Overview

We are seeking a seasoned technical people leader to build and lead our Cloud Security and AI Security functions, and the engineering team. This role is responsible for defining strategy, driving execution, and ensuring strong security outcomes across AWS, Azure, and emerging AI/ML platforms and use cases.

The successful candidate will combine deep hands-on technical expertise, strong people leadership, and the ability to partner with engineering, data science, and platform teams to enable secure innovation at scale.

Responsibilities

Cloud Security Leadership (AWS & Azure)

• Own the cloud security strategy across AWS and Azure, aligned with enterprise risk appetite and business objectives.
• Lead the design and implementation of:
• Secure cloud architectures (landing zones, identity, network segmentation).
• Cloud-native security controls (IAM, encryption, logging, monitoring).
• CSPM, CIEM, and CWPP solutions.
• Partner with cloud platform and application teams to embed security-by-design in infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines.
• Drive remediation of cloud security findings and reduce systemic risk at scale.

AI / ML Security Leadership

• Establish and lead the AI Security function, covering GenAI, ML platforms, and AI-enabled products.
• Define security standards for:
• Model training, deployment, and lifecycle management.
• Data protection, privacy, and integrity in AI pipelines.
• Secure use of third-party and foundation models.
• Address emerging AI threats including:
• Model poisoning, prompt injection, data leakage, and misuse.
• Partner with Data Science, AI Platform, Legal, and Privacy teams to enable compliant and responsible AI adoption.

People & Program Leadership

• Build, mentor, and manage a high-performing team of cloud and AI security engineers.
• Set clear goals, career paths, and performance expectations for team members.
• Manage budgets, tooling investments, and vendor relationships.
• Define metrics and dashboards to measure security posture, maturity, and risk reduction.

Risk Management & Governance

• Translate complex technical risks into clear executive-level insights.
• Contribute to cloud and AI risk assessments, threat modeling, and security reviews.
• Ensure alignment with internal policies, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a trusted security advisor to engineering, product, and architecture leaders.
• Influence without friction, balancing security requirements with speed and innovation.
• Represent Cloud & AI Security in executive forums and architecture reviews.

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Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree and 8 years of experience in Information Security or Technology OR High School Diploma or GED and 12 years of experience in Information Security or Technology

Qualifications

• 5+ years leading technical security teams.
• Deep hands-on experience securing AWS and Azure environments at enterprise scale.
• Strong knowledge of:
• Cloud IAM, networking, encryption, monitoring, and logging.
• DevSecOps, CI/CD security, and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, ARM, CloudFormation).
• Proven experience securing AI/ML systems or leading security for data science and AI platforms.
• Experience with cloud security tooling, posture management and controls development.
• Strong understanding of threat modeling, risk management, and secure architecture principles.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence senior technical and business leaders.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Experience securing GenAI platforms, LLMs, or AI-enabled applications.
• Certifications such as:
• AWS Certified Security - Specialty
• Microsoft Azure Security Engineer
• CISSP, CCSP, or similar
• Experience in regulated environments (financial services, healthcare, or technology at scale).
• Background in software engineering, platform engineering, or SRE.

The base pay for this position is generally between $145,000 and $220,000. Actual starting base pay will be determined based on skills, experience, location, and other non-discriminatory factors permitted by law. For some roles, total compensation may also include variable incentives, bonuses, benefits, and/or other awards as outlined in the offer of employment.

This job posting is expected to remain active for 45 days from the initial posting date listed above. If it is necessary to extend this deadline, the posting will remain active as appropriate. Job postings may come down early due to business need or a high volume of applicants

Benefits are an integral part of total rewards and First Citizens Bank is committed to providing a competitive, thoughtfully designed and quality benefits program to meet the needs of our associates. More information can be found at https://jobs.firstcitizens.com/benefits.

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