AT&T Expands Charlotte Office, Hiring 200 Cybersecurity Pros for New Threat Fusion Center

AT&T plans to bring 200 workers onto its payroll in Charlotte. The jobs are all cybersecurity positions. The telecommunications giant moved its Chief Security Office into temporary digs at 8505 IBM Drive at Innovation Park this month, setting up shop while construction wraps up elsewhere.

Come summer, the operation shifts to its permanent home — a 41,600-square-foot office in the same University City building. AT&T unveiled these plans Wednesday.

Right now, about 70 cybersecurity workers call Charlotte home, and most joined the team within recent months. The company still needs to fill another 130 slots.

Dallas houses AT&T's main headquarters, along with its Chief Security Office. But Charlotte isn't new territory — the company runs other locations around town, with the biggest one sitting at 9139 Research Drive, just over a mile away from where the new office will operate.

Chief Information Security Officer Rich Baich sees Charlotte as a goldmine. The area brims with cyber specialists who protect big banks and energy companies — many of which happen to be AT&T clients.

"I am a big believer in the talent you can find in the Charlotte area," Baich said in a statement, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The Charlotte office will house a threat fusion center. Think of it as a secure war room where AT&T can tackle live cybersecurity problems alongside enterprise and government clients.

Staff will track new threats as they appear. They'll build defenses powered by artificial intelligence. Some will join AT&T Dynamic Defense, a network-based security service that catches and blocks threats before companies even know danger lurks nearby.

AT&T won't say what these jobs pay, though the company claims salaries match what others in the cybersecurity field offer. The price tag for this Charlotte buildout remains under wraps too.