforcing IAM standards including least-privilege access and MFA policy
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience in manufacturing, agriculture, food production, or operational technology environments where IT/OT convergence is a real security consideration
- Familiarity with ICS/SCADA environments or greenhouse/facility automation systems
- Background building security programs in growth-stage or resource-constrained organizations
- Relevant certifications: CISSP, CISM, CompTIA Security+, or Microsoft Security certifications
- Experience selecting and managing MSSP or outsourced SOC relationships
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
CULTURE & VALUES AT COX FARMS
At Cox Farms, we live out our Rooted Together culture:
Our Purpose, Vision & Mission
- Purpose: Nourish the Planet
- Vision: To be the most trusted partner in food
- Mission: Delivering the world a reliable supply of healthy and sustainable food powered by our people
- Anthem: The Future of Food Grows Here
Our Core Values
At Cox Farms, our culture is Rooted Together. We live our values every day:
- Growth & Innovation – Always learning, improving, and finding better ways
- Responsibility (Ownership & Accountability) – Own results, act like owners
- Open & Honest (Transparency, Trust, Speaking Up) – We build trust through clarity, candor, and courage
- We Before Me (Collaboration, Care, Service) – Support our people, our partners, our communities, and the consu1mers we serve
- Safety – Safety in everything we do
EMPLOYMENT NOTICE
This role will support all Cox Farms businesses. The employer for this role is BrightFarms Inc. and is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.
For roles based in the United States: Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without the need for employer sponsorship. For roles based in Canada: applicants must be legally eligible to work in Canada.