Head of Security Platforms

About the role

Costco IT is responsible for the technical future of Costco Wholesale, the third largest retailer in the world with wholesale operations in fourteen countries. Despite our size and explosive international expansion, we continue to provide a family, employee centric atmosphere in which our employees thrive and succeed. This is an environment unlike anything in the high-tech world and the secret of Costco’s success is its culture.

The value Costco puts on its employees is well documented in articles from a variety of publishers including Bloomberg and Forbes. Our employees and our members come FIRST. Costco is well known for its generosity and community service and has won many awards for its philanthropy. The company joins with its employees to take an active role in volunteering by sponsoring many opportunities to help others.

Costco IT is a dynamic, fast-paced environment, working through exciting transformation efforts. We are building the next generation retail environment where you will be surrounded by dedicated and highly professional employees. As a member of the IT Management Team, you are responsible for managing, developing, and leading a team of employees.

Responsibilities

Your role includes leading the specific functional responsibilities of your team, which involves overseeing team performance and deliverables. However, your role as a leader within our organization requires more than the management of resources and day-to-day operations. As a steward of the company, you are charged with the development and execution of your team’s strategic vision and plan and ensuring that your team’s actions align with the larger goals of the company and the IT Division.

Costco Wholesale is undergoing significant global expansion, and we are intentionally shaping our security capabilities to support sustained, scalable, and profitable growth. As a key leader in the Office of the CISO, you will play a central role in operationalizing our cybersecurity strategy and ensuring it directly enables business outcomes.

• Translate high-level strategic objectives into clear, actionable delivery plans—turning maturity assessments, program insights, and organizational priorities into consumable, reportable roadmaps that guide execution across the enterprise.
• Partner closely with Finance to support budgeting, investment planning, and resource optimization, ensuring we identify not only risks but high-value opportunities that strengthen our security posture and accelerate business growth.
• Lead the maturation of our metrics and data-visualization capabilities, ensuring we have the clarity and insight needed to make informed, data-driven decisions at scale.
• Champion agile planning and delivery practices across the organization, enabling teams to move with greater speed, alignment, and adaptability.
• Elevate AI fluency across the organization—helping teams understand how to responsibly leverage AI, where it can unlock operational advantage, and how to navigate the associated risks.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in cybersecurity, technology strategy, management consulting, or related fields.
• 5+ years supporting senior executives within a global and highly regulated organization.
• 5+ years of experience leading teams, setting clear priorities, and driving alignment across multiple groups while navigating ambiguity and providing clarity in fast-moving, evolving environments.
• Experience developing and executing strategic roadmaps, with the ability to decompose initiatives into actionable, agile-enabled epics, features, and work items that drive measurable delivery.
• Experience leading or supporting security maturity programs, including NIST, ISO 27001, CIS Controls, or similar frameworks.
• Strategic proficiency in applying AI to cybersecurity, identifying high-impact use cases and guiding responsible adoption across many teams.
• Proficiency with data-visualization tools and foundational statistical modeling techniques.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to deliver clear, compelling presentations, speak confidently to all levels of the organization, and influence stakeholders’ actions.

Qualifications

Recommended Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and/or other relevant Security or AI focused certifications or equivalent experience.

Experience in retail, marketing, supply chain, e-commerce industries.

Proficient in Google Workspace applications, including Sheets, Docs, Slides, and Gmail.

Skills

• Ability to lead and manage a team of employees.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and navigate ambiguity.
• Ability to make informed, data-driven decisions.
• Ability to champion agile planning and delivery practices.
• Ability to elevate AI fluency across the organization.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, health benefits - medical/dental/vision/hearing aid/pharmacy/behavioral health/employee assistance, health care reimbursement account, dependent care assistance plan, short-term disability and long-term disability insurance, AD&D insurance, life insurance, 401(k), stock purchase plan to eligible employees.

Pay

Pay Range: $160,000 - $230,000, Bonus and Restricted Stock Unit (RSU) eligible

Schedule

This is a full-time management/leadership position (45+ hours per week).