Head of Cybersecurity
About the role
The role is intentionally scoped to flex based on experience and capability, with the opportunity to operate at a Director, Senior Director, or Vice President level – calibrated to the candidate's background, with compensation structured accordingly. The right candidate will bring both strategic vision and execution strength, with the potential to shape and scale the long-term security function for the enterprise.
Responsibilities
Define and execute an enterprise security strategy aligned to business growth, digital transformation, and risk tolerance.
Partner across all Digital Enterprise functions with depth in Products & Platforms, Engineering & Intelligence, and Infrastructure to embed security-by-design into products, platforms, and operations.
Translate security risks into clear business decisions and priorities for executive leadership.
Champion enterprise-wide security awareness, communication, and change management as core components of the security strategy recognizing that building security fluency across the workforce is as critical as any technical control.
Lead the secure adoption of AI, automation, and emerging technologies including agentic AI systems, large language models, and enterprise AI platforms such as Glean and Palantir Foundry.
Evolve existing governance, risk frameworks, and guardrails for responsible AI use across the enterprise.
Leverage AI-enabled security capabilities to modernize detection, response, and risk management.
Own the enterprise security risk management program, including risk identification, prioritization, and mitigation aligned to business context.
Establish and maintain policies, standards, and governance aligned with leading frameworks, keeping accountability at the right level without over-escalating routine decisions.
Partner with Legal, Risk, and Audit to ensure compliance and effective control environments.
Oversee security operations, including monitoring, incident response, and recovery readiness.
Ensure strong incident response capabilities with tested playbooks and cross-functional coordination across Digital Enterprise teams.
Define and track metrics that reflect real security posture improvement, not just compliance activity.
Set strategy for identity, access, and data protection including secure use of enterprise and AI-driven data environments.
Lead third-party and vendor security risk management across the ecosystem, including cloud providers, SaaS platforms, and AI technology partners.
Ensure secure architecture across cloud, platforms, and integrations in partnership with Infrastructure and Engineering & Intelligence.
Build and lead a high-performing, future-ready security team that reflects the pace and ambition of the broader Digital Enterprise.
Foster a strong security culture through awareness, training, and genuine business engagement.
Manage budget, vendors, and KPIs to drive measurable risk reduction and program maturity.
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Information Security, Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent experience.
10+ years of progressive cybersecurity experience with demonstrated leadership progression.
Proven ability to lead teams and enterprise-wide security initiatives in complex, matrixed environments.
Strong communication skills, including experience presenting security posture, risk, and investment needs to executive leadership in plain business terms.
Experience aligning to leading security frameworks (e.g., NIST, CMMC).
Experience securing cloud and hybrid environments in close partnership with infrastructure teams.
Preferred Experience
Experience securing AI/ML, data platforms, or advanced analytics environments including agentic AI systems.
Familiarity with AI-enabled security tools and automation strategies.
CISSP, CISM, or equivalent certification.
Leadership Profile
Strategic thinker who can translate vision into execution and measurable outcomes.
Strong communicator who simplifies complex technical risk into business terms.
Collaborative partner who builds genuine alignment across Digital Enterprise functions, operating with influence rather than authority where needed.
Progressive mindset with curiosity and enthusiasm for AI, automation, and innovation.
Benefits
McCarthy is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veteran status.