Specialist, IT Security Risk Management

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 87,000 - 109,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual performance bonus

Group insurance coverage

Training and mentorship

Inclusive workplace culture

Job summary

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is seeking a Specialist in IT Security Risk Management in Ottawa to identify, assess, monitor, and report cybersecurity risks across the organization. You will support risk-informed decisions with governance stakeholders and maintain risk registers and remediation plans.

This 18-month temporary role requires a bachelor’s degree in information security or related field and 5+ years of relevant experience, with knowledge of NIST CSF, ITSG-33, COBIT.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in information security or CS.
• 5+ years in IT security, risk management, or related roles.
• Certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, CGRC, ISO 27001, CISA are assets.
• Experience conducting security risk assessments and documenting residual risk.
• Knowledge of NIST CSF, ITSG-33, COBIT or similar frameworks.
• Experience in regulated public-sector environments is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Advise stakeholders on information security risks, impacts, and mitigation priorities.
• Promote consistent information security risk management across projects and vendors.
• Conduct, document, and communicate risk assessments and treatment options.
• Maintain risk documentation including risk registers and remediation plans.
• Monitor remediation activities and track progress with risk owners.
• Identify and elevate high-priority or overdue risks and issues.
• Develop cyber risk metrics, dashboards, and executive reporting.
• Improve risk management maturity and contribute to policies and standards.

Skills

IT security

Risk management

Regulatory compliance

NIST CSF/ITSG-33/COBIT knowledge

Security risk assessments

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Security / Computer Science

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Travel Requirement:Limited

Language Skill Levels (Read/Write/Speak):ZZZ

Security Requirement: Secret

Salary:Our salaries generally range from $86,816.59to $108,520.74and are based on qualifications and experience.

About CMHC

The work you do and the work we do together matters. We come to work every day with a common purpose: to contribute to a well-functioning housing system.

At CMHC, we hold ourselves accountable for our results and support our colleagues in their achievements. We thrive on collaboration, connecting across CMHC and involving the right people to get our work done. Our leadership style is guided by trust, where our leaders favour an adaptive approach based on the needs of their teams.

Join us and be part of a team that's committed to making a real difference and be part of something meaningful.

What’s in it for you

We’ve got the purpose, the people and the perks you need for a fulfilling career. Here’s the comprehensive and generous benefits you get when you’re a contract employee:

• Annual individual performance bonus.
• Group insurance coverage to support your well-being from day one.
• Support towards your personal and professional growth with training, mentorship and more.
• An inclusive workplace culture and environment.
• While positions at CMHC require some in-office presence, alternative work arrangements may be considered for Indigenous candidates.

Members of the following employment equity deserving groups will be prioritized for this job: Indigenous Peoples

About the role

Join the Technology and Business Transformation team, in the Specialist, IT Security Risk Management position, where you will help identify, assess, monitor, and report cybersecurity and information security risks across CMHC. The role supports risk-informed decisions by working with business, technology, security, and governance stakeholders to understand risk exposure, treatment options, and control effectiveness.

The Specialist also supports cyber risk registers, remediation tracking, exception and acceptance processes, key risk indicators, and executive-level reporting aligned with CMHC’s risk appetite, enterprise risk practices, regulatory expectations, and recognized frameworks. This role works closely withcross‑functionalteams to assess threats, respond to incidents, ensure regulatory compliance, and enhance the overall cybersecurity maturity of the organization.

This is a temporary position of a duration of 18 months.

What you will do:

• Advise business, technology, and security stakeholders on information security risks, including impacts, mitigation strategies, remediation priorities, and risk acceptance requirements.
• Promote and apply consistent information security risk management practices across projects, technologies, vendors, and operational processes.
• Conduct, document, and communicate risk assessments, control effectiveness, residual risks, treatment options, and escalation requirements to support informed decision-making.
• Maintain comprehensive risk documentation, including risk registers, exceptions, acceptances, remediation plans, and supporting evidence.
• Monitor remediation activities by tracking commitments, target dates, dependencies, and progress with accountable risk owners.
• Identify, analyze, and elevate high-priority, overdue, emerging, or systemic risks, control weaknesses, and issues requiring management or governance attention.
• Develop cyber risk metrics, trends, dashboards, and reporting, and prepare clear updates for management, executives, governance committees, auditors, and regulators.
• Enhance the organization's risk management maturity by improving methodologies, templates, taxonomies, scoring, quality assurance practices, and contributing to policies, standards, procedures, and regulatory impact assessments.

What you should have:

• A bachelor’s degree in Information Security, Computer Science, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• At least 5+ years of experience in IT security, risk management, or related roles.
• Certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CRISC, CGRC, ISO 27001, CISA, or similar (an asset).
• Experience conducting security risk assessments, evaluating controls, documenting residual risk, and supporting treatment plans.
• Knowledge of recognized frameworks such as NIST CSF, ITSG-33, COBIT, or similar.
• Experience in a regulated, financial services, Crown corporation, or public-sector environment is considered an asset.

Posting closing date: Note, the competition will remain active until filled.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

We’re committed to employment equity and encourage women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, veterans and persons of all races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities and expressions to apply. We also welcome applications from non-Canadians who are eligible to work in Canada.

CMHC is an inclusive workplace where diversity of thought – and of people – are recognized, valued, and considered essential to achieving our mission.

We know that applying for a new job can be both exciting and daunting, and we appreciate your effort. Learn more about our hiring process . If you are selected for an interview or testing, please advise us if you require an accommodation.

If you applied before and you were not successful don’t worry – we're always posting new positions, so don’t hesitate to give it another shot. We’re excited to see what you bring to the table this time around!