Security Program Manager Jobs in California
Security Program Manager jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in defense contracting, technology, financial services, and government agencies, with openings at every level from associate program manager through senior director. The largest hiring clusters are in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where established employers like Northrop Grumman, Google, and Lockheed Martin maintain significant operations. The most in-demand specialties are cybersecurity program management, physical security operations, and risk and compliance program oversight. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 73+ Security Program Manager jobs
Onwards Together!
Illumio is the leader in ransomware and breach containment, redefining how organizations contain cyberattacks and enable operational resilience. Powered by the Illumio AI Security Graph, our breach containment platform identifies and contains threats across hybrid multi-cloud environments – stopping the spread of attacks before they become disasters.
Recognized as a Leader in the Forrester Wave for Microsegmentation, Illumio enables Zero Trust, strengthening cyber resilience for the infrastructure, systems, and organizations that keep the world running.
Location: 4 on-site days a week in Sunnyvale, CA Headquarters.
Our Team's Vision:
Security at Illumio is not a control function. It’s part of how the business operates and grows. We protect the company, enable the business, support product velocity, and help earn customer trust - working across engineering, product, and go-to-market teams to turn risk into clear, actionable decisions. Our goal isn’t to slow things down. It’s to build a security function that scales with the business and actually works in the real world.
The Security Program Manager drives execution of key security initiatives across the organization and ensures strategic security priorities translate into measurable outcomes.
This role operates as the operational backbone of the Security organization—coordinating programs, defining metrics, tracking progress, and ensuring accountability across multiple teams including Security Engineering and Operations, Product Security, GRC, Engineering, Product, IT and OPs.
The position helps security leadership turn strategy into structured, deliverable programs.
Your Impact:
Security Program Execution
- Drive planning and execution of cross-functional security initiatives
- Coordinate work across Security, Engineering, Product, and Infrastructure teams
- Track program milestones, risks, and dependencies
- Ensure initiatives remain aligned with organizational priorities and timelines
Metrics & Program Visibility
- Define KPIs, metrics and success criteria for security initiatives
- Build dashboards and reporting frameworks for program health
- Provide leadership visibility into progress, risks, and outcomes
- Ensure programs demonstrate measurable improvement to security posture
Cross-Team Coordination
- Facilitate collaboration between security teams and internal partner teams
- Identify blockers and drive resolution across teams
- Ensure clear ownership and accountability for deliverables (RACI)
- Maintain structured communication across program stakeholders
Strategic Program Development
- Help security leadership translate strategy into actionable roadmaps
- Assist in defining program milestones and success criteria
- Improve processes that support security program execution
- Identify operational gaps and opportunities for improvement
Security Leadership Support
- Prepare program updates and operational briefings
- Maintain documentation for security initiatives and roadmaps
- Provide organizational visibility into the status of major security efforts
- Support prioritization and resource planning across security teams
Example Programs This Role May Drive
- Security tooling deployments and integrations
- Detection and Response, and SOC capability improvements
- Vulnerability management initiatives
- Security architecture improvement programs
- Security related product initiatives
- Cross-team security process improvements
Your Toolkit:
- 10+ years of program or project management experience within a Security function
- Experience managing technical programs involving security and technical teams
- Strong organizational and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to translate complex technical initiatives into structured programs
Bonus Points:
- Experience working within a cybersecurity or security organization
- Familiarity with security domains such as SOC operations, product security, or compliance
- Experience developing metrics and executive reporting
- Experience coordinating complex cross-functional initiatives in SaaS or cloud environments
Our Commitment
Illumio believes that an environment of unique backgrounds, experiences, viewpoints, and individual contributions creates a culture of belonging, drives our future, and makes us stronger together in support of our customers and their success.
All official job offers from our company are extended directly by our recruitment team and will be sent through an official E-Signature document for your review and signature. Please be aware that we do not ask for any personal information in the process of extending offers of employment, such as financial details or social security numbers. Upon acceptance of any offer, we will request such information as part of the onboarding process prior to or on your first day of employment, and only after completing a background check through an authorized third-party vendor. If you receive any communication asking for personal details outside of these processes, please contact us immediately to verify the authenticity of the request. Your security is important to us, and we are committed to a safe and transparent hiring experience.
For roles in San Francisco and Los Angeles: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Illumio will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Compensation Range: $157K - $180K
Onwards Together!
Illumio is the leader in ransomware and breach containment, redefining how organizations contain cyberattacks and enable operational resilience. Powered by the Illumio AI Security Graph, our breach containment platform identifies and contains threats across hybrid multi-cloud environments – stopping the spread of attacks before they become disasters.
Recognized as a Leader in the Forrester Wave for Microsegmentation, Illumio enables Zero Trust, strengthening cyber resilience for the infrastructure, systems, and organizations that keep the world running.
Location: 4 on-site days a week in Sunnyvale, CA Headquarters.
Our Team's Vision:
Security at Illumio is not a control function. It’s part of how the business operates and grows. We protect the company, enable the business, support product velocity, and help earn customer trust - working across engineering, product, and go-to-market teams to turn risk into clear, actionable decisions. Our goal isn’t to slow things down. It’s to build a security function that scales with the business and actually works in the real world.
The Security Program Manager drives execution of key security initiatives across the organization and ensures strategic security priorities translate into measurable outcomes.
This role operates as the operational backbone of the Security organization—coordinating programs, defining metrics, tracking progress, and ensuring accountability across multiple teams including Security Engineering and Operations, Product Security, GRC, Engineering, Product, IT and OPs.
