Director, Cybersecurity and Risk

Director, Cybersecurity and Risk

The Director, Cybersecurity and Risk leads ASU Enterprise Partners’ security risk reduction efforts across enterprise platforms, third-party technology, and institutional initiatives. Serving as the senior security and risk leader within Technology & Solutions, this role partners with Data Governance, OGC, systems and data teams, affiliates, and vendors to implement security expectations consistently across Microsoft, Google, Workday, Salesforce, and other critical systems. The position focuses on practical risk reduction, secure configuration, access governance, control maturity, data protection, and incident preparedness in close partnership with operational technology owners.

What you’ll do

• Security Risk and Control Leadership
  • Lead security risk reduction efforts across systems, vendors, processes, and technology initiatives.
  • Implement and operationalize security controls in partnership with infrastructure, identity, endpoint, data, application, and business teams.
  • Partner with governance and compliance stakeholders to support security control alignment, audit readiness, remediation tracking, and evidence collection.
  • Track security remediation efforts, identify owners, communicate status, and escalate unresolved risks through appropriate governance or leadership channels.
  • Translate security risks, technical issues, and control gaps into clear business impact for technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Develop, update, and maintain security procedures, standards, implementation guidance, and operational documentation in collaboration with governance/compliance stakeholders.
• Enterprise Platform Security and Access Governance
  • Own and mature the security posture of enterprise SaaS and cloud platforms, including Microsoft 365, Azure/Entra ID, Google Workspace/Cloud, Workday, Salesforce, and other business-critical applications.
  • Lead security oversight of identity and access controls, including MFA, conditional access, SSO, SAML, OAuth, privileged access, role-based access, service accounts, access reviews, and joiner/mover/leaver security processes.
  • Establish and maintain secure configuration standards and review processes for enterprise platforms, including tenant hardening, administrative role governance, external sharing controls, audit logging, data protection settings, and integration/API security.
  • Partner with platform, infrastructure, identity, endpoint, cloud, SaaS, data, and application teams to implement security controls consistently across environments.
  • Participate in design reviews, access reviews, release readiness conversations, and control reviews where security or risk considerations are relevant.
• Data Protection, Monitoring, and Incident Readiness
  • Partner with data owners and platform teams to implement data protection controls, including data classification, DLP, secure sharing, access monitoring, retention-aligned safeguards, and protection of constituent, employee, financial, and business-sensitive information.
  • Define security logging, monitoring, alerting, and evidence requirements for enterprise platforms and partner with operational teams to ensure appropriate detection and response capabilities are in place.
  • Support the maintenance of information flow documentation, risk documentation, and safeguards for organizational, subsidiary, university, donor, prospect, and business-sensitive information.
  • Support incident response from a security risk and operational readiness perspective, including response plan maintenance, tabletop participation, documentation, escalation, and post-incident improvement.
  • Coordinate with Technology & Solutions, governance/compliance, legal, communications, business units, vendors, and leadership during security incidents as appropriate.
• Vendor, Third-Party, and Security Advisory Support
  • Manage the vendor security review process, including security questionnaires, vendor documentation review, risk identification, and mitigation recommendations.
  • Partner with legal, finance, governance, and compliance stakeholders on vendor security requirements, contract considerations, data protection expectations, and remediation commitments.
  • Lead security architecture and risk reviews for major technology purchases, integrations, platform changes, data initiatives, SaaS implementations, and business process changes, ensuring risks are documented, mitigated, or escalated through appropriate channels.
  • Engage with business units to understand new initiatives, identify security risks, and recommend practical mitigation strategies.
  • Lead and actively participate in projects related to information security, security awareness, continuity planning, IT policies, control improvement, and risk mitigation.
• Leadership, Reporting, and Program Execution
  • Develop security risk metrics, executive-ready reporting, remediation dashboards, and maturity updates that communicate control effectiveness, risk exposure, and progress against security priorities.
  • Lead and manage assigned security or risk-focused staff, including hiring, coaching, mentoring, prioritization, performance development, training, and accountability.
  • Clearly articulate deliverables, objectives, results, outcomes, milestones, and timelines for security and risk initiatives.
  • Represent Technology & Solutions and ASU Enterprise Partners professionally in discussions involving security, technology risk, vendor security, and institutional trust.

