Secure MA&D Principal

MWI Buying Group; Woking; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

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.

Skills

Cybersecurity leadership

M&A due diligence

Risk assessment

Vendor management

Executive communication

Project management

Security domains

Education

Bachelor’s degree

PMP/CRISC

CISSP/CISM/CISA/CCSP

Job description

Our team members are at the heart of everything we do. At Cencora, we are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures, and every person here is essential to us being able to deliver on that purpose. If you want to make a difference at the center of health, come join our innovative company and help us improve the lives of people and animals everywhere.

Position Summary

The Secure MA&D (Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures) Principal leads and is responsible for pre-close cybersecurity due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other strategic transactions. This role identifies cyber risks, estimates remediation and integration costs, manages third-party diligence partners, transfers findings to security capability owners, and supports Day 1 readiness planning.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead pre-close cybersecurity due diligence for assigned 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.

Candidate Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in cybersecurity, information risk, security consulting, M&A due diligence, or security program leadership.
• Experience leading cybersecurity assessments, risk reviews, diligence activities, or integration planning.
• Strong understanding of core security domains, including IAM, endpoint security, vulnerability management, cloud security, data protection, security operations, GRC, and third-party risk.
• Ability to explain cyber risks in business terms and connect findings to cost, timing, compliance, and operational impact.
• Experience developing high-level remediation, integration, and run-cost estimates.
• Strong vendor-management and stakeholder-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level summaries and decision materials.
• Ability to manage multiple confidential transactions and competing priorities.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; PMP (or equivalent formal project management certification) and CRISC strongly preferred.
• Additional relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CISA, or CCSP are a plus.

What Cencora offers

Benefit offerings outside the US may vary by country and will be aligned to local market practice. The eligibility and effective date may differ for some benefits and for team members covered under collective bargaining agreements.

Full time Affiliated Companies Affiliated Companies: AmerisourceBergen Services Corporation

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cencora is committed to providing equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or membership in any other class protected by federal, state or local law. The company’s continued success depends on the full and effective utilization of qualified individuals. Therefore, harassment is prohibited and all matters related to recruiting, training, compensation, benefits, promotions and transfers comply with equal opportunity principles and are non-discriminatory. Cencora is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the employment process which are consistent with legal requirements.

If you wish to request an accommodation while seeking employment, please call 888.692.2272 or email [e-mail]. We will make accommodation determinations on a request-by-request basis. Messages and emails regarding anything other than accommodations requests will not be returned.

About Cencora

Cencora is a leading global pharmaceutical solutions company that is committed to improving the lives of people and animals everywhere. We connect manufacturers, providers, and patients to ensure that anyone can get the therapies they need, where and when they need them. We’re a purpose-driven organization, where all of our team members around the world are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures. We work together every day to help our partners bring their innovations to patients worldwide, creating unparalleled access and impact at the center of health.