Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)Houston, TX (Hybrid)Reports to: Chief Information Officer (CIO).
The OpportunityThis role goes beyond traditional security leadership. You will:
- Architect the security foundation for a rapidly evolving, hybrid ecosystem spanning legacy platforms, modern cloud environments, and advanced data/AI capabilities
- Influence enterprise transformation, ensuring security is embedded into how we build, operate, and scale-not bolted on after the fact
- Elevate cybersecurity to a strategic business function, enabling growth, customer trust, and regulatory confidence
- Build and lead a high-impact team, shaping culture, capability, and long-term security maturity
You will inherit an environment with real complexity-and real opportunity-including large-scale data platforms (e.g., Databricks, Snowflake, and similar), legacy systems, and rapidly growing digital products. Your mandate is to stabilize, modernize, and future-proof.
What You'll Do Define the Security Vision - Establish and execute a forward-looking cybersecurity strategy aligned to enterprise growth and digital transformation
- Position security as a business enabler, particularly across data, AI, lab operations, and customer-facing platforms
Build a Modern Security Program - Design and implement end-to-end security capabilities across governance, architecture, engineering, and operations
- Introduce scalable frameworks for risk management, policy, and control standardization
Secure Complex Data Ecosystems - Protect highly sensitive PHI, genomic, and research data across hybrid environments
- Partner with Data and Engineering teams to embed security into modern data platforms and AI/ML workflows
Strengthen Architecture & Engineering - Lead the evolution toward zero trust principles, strong identity and access management, and secure-by-design architectures
- Address foundational gaps in logging, monitoring, access control, and environment consistency
Operationalize Security & Resilience - Build or enhance threat detection, incident response, and vulnerability management capabilities
- Establish robust disaster recovery and business continuity aligned to critical operations
Drive Compliance & Trust - Ensure alignment with key regulatory and compliance frameworks (e.g., HIPAA, CLIA, and broader healthcare standards)
- Lead audit readiness and strengthen external trust with customers and partners
Partner Across the Business - Work closely with lab operations, genomic technology, engineering, compliance, and commercial teams
- Drive shared accountability for security outcomes across the organization
What Makes You a Strong Fit - Proven track record of collaborating across functions and influencing outcomes without relying on mandates, with a commitment to understanding all stakeholder perspectives and driving solutions that work in practice.
- Proven success as a CISO, VP, or senior security leader in complex, regulated environments
- Experience building or transforming enterprise security programs at scale
- Strong background in hybrid architectures (cloud + on-prem) and modern security practices
- Deep expertise in:
- Identity and access management
- Security architecture and engineering
- Threat detection and incident response
- Risk and governance frameworks (e.g., NIST, ISO 27001)
- Experience securing data platforms and large-scale data environments (e.g., Databricks, Snowflake, or similar ecosystems)
- Familiarity with or exposure to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Acceptable Risk Standards (CMS ARS) is a plus
Leadership Profile - Strategic and forward-thinking, with the ability to translate risk into business impact
- Hands-on when needed-comfortable operating in both build and scale modes
- Strong communicator and influencer at the executive and board level
- Collaborative leader who can align diverse stakeholders across technical and non-technical domains
- Comfortable operating in an environment with ambiguity, urgency, and high expectations
Why Join Us - Mission-driven impact: Your work directly contributes to better patient outcomes and the future of precision medicine
- Executive visibility and influence: Direct partnership with CIO and senior leadership
- Transformational scope: Opportunity to build a modern security program in a high-growth, data-rich environment
- Complex, meaningful challenges: Secure one of the most sensitive and valuable data ecosystems in healthcare
Success in This RoleIn your first 3-6 months, you will:
- Establish a clear security vision and roadmap aligned to business priorities
- Deliver measurable improvements in risk visibility, control maturity, and resilience
- Implement foundational capabilities across IAM, monitoring, and incident response
- Build credibility as a trusted advisor and business enabler across the organization
