Connected aircraft, e-enabled fleets, and eVTOL platforms may be improving efficiency in a highly digitized aviation ecosystem, but they’re also increasing cyber exposure. The recent cyberattack at Heathrow and navigation spoofing in India’s major airports are concrete examples of the dangers digital connectivity brings across aircraft systems, maintenance platforms, and ground operations. They make it clear that cyber vulnerabilities in aviation IT can have a sweeping operational impact.

These risks also intensify the urgent need for cybersecurity leaders who can effectively strategize solutions that protect safety-critical environments. However, finding such high-caliber cybersecurity executives requires a highly specialized search process.

The Board’s Increased Liability – and the Need for Purpose-Built Roles

Beyond the widening cybersecurity workforce gap, global regulatory changes make it even more difficult to find suitable leaders for specialized roles. New regulations, like the NIS2 Directive holding top executives liable for gross negligence after cyber incidents and the SEC’s proposed cybersecurity disclosure rules, raise the stakes for aviation boards. They now need executives they can fully trust to manage cyber risk in high-consequence operational environments.

Simply put, if cyber incidents are now a board-level legal risk, hiring the right cybersecurity leaders becomes a board-level priority.

The key challenge is identifying where cybersecurity roles should sit in the organizational structure. In aviation, cyber risks not only affect IT but also directly impact operational domains. Because of this, cybersecurity executives must have the capacity to integrate cyber resilience in workflows, influence operational decisions, and escalate risk directly to the top.

But instead of placing all cyber responsibilities under a single, traditional Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) role, a better strategy is often to create purpose-built roles with focused mandates, such as Head of Aviation Cybersecurity (for OT, avionics, and operational systems) and VP Cyber & Operational Resilience (for incident response and operational continuity).

From there, establish clear reporting lines. A direct line to the COO ensures operational risks receive immediate attention, while escalation to the CEO keeps organizational exposure visible at the highest level.

Job Description Essentials: Aviation Cybersecurity Executives

Organizations with major skills gaps are nearly twice as likely to suffer a material cyber breach, according to the ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study. And when cyber incidents can ground fleets and affect millions of people, aviation boards can’t tolerate this level of exposure.

Given this, the ideal cybersecurity executive must have a hybrid skillset capable of minimizing such risks. Including:

Hard Skills & Experience

1. IT/OT convergence: Fluency in bridging standard enterprise IT with Operational Technology (OT), including specific experience with Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and SCADA environments.

2. Aviation standards: Deep knowledge of security standards, such as DO-326A, ED-202A, and DO-356, and their integration into the aircraft lifecycle.

3. Connected ecosystems:  Experience with the unique data flows of avionics, e-Enablement platforms, and Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting Systems (ACARS).

4. Incident command leadership: Proven ability to lead during high-pressure cyber-kinetic incidents, ensuring business continuity alongside threat eradication.

5. Supply chain and vendor assurance: Managing complex risk landscapes across a vast number of third-party vendors, from OEMs and fuel suppliers to reservation systems and ground handlers.

Soft Skills

1. Cross-functional communication: speaking ‘pilot’ when discussing flight deck procedures, ‘engineer’ when coordinating avionics teams, or ‘cyber’ when guiding SOC teams.

2. Regulatory diplomacy: coordinating with ease with civil aviation authorities, global regulators, and industry bodies.

3. Decision-making under pressure: maintaining composure during disruptions and critical incidents.

4. Strategic risk articulation: The ability to translate technical cyber threats into clear business risks (financial, legal, and reputational) to secure buy-in from the Board and C-Suite.

The key differentiator among potential candidates is extensive experience in high-consequence environments, such as in aviation, energy, defense, or critical infrastructure. This background brings a mature sense of risk, decision-making under pressure, and an instinct for balancing safety, operations, and compliance.

The Vital Role of Executive Search Firms in Aviation

According to an Air Transport IT Insights report, 66% of airlines and 73% of airports rank cybersecurity among their top three IT priorities. This trend is opening multifaceted roles that traditional hiring processes can’t effectively fill. The candidate pool is small, often passive, and demands evaluation across domains (cyber, operations, safety, regulatory). As such, aviation firms need executive search partners who understand the nuances of the industry.

Search firms with expertise in the aviation sector bring the talent mapping, cross-border networks, and evaluation methods required to identify cybersecurity leaders who can protect an organization where the consequences of failure extend far beyond financial loss.

IIC Partners offers this proven track record through our Aviation, Aerospace and Defence team within our Industrial Practice Group. Our expert consultants across 40 offices worldwide have extensive experience of identifying and placing CISOs and a range of cybersecurity roles at leading aviation organizations. Contact us below to have an in-depth, no-cost consultation of your talent strategy.