Head of Security Engineering & Operations

GCS Recruitment; Warszawa; On-site; PLN 400,000 - 560,000; Full time

Job summary

GCS Recruitment Specialists in Warsaw, Poland, is seeking a Director of Security Engineering & Operations to shape the security function across a data‑driven product environment. You’ll partner with the CISO and CTO‑level leaders to define the security roadmap, strengthen security operations and embed security into the development lifecycle.

This role demands a strategic technologist who can scale teams, drive cloud and AI security initiatives, manage external vendors, and translate complex

Qualifications

• Proven experience building and transforming security engineering programmes.
• Strong application security expertise including OWASP, API security, SAST/DAST.
• Experience securing cloud environments and data pipelines.
• Ability to translate risks into clear decisions for executives.

Responsibilities

• Define the security engineering roadmap across product environments, data platforms, pipelines and the corporate estate.
• Lead security operations and manage the relationship with an outsourced SOC.
• Embed Secure SDLC, threat modelling and secure dev practices into engineering workflows.
• Foster a security‑minded culture and build high‑performing security teams.

Skills

Security leadership

Cloud security

Application security

Threat modelling

Data protection

SIEM

AI security awareness

Tools

Kubernetes

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Director of Security Engineering & Operations

Location: Warsaw, Poland
Reporting to: Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Lead the next generation of security engineering

Are you a strategic cybersecurity leader who can combine deep technical expertise with the vision to build and scale a world-class security function?

We're partnering with an ambitious, technology-led organisation to appoint a Director of Security Engineering & Operations. This is a senior leadership opportunity to shape the technical security strategy across a data-driven product environment, protecting critical platforms, sensitive information and the systems that power the business.

Working directly with the CISO and partnering closely with Product, R&D, Data Engineering and IT leadership, you'll define the security engineering roadmap, strengthen security operations and help embed security into the development lifecycle - enabling teams to innovate confidently without compromising security.

This role is ideal for a forward-thinking security leader who enjoys building, improving and influencing at scale, with a particular interest in cloud security, application security and the evolving challenges of AI.

The opportunity

You'll take ownership of a broad technical security remit, combining strategic direction with practical execution. Your priorities will include:

• Security strategy: Define and deliver the technical security roadmap across product environments, data platforms, pipelines and the corporate estate.
• Application security: Mature the Secure SDLC, embedding threat modelling, CI/CD security controls, vulnerability management and software supply chain risk management into engineering workflows.
• Data & AI security: Strengthen data protection, access governance, classification and secrets management, while shaping secure adoption of AI, LLMs and agentic workflows.
• Security operations: Own the strategic relationship with an outsourced 24/7 SOC, drive continuous SIEM improvement and enhance incident response, detection and recovery capabilities.
• Cloud & infrastructure security: Improve security across cloud-native environments, including IAM, containers, Kubernetes and supporting technologies.
• Leadership & culture: Lead application and infrastructure security engineering teams, develop talent and build a culture where security is collaborative, pragmatic and embedded from the outset.
• Stakeholder influence: Partner with senior technology leaders, manage external security providers and communicate technical risks and priorities clearly to executive stakeholders.

What success looks like

In your first 12 months, you'll have the opportunity to:

• Establish a unified security engineering roadmap aligned with engineering and business priorities.
• Drive measurable improvements in Secure SDLC adoption across Web and Data Engineering.
• Strengthen SOC operations and improve mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR).
• Develop a capable, accountable security engineering team with clear ownership and performance measures.
• Introduce practical, developer-friendly security controls that reduce risk without creating unnecessary friction.

What we're looking for

We're keen to speak with established cybersecurity leaders who combine strong technical foundations with the ability to influence, build and deliver.

You'll ideally bring:

• Proven experience building, scaling or transforming security engineering programmes within a product-led or technology-driven organisation.
• Strong application security expertise, including OWASP, API security, SAST, DAST, threat modelling and secure development practices.
• Experience securing cloud environments, data platforms and pipelines, with knowledge of IAM, Kubernetes, containers and cloud-native security tooling.
• A solid understanding of AI and LLM security risks, controls and governance, with the ability to guide the secure adoption of emerging technologies.
• Experience overseeing security operations, including SIEM improvement, incident response and relationships with outsourced SOC providers.
• A track record of leading and developing technical security teams while building strong relationships with engineering and product stakeholders.
• Experience managing penetration-testing partners and external security vendors.
• The ability to translate complex technical risks into clear, actionable decisions for both technical teams and senior executives.

The leadership style that will thrive

You're a builder who takes ownership, makes risk-based decisions and focuses on meaningful outcomes. You understand that effective security isn't simply about adding controls - it's about helping people make better decisions, enabling innovation and making secure ways of working the natural choice.

You're curious about emerging technology, comfortable operating at both strategic and technical levels, and motivated by the opportunity to develop people, improve maturity and make a lasting impact.

Why consider this opportunity?

• Strategic influence: Work directly with the CISO and senior technology leadership to shape the organisation's security direction.
• Broad ownership: Lead across application security, infrastructure security, data protection, AI security and security operations.
• Technology at scale: Help protect critical data assets and the platforms and engineering processes that support them.
• Build and transform: Develop security capabilities, strengthen team ownership and deliver measurable improvements.
• Future-focused security: Help define how emerging AI technologies are adopted securely in a modern product environment.

Interested in learning more?

If you're a senior security leader ready to shape strategy, develop high-performing teams and build security capabilities for the next generation of technology, we'd welcome a confidential conversation.

Apply today to find out more about this opportunity.

GCS is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.