Security Risk Manager

Imec; Luik; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

IMEC in Leuven, Belgium seeks a Security Risk Manager to act as the embedded security risk partner in the first line, close to business operations and aligned with the central Corporate Security Office.

You translate policy into practical actions, support risk ownership, drive remediation, and ensure local execution while maintaining governance alignment across sectors and expertise centers. This role requires strong stakeholder management and proactive, organized delivery.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of experience in information security, cyber security, technology risk, enterprise risk management or related advisory role.
• Understanding of security risk management, governance models and frameworks such as ISO 27001 or NIST CSF.
• Ability to translate security risks, controls and requirements into clear business language.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders in a complex, research-driven or high-tech environment.
• Strong facilitation and influencing skills; ability to align without formal authority.

Responsibilities

• Act as embedded security risk partner for assigned sectors while keeping risk ownership with line management.
• Maintain a structured security risk view including risks, mitigations and escalation actions.
• Support management in understanding and owning security risks, including risk treatment and escalation.
• Translate corporate policy and risk framework into practical local actions and routines.
• Work with security leads to translate requirements into risk-based priorities and improvement actions.

Skills

Information security

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Security governance

Communication

Project management

Analytical thinking

Job description

Security Risk Manager

What you will do

As Security Risk Manager, you act as the embedded security risk partner in the first line: close to business operations, but strongly connected with the central corporate security office, risk governance and specialist security capabilities. Risk ownership remains with line management, sectors and expertise centers; your role is to facilitate, challenge and support management teams so they understand and own their security risks. You translate imec’s corporate security policy, risk framework and standards into practical action, help make risks, decisions and remediation actions transparent, and ensure a strong connection between central Corporate Security Office expectations and local execution.

Key responsibilities of this role include:

• Act as the embedded security risk partner for assigned sectors and expertise centers, while keeping risk ownership with line management.
• Maintain a structured security risk view for your scope, including key risks, accepted risks, mitigations, remediation actions and escalations.
• Support management teams in understanding, prioritizing and owning their security risks, including risk treatment, escalation and decision preparation.
• Translate corporate security policies, standards and risk framework expectations into practical local actions and repeatable management routines.
• Work with security capability leads translating specialist requirements into risk-based priorities and feasible improvement actions for your business scope.
• Prepare input for sector and expertise-center management reviews, connecting local security priorities to imec-wide security roadmap priorities.
• Support incident follow-up, lessons learned and structural remediation within your area of responsibility, ensuring actions are owned and followed up locally.
• Prepare concise risk insights, decision points and escalation material for management and security governance forums.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of imec’s first-line security risk management model and the security steward network.

What we do for you

We offer you the opportunity to join one of the world’s premier research centers in nanotechnology at its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium. With your talent, passion and expertise, you’ll become part of a team that makes the impossible possible. Together, we shape the technology that will determine the society of tomorrow.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and proud of our open, multicultural, and informal working environment with ample possibilities to take initiative and show responsibility. We commit to supporting and guiding you in this process; not only with words but also with tangible actions. Through imec.academy, 'our corporate university', we actively invest in your development to further your technical and personal growth.

We are aware that your valuable contribution makes imec a top player in its field. Your energy and commitment are therefore appreciated by means of a market appropriate salary with many fringe benefits.

Who you are

We are looking for a highly motivated professional who combines security expertise with strong business partnering skills.

• Around 8-10 years of relevant experience in information security, cyber security, technology risk, enterprise risk management, security governance or a related advisory role.
• A good understanding of security risk management, security controls, governance models and international frameworks such as ISO 27001, NIST Cybersecurity Framework or comparable standards.
• The ability to translate security risks, controls and requirements into clear business language.
• Experience working with senior stakeholders and management teams, preferably in a complex, research-driven, technology, manufacturing or high-tech environment.
• Strong facilitation and influencing skills, with the ability to create alignment without relying only on formal authority.
• A pragmatic, risk-based mindset: you understand that security must protect what matters most while enabling imec’s mission.
• The ability to structure ambiguity, identify priorities and turn broad security challenges into concrete actions.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Excellent communication skills with diverse audiences, from technical experts to senior leadership.
• A proactive attitude, a strong sense of ownership and the ability to get things done.
• The ability to work in an organized and structured manner while staying flexible in a fast-moving environment.
• Experience with program or project management is an asset.
• Experience with security in the semiconductor industry or a comparable high-tech environment is an asset.

You are someone who can build trust with the business, challenge constructively, and help management teams make better-informed security risk decisions. You do not approach security as a checklist, but to protect imec’s sensitive research, intellectual property, collaborations, reputation and trusted ecosystem.

IMEC and its affiliates will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. IMEC will consider unsolicited referrals and/or resumes submitted by vendors such as search firms, staffing agencies, professional recruiters, fee-based referral services and recruiting agencies (hereafter \"Agency\") to have been referred by the Agency free of charge. IMEC will not pay a fee to any Agency that does not have a prior written agreement with IMEC, validated by its HR department, in place regarding a specific job opening and allowing to submit resumes.