Director, Cyber GRC

Mariner Wealth Advisors; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Mariner Wealth Advisors seeks a Director, Cyber GRC to lead governance, vendor risk, and security awareness across the organization. You will shape policies, drive risk management efforts, and ensure compliance with SEC, FINRA, and NYDFS requirements while partnering with Legal, IT, and Security Architecture to align security with business goals.

You will guide cross-functional teams, develop executive dashboards, and deliver real-time insights into cyber posture for board-level discussions at a

Qualifications

• 10–12 years of progressive experience in cybersecurity and risk management, with leadership of GRC, compliance, or vendor risk teams.
• Financial services background strongly preferred; experience with SEC, FINRA, NYDFS.
• Hands-on experience transforming technology risk, security assurance, or compliance programs.
• Data-driven approach to operationalizing cybersecurity metrics, risk quantification, and executive-level reporting.
• Outstanding cross-functional leadership, communication, and influence across security, IT, legal, finance, and business teams.
• Preferred certifications: CISM, CRISC, CISA, CGEIT, CISSP, or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Champion and build the Cyber GRC function from vision through execution, including policy creation and control framework implementation (NIST CSF 2.0, CIS Controls v8, ISO 27001).
• Lead the third-party vendor risk management program and embed cybersecurity into the vendor lifecycle.
• Design, mature, and execute a high-impact security awareness and training program.
• Spearhead AI governance within cybersecurity, including policies for acceptable use and risk tiering of AI tools.
• Establish a state-of-the-art cyber risk management capability with real-time leadership dashboards.
• Act as a strategic advisor, integrating GRC with security architecture, monitoring, and IT governance; align with business growth.
• Represent Mariner in regulator engagements, audits, and third-party assessments.

Skills

Cyber GRC

Leadership

Security governance

Risk metrics

Executive reporting

Tools

NIST CSF 2.0

CIS Controls v8

ISO 27001

Job description

Reports to: Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Position Overview

Join Mariner as the Director, Cyber GRC, where you will play a mission-critical role protecting the organization by shaping and executing our cybersecurity governance, vendor risk, and security awareness strategies. You’ll lead high-impact teams, collaborate across business units, and drive enterprise-wide initiatives to ensure we are not only compliant but ahead of the curve in protecting our people, assets, and stakeholders. If you thrive in dynamic environments and want to make a visible difference at a leading financial firm where innovation meets stewardship, this is your opportunity.

Key Responsibilities

• Champion and build the Cyber GRC function, from vision through execution—including the creation and optimization of cybersecurity policy, control framework implementation (NIST CSF 2.0, CIS Controls v8, ISO 27001), compliance monitoring, and audit readiness tailored for SEC, FINRA, and state regulations like NYDFS.

• Lead the third-party vendor risk management program, embedding cybersecurity into every aspect of the vendor lifecycle. Conduct vendor security assessments, ensure rigorous contract requirements, and partner with procurement and AI review teams to keep risk management agile and integrated with business needs.

• Design, mature, and execute a high-impact security awareness and training program, combining role-based curricula, engaging phishing simulations, and innovative culture-building initiatives to tangibly reduce human-factor risk.

• Spearhead AI governance within cybersecurity: create forward-thinking policies for acceptable use, risk-tiering for use cases, and robust oversight of third-party AI tools. Ensure the organization’s digital worker initiatives stay compliant and future ready.

• Establish a state-of-the-art cyber risk management capability delivering actionable, quantified reporting and dashboards that provide leadership with real-time insights, supporting CISO-level and board-level reporting on cyber posture and risk.

• Act as a strategic advisor, partnering with Security Architecture & Engineering, Monitoring & Response, Legal, and IT governance teams. Integrate GRC into strategic planning, M&A due diligence, product launches, and change management to align security with business growth.

• Represent Mariner in high-visibility engagements with regulators, auditors, and third-party assessors. Manage regulatory examinations and responses, ensuring a strong and proactive relationship with external stakeholders in partnership with the CISO.

What You Bring

• 10–12 years’ progressive experience in cybersecurity and risk management, with proven leadership of GRC, compliance, or vendor risk teams. Demonstrated success building and evolving world-class security governance programs.

• Financial services background strongly preferred; expertise in highly regulated sectors and exam processes—banking, insurance, capital markets—and the ability to address wealth management-specific demands (SEC, FINRA, NYDFS).

• Hands-on experience transforming technology risk, security assurance, or compliance programs, and integrating risk management into business operations to drive strategic impact.

• Data-driven approach to operationalizing cybersecurity metrics, risk quantification, and executive-level reporting. Skilled at translating technical risk into actionable insights for business leaders.

• Outstanding cross-functional leadership, communication, and influence skills, with a strong ability to partner across security, IT, legal, finance, and business teams.

• Preferred certifications: CISM, CRISC, CISA, CGEIT, CISSP, or equivalent.

Why Mariner?

You’ll join a collaborative, visionary team at the forefront of cybersecurity innovation in a leading financial services organization. Here, you’ll have the autonomy to create scalable, impactful programs with full executive support, while continuously developing your expertise and leading transformation initiatives that matter—for Mariner, our clients, and the industry at large.

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We welcome your interest in being a part of our firm. We believe in giving associates progressive opportunities, actively nurturing professional growth and giving back to the community. We are dedicated to building a diverse culture where everyone has the support they need to achieve their career goals. We offer an innovative workplace and a culture that fosters camaraderie, teamwork and work-life balance.

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