Job Title
Director, Information Security – Assurance
Location
Cambridge, UK
Employment type
Full‑time regular
Previous Experience
10+ years in information security with at least 5 years in a senior role biased towards building audit/assurance capability, not just running it. Proven track record of building and leading assurance or audit teams in complex, international and multi‑stakeholder environments. Experience designing and operating controls assurance programmes spanning IT, cloud, and product security domains, with direct exposure to external audit and certification processes (ISO 27001, SOC 2).
The Job
The Director, Information Security – Assurance leads AVEVA’s Security Assurance function within the central Digital Security organization. The role is accountable for independently testing whether AVEVA’s security controls are operating as designed, providing objective evidence to support risk assurances given to AVEVA leadership and Schneider Electric, and connecting assurance findings directly to the risk register and governance process.
Key Responsibilities
Operating as the central second‑line assurance function, the Director provides independent testing and validation of controls across all federated teams. Assurance findings feed directly into the GRC risk register and governance process, supporting external audit and certification programmes ensuring AVEVA can evidence its security posture to customers, regulators, and Schneider Electric.
Controls Assurance Programme
- Design and lead a continuous controls assurance programme that independently tests whether security controls across all federated teams are operating effectively against policy objectives and centrally defined standards.
- Drive automation to shift from periodic point‑in‑time reviews to ongoing, evidence‑based control monitoring.
Independent Testing & Technical Review
- Commission and oversee in‑depth technical assurance activities including penetration testing, configuration reviews, and control effectiveness assessments.
- Provide objective, evidence‑based findings across the AVEVA digital estate — covering IT, cloud, product, and R&D environments.
Audit & Compliance Readiness
- Own the security evidence library and lead coordination of external audit and certification processes (ISO 27001, SOC 2).
- Leverage proactive assurance activity to build continuous audit readiness rather than reactive preparation, reusing assurance evidence to reduce duplication of effort.
Control Weakness & Remediation
- Identify control weaknesses and coverage gaps across the AVEVA estate, including areas where controls are under‑deployed, misconfigured, or ineffective against the threat landscape.
- Drive remediation tracking through the GRC risk register and report progress to the CISO and leadership.
Assurance Reporting
- Provide high‑quality, evidence‑based assurance reporting to the CISO, AVEVA Executive Team, and Schneider Electric Group Security.
- Translate technical findings into clear, actionable risk insight that directly informs governance decisions and the enterprise risk register.
People and Functional Leadership
- Build and develop a high‑performing Assurance team with a culture of rigour, intellectual curiosity, and continuous improvement.
- Set clear objectives, invest in professional development, and act as a visible advocate for the Assurance function across AVEVA and Schneider Electric.
- Lead both direct reports and indirects to drive strategic alignment and output, setting and maintaining high standards as a member of the Digital Security Senior Leadership Team.
- Navigate ambiguity and make tough decisions—ranging from structural re‑organisations and budgetary choices to talent optimisation—while maintaining team morale, transparency, and a people‑first culture in accordance with AVEVA’s values.
Skills and Experience
- 10+ years in information security with at least 5 years in a senior role biased towards building audit/assurance capability.
- Deep expertise in control testing methodologies, assurance frameworks, and security audit practices across ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIST CSF, NIS2, and IEC 62443.
- Strong technical breadth across IT security, cloud security and application security, sufficient to design and oversee effective control testing across a diverse and distributed estate.
- Experience designing and operating controls assurance programmes in complex, multi‑stakeholder environments ideally spanning IT, cloud, and product security domains.
- Proven track record of building and leading assurance or audit teams in complex, international and multi‑stakeholder environments. Experience leading leaders is advantageous.
- Experience owning or leading external audit and certification processes (ISO 27001, SOC 2) including evidence gathering, auditor management, and remediation tracking.
- Reporting assurance findings and control weaknesses to executive leadership and parent company governance structures.
- Driving automation in assurance testing and evidence gathering workflows to improve programme scalability.
- Experience operating in regulated markets with direct exposure to compliance frameworks (ISO 27001, NIS2, IEC 62443, SOC 2).
- Execution bias; demonstrated ability to act tactically while innovating next generation solutions.
- Rational empathy; demonstrated experience in aligning security imperatives with the goals and values of the organisation.
- Natural collaborator; demonstrated experience delivering joined‑up solutions across security disciplines and with federated partners.
- Data literate, automation biased, operationally fluent.
- Excellent assurance reporting skills; able to translate technical findings into clear, evidence‑based risk narratives for executive, audit, and regulatory audiences.
Desired/Preferred
- Industrial software, OT/ICS security, or technology companies serving critical infrastructure or highly regulated industries.
- Working within a large enterprise group security governance structure as a subsidiary security leader.
- Working with AI and machine learning applications in security assurance and automated control testing.
- Professional certifications: CISSP, CISA, CISM, or ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.
- Commercial acumen and working knowledge of cloud security, DevSecOps, and Agile delivery practices.
- Experience in a federated, matrixed, or multi‑subsidiary structure.
Competencies
- Adaptable and resilient: Thrives in dynamic environments; maintains strategic focus through regulatory change and organisational evolution.
- Practical and logical: Structured thinking with a bias toward pragmatic, implementable solutions.
- Self‑motivated and decisive: Comfortable making and owning decisions in ambiguous situations.
- Collaborative and influential: Earns influence through credibility and expertise; builds trusted relationships across federated teams and leadership.
- Transparent and courageous: Surfaces difficult assurance findings and brings problems to leadership without softening the message.
- Curious and growth‑oriented: Continuously learning about emerging threats, evolving control landscapes, and improvements in assurance automation and tooling.
UK Benefits
- Flexible benefits fund
- Emergency leave days
- Adoption leave
- 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
- Pension
- Life cover
- Private medical insurance
- Parental leave
- Education assistance programme
Hybrid Working
We work in a hybrid way at AVEVA. Most roles are based at a local AVEVA office, with an expectation of being on‑site 50% of your working hours to support collaboration and connection. Some positions are fully office‑based depending on the nature of the work, and certain roles that support specific customers or markets may be remote. The working arrangement for this position will be confirmed during the hiring process.
Equal Opportunity Statement
AVEVA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to being an exemplary employer with an inclusive culture, developing a workplace environment where all our employees are treated with dignity and respect. We value diversity and the expertise that people from different backgrounds bring to our business. AVEVA provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify your recruiter. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case‑by‑case basis.
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