A CIO Conversation
My most interesting days as a security recruiter are the
ones where I get to interact with senior leaders within my client
companies. Sometimes I deal with
security leaders who are adding security talent to their staffs. Other times, I’m on the phone with a Chief
Executive Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Chief
Compliance Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Head of Human Resources…the list
goes on.
By regularly interacting with these non-security business leaders, I'm fortunate to stay fresh in my knowledge and understanding of what the business wants, needs and expects from security leadership.
Today, I was on the phone with the Chief Information Officer
of a global $20 Billion Dollar company.
We were discussing his need to hire a Chief Information Security Officer
(CISO) for the first time. I’ve been
fortunate to fill many brand new, newly created positions like this one in my
20+ years of recruiting. This is my
favorite kind of search to deliver to.
The greatest value I gain by investing time with
stakeholders who will be involved in a hiring decision is the insight I gain
into that person’s style and personality. Recruiting is
an art rather than a science. Connecting
two human beings who will spend more time together in a company than either
individual spends at home with their spouse is a highly complex proposition
that I take very seriously.
The time this CIO invested with me today puts me in a highly competitive position
on behalf of my client to know in a matter of just a few minutes when I’m on the phone with a
prospective CISO candidate, that I'm on the phone with the right person.
Without this CIO interaction, I’d hit the target but I would be less
likely to hit the bulls eye. What The CIO Needs
In today’s conversation, the CIO talked about his unique corporate culture,
the need for me to find a CISO who will help to build out the information security framework, the technology risk
management framework and the need for me to find CISO candidates who have
worked in global industrial companies like his.
There wasn’t much if any technology discussed in this level
of conversation although a CISO candidate who had experience securing large complicated global ERP environments and or large complicated document management / global collaberation environment would be strongly preferred. Most discussion topics centered
around business, applications, global risk issues, managerial skills, the need for someone to
possess exceptionally strong business-focused communication skills and
the need for the CISO to have exceptionally strong executive presence.
Who Might Fit This
Job
If you’re a CISO already and your experience somewhere along
the way comes from a global industrial company in an industry like
manufacturing, consumer products, mining, oil & gas, chemical, etc., you
might be a fit. Perhaps you aren’t a
CISO but you’re currently a Director or Vice President and you’re ready for the
next step up in your career. You might qualify
as a candidate for this role.
If you’re on the hunt for CISO Jobs, you’ll
find this position on the Security
Jobs page of SecurityRecruiter.com or you can call me directly at 719 686 8810.
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