What you'll need

• Strong understanding of security risk management, security controls, incident response readiness, vendor security, identity and access governance, data protection, and modern enterprise technology environments.
• Ability to evaluate information security risk for new initiatives and recommend practical mitigation strategies.
• Ability to define secure configuration expectations, access control requirements, monitoring needs, and remediation plans for enterprise platforms.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft 365, Azure/Entra ID, Google Workspace/Cloud Identity, Workday, Salesforce, identity and access management, endpoint protection, SaaS governance, cloud security concepts, and data protection practices.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality and responsibility regarding information related to Enterprise Partners, its affiliates, university business, confidential constituent information, employee information, financial information, and other sensitive data.
• Ability to communicate effectively and clearly with both technical and non-technical individuals, including executive, legal/procurement, governance/compliance, business, and vendor stakeholders.
• Strong project management, reporting, documentation, and stakeholder communication skills.
• Ability to develop executive-ready summaries, remediation dashboards, risk narratives, procedures, standards, and implementation guidance.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Team-oriented strategist able to effectively manage complex situations involving numerous and sometimes competing constituencies.
• Applies strong knowledge of process and quality improvement.
• Supports planning and management of security-related budgets, vendor spend, and resource needs.
• Ability to represent the institution well.
• Commitment to ASU Enterprise Partners' mission and ASU's vision as the New American University.
• Attention to detail and thoroughness in completing assigned duties.
• Highly organized and able to handle multiple projects.
• Adept at navigating complex environments with evolving priorities and communication plans.

Relevant qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, information technology, risk management, information systems, or a closely related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• ​At least eight (8) years’ experience in information security, technology risk, security operations, IT risk management, or related technology leadership roles.
• ​At least four (4) years’ experience managing employees in a technical environment
• Experience securing, governing, or assessing enterprise SaaS and cloud platforms such as Microsoft 365, Azure/Entra ID, Google Workspace/Cloud Identity, Workday, Salesforce, or comparable enterprise platforms.
• Experience with identity and access management, access governance, privileged access, secure configuration, tenant hardening, data protection, or SaaS governance.
• Experience working cross-functionally with technology, data, legal/procurement, governance/compliance, business, and vendor stakeholders.
• Experience implementing security controls, managing remediation efforts, conducting security reviews, or supporting audit/evidence activities.
• Experience with vendor security reviews, incident response coordination, and security risk communication.
• OR any equivalent combination of experience and/or education from which comparable knowledge, skills, and abilities have been achieved

Preferred education and experience

• Advanced degree in cybersecurity, information systems, risk management, business, privacy, or a related field.
• Experience in higher education, nonprofit, SaaS/cloud, privacy-sensitive, financial, fundraising, or regulated environments.
• Experience supporting SOC 2, NIST CSF, CIS Controls, internal controls, external assessments, or audit evidence activities.
• Experience developing security procedures, security standards, control implementation guidance, risk summaries, or stakeholder-facing security materials.
• Experience defining security monitoring/logging requirements.
• Experience coordinating access recertifications, privileged access reviews, service account reviews, platform hardening initiatives, or SaaS security posture assessments.

Preferred skills and abilities

• Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CISA, CRISC, Security+, Microsoft Security, Azure Security, Google Cloud Security, or similar security/risk credentials.
• Willingness to complete relevant Microsoft, Google, cloud security, security operations, or risk-related certifications as appropriate to the role.

Benefits

• Hybrid work schedule. We work from home two days a week!
• Comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with matching employer contribution
• 22 days of vacation time
• 11 holidays, including your birthday
• Parental leave
• Significant tuition reductions
• Professional development is highly valued at ASU Enterprise Partners, where employees are encouraged to look across the organization and nurture new areas of interest
• $30 bi-weekly cell phone reimbursement

About ASU Enterprise Partners

ASU Enterprise Partners is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide an ecosystem of services to create solutions and generate resources to extend Arizona State University’s reach and advance its charter. ASU Enterprise Partners supports ASU and several affiliates, including the ASU Foundation for a New American University, ASU Outreach Hub, ASURE, NEWSWELL, Skysong Innovations and University Realty.

ASU Enterprise Partners is home to several Centers of Excellence whose purpose is to provide professional services to its affiliates. The Centers of Excellence include Finance, General Counsel, Investments, Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Human Resources, Facilities and Operations, Data Analytics and Insights Planning, Budgeting and Strategy, and Technology and Solutions. 

At ASU Enterprise Partners

We serve

ASU and one another with integrity, trust and compassion

We engage

step up, own it, collaborate

We innovate.

continuously, fearlessly, make decisions and take risks

We care

that everyone feels respected and valued for who they are

ASU Enterprise Partners is an Equal Opportunity Employer