Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Optery (W22) $200K - $220K Opt out software that removes your private info from the internet US / Remote (US) Full-time US citizen/visa only 11+ years About Optery Now is a great time to join Optery. Optery is profitable with $XXM annual revenue, and we 3x-ed sales last year. Our product was awarded “Editors’ Choice” by PCMag as the most outstanding in the personal data removal category for the 4th year in a row (2022 - 2025), we received the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards for Attack Surface Management, Digital Footprint Management, and Employee Privacy Protection for the 2nd year in a row (2024 - 2025), we received the Top InfoSec Innovator Award and Best Service for Attack Surface Management by Cyber Defense Magazine in 2025, Fortress Cybersecurity Award for Privacy Enhancing Technologies in 2025, Fast Company awarded Optery Next Big Things in Tech for Security and Privacy, Optery was ranked the #1 most effective of all personal data removal services tested in 2024 study by Consumer Reports, Optery was named one of Business Insider’s Top 30 Future Unicorns of 2025, and we’re changing the game in the world of consumer data in a way that puts individuals in control. Optery is automated opt out software, and we serve individuals, families and businesses. Our mission is to empower people to take control of their personal data, and we have a vision for a safer world through data privacy. Optery is the first company to offer a free report with dozens of screenshots showing where your personal information is being posted by hundreds of data brokers online (https://app.optery.com/signup), and the first to offer IT teams a completely self-service platform for finding and removing employee personal information from the web (https://business.optery.com/signup). Optery subscription plans automatically remove customers from these sites, clearing your home address, phone number, email and other personal information from the Internet at scale. The service is used to prevent threats like phishing, social engineering, identity theft, harassment and physical violence. Optery has completed its AICPA SOC 2, Type II security certification, and distinguishes itself with unparalleled search technology, data removal automation, visual evidence-based before-and-after reporting, data broker coverage, and API integration options. Hundreds of thousands of people rely on Optery to prevent attacks and keep their personal information off the Internet. Optery has raised $9M+ in funding from world-class investors such as Y Combinator, Alumni Ventures, Flex Capital, Global Founders Capital, Goodwater Capital, Pioneer Fund, Soma Capital, TRAC, Tribe Capital, Uncorrelated Ventures. Optery is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, but operates as a fully-remote global team. About the role Optery is seeking a hands-on, entrepreneurial CISO to lead and extend our security program end-to-end. This is a hands-on builder role for someone who not only sets the strategy, but also executes the plan, manages controls, reviews data, and interacts directly with employees, customers and auditors. You will partner closely with company leadership to advance our security, privacy, compliance, and controls programs. Optery’s security program is already well-established, having successfully completed its SOC 2 security audits every year since 2022 through to today. You will be responsible for policies, risk, security operations, third-party/vendor security, application/product security, incident response, and supporting customer/security questionnaires. You will also be the internal champion for securing the organization and its people, customers, systems, and processes. Key Responsibilities Own Optery’s information security strategy, roadmap, and policies, aligned to our industry-leading security and privacy products Lead and extend Optery’s security program mapped to common frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, CIS, NIST), appropriate for a high-growth, remote-first company Partner with engineering to embed secure SDLC practices: threat modeling, code scanning, secrets management, access controls, and secure cloud configuration Design and run an incident response program, including playbooks for data handling, data broker interactions, ransomware/social engineering scenarios, and customer notifications Oversee identity and access management across core systems (SaaS, cloud, data, admin apps) following least-privilege principles Lead vendor and third-party security reviews, especially for data- or privacy-impacting services Partner with GTM, finance, ops, and sales to complete security questionnaires, DPAs, and customer diligence to unblock deals Work with product/legal to ensure our data flows and retention/erasure practices align with CCPA, GDPR, and other consumer privacy laws we help our customers exercise Define, track, and report security KPIs/KRIs to leadership and the board Train and evangelize security practices across a distributed team so security is part of onboarding and day-to-day work Qualifications 8+ years in information security, with increasing ownership across GRC, security engineering, and/or product/app security Experience building or maturing a security program at a SaaS, data, cybersecurity, or privacy-focused company Practical experience with SOC 2 and/or ISO 27001 (authoring policies, gathering evidence, working with auditors, driving remediation) Strong understanding of cloud security (preferably AWS): networking, IAM, secret management, logging/monitoring Comfortable meeting with customers, prospects, and partners to explain Optery’s security posture and win trust Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to write policies people can actually follow Startup-friendly mindset: willing to prioritize, right-size controls, and make progress quickly Nice to have Experience at a company that handles PII Experience securing distributed/remote teams and mixed contractor/employee environments Background in data protection technologies (DLP, EDR, MDM, SSO, CASB) and how to roll them out in stages Experience supporting enterprise sales cycles by answering security questionnaires Recognized thought leader in security, fluent public speaker, and active participant in public-facing security communities and conferences Location Optery is a fully remote global team. This role is based in the United States and requires working U.S. business hours (Eastern, Central, Mountain, or Pacific). Compensation and Benefits Base Salary: $200,000 - $220,000 Competitive Equity Health, dental, and vision insurance 401(k) with employer match Paid time off Home office stipend Equal Opportunity Optery values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, parental status, military service, or any other non-merit factor. Technology Backend: Python / Django / nodeJS Frontend: React Hosted on AWS / K8S (EKS) / Grafana / Loki