The position helps security leadership turn strategy into structured, deliverable programs.
Your Impact:
Security Program Execution
- Drive planning and execution of cross-functional security initiatives
- Coordinate work across Security, Engineering, Product, and Infrastructure teams
- Track program milestones, risks, and dependencies
- Ensure initiatives remain aligned with organizational priorities and timelines
Metrics & Program Visibility
- Define KPIs, metrics and success criteria for security initiatives
- Build dashboards and reporting frameworks for program health
- Provide leadership visibility into progress, risks, and outcomes
- Ensure programs demonstrate measurable improvement to security posture
Cross-Team Coordination
- Facilitate collaboration between security teams and internal partner teams
- Identify blockers and drive resolution across teams
- Ensure clear ownership and accountability for deliverables (RACI)
- Maintain structured communication across program stakeholders
Strategic Program Development
- Help security leadership translate strategy into actionable roadmaps
- Assist in defining program milestones and success criteria
- Improve processes that support security program execution
- Identify operational gaps and opportunities for improvement
Security Leadership Support
- Prepare program updates and operational briefings
- Maintain documentation for security initiatives and roadmaps
- Provide organizational visibility into the status of major security efforts
- Support prioritization and resource planning across security teams
Example Programs This Role May Drive
- Security tooling deployments and integrations
- Detection and Response, and SOC capability improvements
- Vulnerability management initiatives
- Security architecture improvement programs
- Security related product initiatives
- Cross-team security process improvements
Your Toolkit:
- 10+ years of program or project management experience within a Security function
- Experience managing technical programs involving security and technical teams
- Strong organizational and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to translate complex technical initiatives into structured programs
Bonus Points:
- Experience working within a cybersecurity or security organization
- Familiarity with security domains such as SOC operations, product security, or compliance
- Experience developing metrics and executive reporting
- Experience coordinating complex cross-functional initiatives in SaaS or cloud environments
Our Commitment
Illumio believes that an environment of unique backgrounds, experiences, viewpoints, and individual contributions creates a culture of belonging, drives our future, and makes us stronger together in support of our customers and their success.
All official job offers from our company are extended directly by our recruitment team and will be sent through an official E-Signature document for your review and signature. Please be aware that we do not ask for any personal information in the process of extending offers of employment, such as financial details or social security numbers. Upon acceptance of any offer, we will request such information as part of the onboarding process prior to or on your first day of employment, and only after completing a background check through an authorized third-party vendor. If you receive any communication asking for personal details outside of these processes, please contact us immediately to verify the authenticity of the request. Your security is important to us, and we are committed to a safe and transparent hiring experience.
For roles in San Francisco and Los Angeles: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Illumio will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Compensation Range: $157K - $180K
See All 73 Security Program Manager Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Security Program Manager JobsSecurity Program Manager Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Security Program Manager Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Anthropic3
- Roblox3
- Rubrik Security Cloud3
- Apple2
- Databricks2
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software42
- Electronics & Hardware5
- Consulting & Professional Services4
- Manufacturing4
- Construction & Real Estate3
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in security program manager jobs across California.
- Bachelor's degree in security management, information systems, or a related field required
- PMP or CISSP certification strongly preferred by California employers
- Five or more years of experience managing security programs or cross-functional security projects
- Demonstrated experience with risk assessment frameworks such as NIST or ISO 27001
- Ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance for defense and government roles
- Experience coordinating with California state agencies or compliance with CCPA requirements preferred
Security Program Manager Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a security program manager in California?
Most California employers expect a bachelor's degree in security management, computer science, information systems, or a related field combined with several years of hands-on security or project management experience. From there, earning a Project Management Professional certification through PMI or a Certified Information Systems Security Professional credential strengthens your candidacy significantly. California has no state-issued license specific to this role, so professional certifications and a portfolio of managed programs carry the most weight in hiring decisions.
Which companies hire security program managers in California?
Employers hiring security program managers in California right now include Anthropic, Roblox, and Rubrik Security Cloud, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. California's concentration of defense contractors, major technology headquarters, and large financial institutions makes it one of the most consistent states for ongoing security program management hiring.
Which California cities have the most security program manager jobs?
San Francisco, Mountain View, and Palo Alto account for the most security program manager openings in California. The Bay Area leads due to its density of technology companies and financial services firms, Los Angeles draws demand from defense contractors and entertainment-sector security operations, and San Diego's strong military and defense industry presence drives consistent hiring in that corridor.
Are there remote security program manager jobs in California?
Yes, and more than many security roles, because security program managers spend much of their time on planning, reporting, vendor coordination, and cross-team communication that translates well to remote work. About 36% of security program manager openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting how the technology and financial services sectors in the state have embraced flexible arrangements. Roles tied to physical security operations or requiring a clearance are more likely to require on-site presence.
How can I get hired as a security program manager in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving laterally from a security analyst, IT project coordinator, or compliance associate role into a junior program management position. Large California defense and technology employers frequently hire associate program managers or security operations coordinators as stepping stones into full program management. Completing a PMP exam prep course or earning a Certified Associate in Project Management credential from PMI signals readiness to California hiring managers. Building experience inside a large employer's security operations center or GRC team is the most direct route to a first program manager title.
Where can I find and apply to security program manager jobs in California?
You can find and apply to security program manager jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across industries and experience levels. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly to each one.
See All 73 Security Program Manager Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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