Leading an 18-Person International Cybersecurity Team Through Shifting Priorities

I formally supervised an 18-person contractor team, including three Team Leads, supporting CISA International Affairs. I managed workload, staffing, tasking, reporting, and day-to-day delivery as international cybersecurity requirements changed. The team completed 98% of assigned work on time, while redesigned tasking and reporting reduced response times by 20% and reporting errors by 25%. When urgent Ukraine support requirements emerged, I reassigned staff within one week without disrupting existing commitments.

Challenge

CISA International Affairs managed changing international cybersecurity requirements across a mixed federal-contractor environment. Assignments, deadlines, reviews, and supporting information did not always move through a consistent process. Leaders needed reliable information about work status and deadline risk, while staff needed clearer ownership and review expectations.

I also had to balance existing commitments against new requirements across an 18-person team that included three Team Leads. Urgent work could emerge quickly, requiring staffing decisions that created capacity without disrupting work already underway.

Approach

I established a recurring management process connecting assignments, deadlines, reviews, and follow-through. I required new work to enter the process with a defined owner, due date, supporting information, and escalation point, while a live status tracker gave staff and leaders a common record of progress and review status.

I managed delivery through the three Team Leads while retaining responsibility for the full team. I set expectations and priorities, reviewed workload, coached employees, conducted performance reviews, and used current commitments to identify capacity problems before they affected deadlines.

When urgent Ukraine cybersecurity-support requirements created an immediate staffing need, I reviewed workforce capacity with prime contractor leadership. I determined which employees could be reassigned while preserving existing commitments and completed the move within one week. When dedicated resources became available, I returned those employees to their original responsibilities.

My Role

I served as Deputy Chief of Staff for International Operations and supported CISA. I formally supervised 18 employees, including three Team Leads, and was responsible for assignments, workload management, coaching, performance reviews, staff development, and day-to-day delivery.

Within company and contract boundaries, I exercised personnel authority over my team and made staffing decisions based on workload, performance, and delivery needs. Major staffing reviews involved prime contractor leadership, while federal officials retained final authority over government mission and policy decisions.

Results

The changes improved delivery, response time, reporting accuracy, and staffing flexibility:

• Led an 18-person team that completed 98% of assigned work on time by setting priorities, managing workload through three Team Leads, and tracking delivery against current commitments.

• Reduced response times by 20% across taskings, executive and client requests, and correspondence by redesigning task intake and follow-through.

• Reduced reporting errors by 25% by implementing a live status tracker that addressed missing information, incorrect status, late updates, data-entry mistakes, and review corrections.

• Reallocated employees within one week to meet urgent Ukraine cybersecurity requirements by reviewing capacity and personally selecting staff who could move without disrupting existing commitments.