Virtual CISO / Fractional Cybersecurity Executive
Description
Virtual CISO / Fractional Cybersecurity Executive
Job Level: W2T Consultant
Job Location: Remote
Travel Expectations: 0-20%
Job Classification: Temporary (W2T)
Join Centric Consulting – A Culture You’ll Love
At Centric Consulting, we've cultivated a unique approach to business. Our business is built on three fundamental principles: Enjoy the people you work with, have fun, and do great work. These principles define our consulting model and have crafted one of the most vibrant cultures in the consulting industry – celebrating individuals, collaboration, and lifelong friendships.
At Centric Consulting, we believe effective cybersecurity leadership isn’t about maximizing maturity everywhere. It’s about understanding the organization, identifying the risks that matter most, and helping leaders focus their attention and investments where they will have the greatest impact.
We’re seeking an experienced Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) / Fractional Cybersecurity Executive to provide independent, strategic cybersecurity leadership and executive-level advisory support.
This is a fractional, primarily virtual advisory opportunity, not a traditional full-time CISO position or a day-to-day security operations role. You’ll work alongside established technology and cybersecurity teams, bringing an experienced, independent perspective that helps leaders evaluate risk, establish priorities, challenge assumptions, and make informed cybersecurity decisions.
The person who thrives in this role will bring the credibility and judgment of a seasoned cybersecurity executive with the mindset of a trusted advisor. You’re comfortable asking difficult questions, exploring alternatives, challenging the status quo when appropriate, and translating complex cybersecurity issues into clear business choices.
In this role, you will:
Cybersecurity Strategy & Roadmap
- Help shape and evolve cybersecurity strategies, priorities, maturity objectives, and roadmaps that align with organizational goals, business priorities, and risk tolerance.
- Evaluate existing cybersecurity capabilities and investments to identify opportunities for greater effectiveness, strategic alignment, and value.
- Help leaders determine where additional focus and investment will have the greatest impact, rather than pursuing maximum security maturity across every capability.
- Translate cybersecurity priorities into pragmatic, actionable roadmaps that balance risk reduction, investment, and organizational agility.
- Bring an independent perspective to security architecture, technologies, vendors, service providers, and proposed cybersecurity investments.
Strategic Cybersecurity Leadership
- Serve as a trusted cybersecurity advisor to executive and technology leadership, providing independent guidance on cybersecurity strategy, risk, priorities, and investment decisions.
- Provide fractional vCISO leadership while collaborating closely with established cybersecurity, architecture, infrastructure, IT, and third-party security teams.
- Evaluate cybersecurity issues through business, risk, and technical lenses, clearly communicating alternatives, tradeoffs, risks, and recommended courses of action.
- Bring an independent point of view, constructively challenging existing assumptions and recommendations when appropriate rather than simply validating the status quo.
- Build trusted relationships across executive, technical, and third-party stakeholders while maintaining the independence necessary to provide objective guidance.
- Support executive and board-level cybersecurity conversations by translating complex technical issues into clear discussions of business impact, risk, options, and actionable recommendations.
NIST CSF / Security Maturity
- Apply deep, practical knowledge of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), including CSF 2.0, across Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover.
- Interpret existing cybersecurity maturity assessments and translate findings into pragmatic, prioritized recommendations and strategic actions.
- Evaluate cybersecurity maturity through a risk-based lens, helping leaders determine the appropriate level of maturity for their organization rather than maximizing maturity across every security capability.
- Use cybersecurity maturity insights to prioritize initiatives, investments, and areas requiring greater leadership attention.
- Connect framework-based findings to business objectives so cybersecurity maturity supports meaningful decision-making rather than becoming a compliance exercise.
Governance & Risk
- Advise leadership on cybersecurity governance, policies and standards, enterprise risk, security maturity, incident preparedness, data protection, third-party oversight, and security investment prioritization.
- Help establish cybersecurity priorities based on organizational objectives, risk tolerance, and the broader technology environment.
- Independently evaluate recommendations from cybersecurity teams, architects, managed service providers, vendors, and other technology stakeholders.
- Provide strategic guidance across modern cloud and security environments, including Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Purview, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), data classification, and related security and governance capabilities.
- Translate emerging cybersecurity risks and relevant industry developments into practical considerations and decision points for leadership.
- Maintain appropriate separation between strategic cybersecurity leadership and operational security execution, providing objective oversight without assuming ownership of day-to-day security operations.
Who You Are:
- You’re an accomplished cybersecurity leader with experience as a CISO, vCISO, senior cybersecurity executive, or strategic security advisor, or comparable executive-level cybersecurity leadership experience.
- You bring deep, practical knowledge of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF), with NIST CSF 2.0 experience strongly preferred.
- You have broad expertise across cybersecurity strategy, governance, enterprise risk, security maturity, incident preparedness, vendor oversight, and investment prioritization.
- You bring strong executive presence and can translate complex cybersecurity issues into clear discussions of business impact, risk, options, and recommended actions for technical, executive, and board-level audiences.
- You exercise sound, pragmatic judgment and are comfortable constructively challenging assumptions and recommendations while building trusted relationships with technology, security, and business leaders.
- You have experience with modern cloud and security environments; experience with Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Purview, DLP, and data governance and security capabilities is highly valued.
- You thrive in a fractional, virtual, and consultative environment, quickly establishing credibility and delivering meaningful strategic guidance within a focused allocation of time.
- You hold a bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Information Security, Computer Science, Information Technology, Management Information Systems, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience. CISSP, CISM, or CRISC certification is preferred; advanced education in cybersecurity, technology, risk, or business is a plus.
Total Rewards:
We proudly offer competitive compensation, a comprehensive and well-rounded benefits package for full-time employees that have been designed to nourish your well-being, such as health coverage, wellness programs, 401K company match, self-managed PTO, and other unique incentives that celebrate your accomplishments.
- Remote and Hybrid Work
- Time Off When You Need It
- Benefits That Flex
- Professional Development
While benefits eligibility may vary for roles that are not full-time, we provide unique opportunities for growth, skill development, and more. Regardless of your role, you’ll be part of a collaborative environment where every team member contributes to our shared success.
Discover more about our benefits by exploring additional details here benefits.
Who We Are:
Founded in 1999 with a remote workforce, we combine the benefits of experience, flexibility, and cost efficiency to create tailored solutions centered on what’s best for businesses. Now numbering more than 1,400 employees in the U.S. and India, we’re committed to solving clients’ toughest problems and delivering on our mission of providing unmatched experiences.
Our purpose at Centric Consulting is to bring unmatched experiences to clients and employees. These aren't just words we use — it's how we became a company and who we are today. Providing an unmatched experience means we approach each other as human beings and lead with empathy and humility. It means we work diligently to ensure we are a place where everyone can create a sense of belonging and feel respected for who they are.
What Makes Centric a Great Place to Work?
We know that creating and sustaining an authentically welcoming culture requires that we all play a part in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, from our business practice to how we show up for employees and communities. This is how we bring our mission and core values to life, working together to provide the highest quality services to our clients while allowing our employees to reach their full potential. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veterans’ status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
Reasonable accommodations are available for candidates during all aspects of the selection process. Please advise the talent acquisition team if you require accommodations during the application or interview process.
#LINKEDREMOTE