Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Head of Security

🎯 Role Definition

As the Head of Security, you will be the senior leader responsible for the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our information systems and physical assets. Reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), you will be a key business enabler, tasked with building a robust, scalable, and proactive security program that aligns with our strategic objectives. You will provide the vision and leadership necessary to manage security risk across the enterprise, serving as the primary security advisor to the executive team and the board. This role demands a blend of deep technical expertise, strategic business acumen, and inspirational leadership to protect our company, employees, and customers from an ever-evolving threat landscape.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Director of Security / Information Security Director
Senior Security Architect / Principal Security Engineer
Head of Security Operations or GRC

Advancement To:

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
VP of Global Security
Chief Risk Officer (CRO)

Lateral Moves:

Head of IT Risk & Governance
Director of Technical Operations

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive, enterprise-wide security strategy and roadmap that is aligned with business objectives and regulatory requirements.
Lead, mentor, and scale a multi-disciplinary security team, encompassing security operations, engineering, governance, risk, and compliance (GRC).
Oversee the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the organization's security architecture, including cloud, network, application, and endpoint security controls.
Establish and manage a mature incident response program, leading all efforts to effectively detect, respond to, contain, and recover from security incidents and data breaches.
Direct the organization's risk management program, including conducting regular risk assessments, threat modeling, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing to proactively identify and mitigate threats.
Own and manage the entire security budget, including forecasting, resource allocation, and vendor contract negotiation to ensure cost-effective, high-value security solutions.
Ensure and demonstrate compliance with relevant legal, regulatory, and contractual security requirements, such as GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI-DSS.
Serve as the primary security advisor and subject matter expert to executive leadership, the board of directors, and other key stakeholders, providing regular, clear updates on the company's security posture and the threat landscape.
Champion and manage a dynamic security awareness and training program to cultivate a strong, pervasive culture of security consciousness throughout the organization.
Oversee the Identity and Access Management (IAM) program, ensuring the principles of least privilege and robust multi-factor authentication mechanisms are consistently enforced across all systems.
Direct the corporate threat intelligence program to proactively identify and analyze potential threats, translating raw intelligence into actionable defense strategies and countermeasures.
Manage and cultivate relationships with third-party security vendors, managed security service providers (MSSPs), external auditors, and law enforcement agencies.
Lead the evaluation, proof-of-concept, selection, and implementation of new security technologies and tools to continuously enhance the organization's defensive capabilities.
Develop, track, and report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics to transparently measure the effectiveness of the security program and communicate its value.
Partner with engineering leadership to embed security-by-design principles into the secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC), integrating security tools and practices into the CI/CD pipeline.
Manage the Data Loss Prevention (DLP) program to classify and protect sensitive intellectual property and customer data from unauthorized access or exfiltration.
Coordinate with Legal, HR, and Communications teams during security incidents and investigations to ensure proper legal handling, confidentiality, and clear messaging.
Lead the security components of the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) plan, ensuring security controls are resilient, redundant, and fully recoverable.
Drive the strategic direction and operational excellence of the Security Operations Center (SOC), including the continuous improvement of monitoring, detection, and response playbooks.
Conduct thorough security due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, accurately assessing the security posture of target companies and developing comprehensive integration plans.
Oversee the corporate physical security program for all facilities, including access control systems, video surveillance, and emergency response and crisis management protocols.
Act as the senior point of escalation for all security-related issues, providing decisive leadership and clear direction during critical events.

Secondary Functions

Represent the company at industry conferences, security forums, and in discussions with key clients regarding our security and compliance posture.
Collaborate closely with the Data Privacy Officer to ensure security measures are designed and implemented to adequately support and enforce privacy policies.
Provide security expertise and strategic guidance for major cross-functional projects, such as new office openings, global expansion, or major system migrations.
Manage and participate in the senior leadership on-call rotation for high-severity incidents, providing executive-level command and control.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep expertise in developing and implementing comprehensive security strategies, policies, and roadmaps from the ground up.
Expert knowledge of major security frameworks and regulatory standards (e.g., NIST Cybersecurity Framework, ISO 27001/27002, SOC 2, CIS Controls).
Proficiency with modern security architectures, including cloud-native security (AWS, Azure, GCP), Zero Trust principles, and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE).
Substantial experience with a wide array of security technologies such as SIEM, SOAR, EDR/XDR, Web Application Firewalls (WAF), and Data Loss Prevention (DLP).
Strong command of network security principles, including firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs, micro-segmentation, and secure network design.
Proven experience managing incident response lifecycles, threat hunting campaigns, and digital forensics investigations.
In-depth knowledge of vulnerability management, application security (AppSec), and penetration testing methodologies and tools.
Strong familiarity with Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) and DevSecOps practices, including SAST, DAST, and SCA tooling.
Expertise in Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions and protocols, including SSO, MFA, Federation, OAuth, and SAML.
Comprehensive understanding of data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and their direct impact on security control implementation.
Experience with quantitative and qualitative risk assessment methodologies (e.g., FAIR, OCTAVE) and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platforms.

Soft Skills

Exceptional leadership and team management skills with a proven ability to inspire, mentor, and develop a high-performing, engaged security team.
Outstanding executive-level communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex security concepts to non-technical stakeholders and board members.
Strong strategic thinking and business acumen, with the ability to translate business goals into clear security initiatives and demonstrate ROI.
Unflappable demeanor and decisive leadership under pressure, particularly during high-stakes security incidents or crises.
Superior analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
Unquestionable integrity, professionalism, and trustworthiness.
A highly collaborative and influential leader, skilled at building strong partnerships and consensus across all levels and departments of the organization.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent, substantial practical experience in a senior security role.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Business Administration (MBA), or a related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Computer Science
Cybersecurity
Information Technology / Information Systems
Business Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 12-15+ years of progressive experience in the information security domain, with at least 7+ years in a strategic leadership or management capacity.

Preferred:

Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, or C-CISO are highly desirable.
A demonstrable track record of successfully building, scaling, and maturing security programs in a complex, high-growth technology environment.
Experience reporting to an executive leadership team and/or board of directors.