Head of Security - FinTech Unicorn | London
Head of Security/Security Lead - Fintech Unicorn | London (FTE)
A high-growth fintech unicorn is seeking a Head of Security/Security Lead to join its London office. This pivotal role reports directly to the CTO and is responsible for shaping the company's security vision, building a robust technical roadmap, and leading a team of engineers in implementing and automating cutting-edge security controls across cloud infrastructure, application security, and threat detection.
This is a hands-on leadership role. While strategic oversight is key, the successful candidate will also be expected to contribute technically-writing code and solving complex problems alongside the team when needed.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Define a multi-year security engineering strategy aligned with business risk appetite and regulatory requirements.
- Drive high-impact initiatives including infrastructure hardening, application security, threat detection and response, and digital asset protection.
Team Development & Mentorship
- Build, lead, and nurture a high-performing security engineering team.
- Set clear objectives, performance metrics, and career development plans.
Architecture & Engineering Oversight
- Design secure-by-default patterns for AWS, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, and digital asset custody.
- Conduct threat modeling for distributed systems and approve mitigation strategies.
Automation & Scalability
- Lead efforts to automate vulnerability discovery, measurement, and contextualization.
- Minimize manual processes using Python tooling and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) scanning.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Act as the primary bridge between Security, Engineering, Operations, and IT.
- Embed security requirements early in product development and support teams throughout delivery.
Research & Threat Intelligence
- Stay ahead of emerging threats such as DeFi exploits and cloud privilege escalation.
- Translate research into actionable controls and incident response playbooks.
Governance & Incident Preparedness
- Develop and test incident response procedures; ensure 24/7 detection coverage.
- Present security posture, metrics, and strategic plans to executive leadership.
Required Qualifications
- 10+ years in security engineering, including 3+ years leading high-performing teams in fintech, exchanges, or large-scale web environments.
- Deep expertise in one or more domains: cloud/infrastructure hardening, application security, detection engineering, or crypto security.
- Proven experience deploying automated security pipelines (e.g., IaC scanning, secret detection, exploit simulation).
- Proficiency in modern programming languages (Python, Go, Rust) and familiarity with microservices and distributed systems.
- Experience conducting threat modeling for high-value, low-latency trading or custody platforms.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical risks into business impact.
Preferred Qualifications
- Leadership experience in financial institutions, broker-dealers, or regulated digital asset platforms.
- Knowledge of custody models, MPC wallets, or DeFi smart contract risks.
- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field.
FAQs
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