Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Role Overview

As Chief Information Security Officer at DIVD.works, you will lead our digital defense and ethical security strategy. In a world where civic infrastructure and digital trust are increasingly intertwined, your work ensures that our platforms, data, and operations remain secure, ethical, and resilient. You’ll help build not just security systems—but a culture of responsibility and public good in technology.

Key Responsibilities

• Security Strategy & Governance

  • Develop and implement the organization's information security strategy in alignment with our public interest mission.
  • Establish security policies, protocols, and frameworks that prioritize transparency, ethical handling, and civic responsibility.

• Risk Management

  • Identify and assess cybersecurity risks across all systems, platforms, and data pipelines.
  • Lead threat modeling, vulnerability assessments, and incident response planning.
  • Implement risk mitigation strategies, including secure architecture and best practices.

• Compliance & Data Protection

  • Ensure compliance with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and open-source ethical standards.
  • Collaborate with legal and policy teams to guide the secure handling of sensitive information, including vulnerability reports and researcher data.

• Security Culture & Training

  • Promote a security-first mindset across all teams through training, workshops, and active engagement.
  • Mentor engineering, product, and community teams on secure development, ethical disclosure, and resilience.

• Collaboration & Community Leadership

  • Work closely with technical and creative leads to ensure secure design without compromising usability or experience.
  • Represent DIVD.works in public forums on responsible disclosure, open collaboration, and the future of ethical cybersecurity.
  • Support and engage with the white-hat and hacker communities to build trust and joint action.

Preferred Background

• Proven experience in cybersecurity leadership, ideally in mission-driven, civic tech, or nonprofit environments.
• Strong understanding of vulnerability disclosure, secure software development, and incident response.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure, open-source technologies, and secure DevOps practices.
• Knowledge of legal and ethical issues in information security, especially concerning public sector or nonprofit work.
• Comfortable working in collaborative, interdisciplinary teams with technical and non-technical stakeholders.