M&A Cybersecurity Principal: Pre-Close Diligence & Risk

MWI Buying Group

Woking

Hybrid

GBP 120,000 - 180,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Cencora is seeking a Secure MA&D Principal to lead pre-close cybersecurity due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic deals. You will identify cyber risks, estimate remediation costs, and coordinate with finance, legal, IT and security teams.

The role requires 10+ years in cybersecurity leadership, ability to explain risks in business terms, and experience with remediation and integration planning. This is a senior, cross-functional position operating at pace.

Qualifications

10+ years in cybersecurity, information risk, or M&A security leadership.
Experience leading cyber assessments, risk reviews, diligence, or integration planning.
Strong understanding of IAM, endpoint security, vulnerability management, cloud security, data protection, GRC, and third-party risk.
Ability to explain cyber risks in business terms and connect findings to cost and impact.
Experience developing high-level remediation, integration, and run-cost estimates.
Strong vendor-management and stakeholder-management skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication, including exec-level summaries.
Ability to manage multiple confidential transactions and priorities.
Bachelor’s degree; PMP/CRISC strongly preferred; CISSP/CISM/CISA/CCSP a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead pre-close cybersecurity due diligence for MA&D transactions.
Review target-company security posture, documentation, interviews, and assessment results.
Identify key cyber risks, control gaps, compliance concerns, and Day 1 readiness issues.
Translate technical findings into clear business, operational, and financial impacts.
Manage third-party cybersecurity diligence providers, including scope, timelines, deliverables, and quality of findings.
Develop preliminary cost estimates for remediation, integration, tooling, licensing, labor, and ongoing run support.
Partner with Finance, Corporate Development, Legal, IT, and Information Security teams to validate risks, assumptions, and costs.
Transfer diligence findings, risks, and open items to security capability owners before close.
Support Day 1 readiness planning by identifying minimum required controls, dependencies, and immediate post-close actions.
Maintain clear documentation of risks, decisions, assumptions, action items, and handoffs.
Improve Secure MA&D diligence templates, playbooks, cost models, and reporting materials.