Director, Cybersecurity

Inari Agriculture, Inc.; North Oaks (MN); On-site; USD 158,000 - 217,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vision and dental

401k with company matching

Stock options

HSA with company contribution

FSA

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Inari Agriculture, Inc. seeks a Director of Cybersecurity to own strategy, operations, and governance of information security across the company, protecting data, applications, systems, and infrastructure from evolving threats.

You will lead risk assessment, policy enforcement, and technology maturation while partnering with IT, Engineering, and business teams to balance security with business value.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in information security across risk, security and IT responsibilities.
• Demonstrated success building and maturing a cybersecurity function with metrics-driven improvement.
• Experience partnering with business functions to deliver security threat analysis and mitigation solutions.
• Experience evaluating and securing AI/ML systems and understanding AI-specific risk.
• Experience with software development and product security best practices.

Responsibilities

• Maintain, refine, and evolve a risk-based cybersecurity strategy and roadmap aligned to business priorities.
• Direct evaluation and optimization of security technologies and controls with IT and Engineering.
• Lead information security risk assessment and risk management processes with stakeholders.
• Ensure policy and standards are applied across projects, systems, services, and contracts.
• Monitor trends and vulnerabilities, including AI-driven risks, and advise leadership on mitigations.
• Refresh security tech stack and adopt tools that reduce risk or burden.
• Partner with senior leadership on ongoing risk assessment and management.
• Identify opportunities where security adds business value and supports monetization efforts.
• Serve as a key contact for the Board with regular cybersecurity program reporting.

Skills

Cybersecurity leadership

Risk management

Information security governance

AI/ML security

Cloud security

Security tooling

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Security, Computer Science, or related field

Tools

AI-powered security tooling

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure)

Containerization tooling (Docker/Kubernetes)

Job description

About Inari

Inari is the SEEDesign™ company. We embrace the diversity and complexity of nature in every aspect of our business to drive innovation - to push the boundaries of what is possible. Through our unrivaled technology platform, Inari uses predictive design and advanced multiplex gene editing to develop step-change products. We are taking a nature positive approach to unlock the full potential of seeds that will transform the food system. The results will lead to more productive acres delivering value creation for farmers and a more sustainable future for our planet. Our success is dependent on great minds, collaborating to generate bright ideas and deliver exceptional outcomes. We have 200 employees, with research sites in Cambridge, MA (USA) and Ghent (Belgium), as well as a product development site in West Lafayette, IN (USA). We've deliberately built a team that brings diversity of thought to all aspects of our business, to generate new ideas, approaches, and ways of operating. And we've intentionally combined experience with potential, bringing agriculture industry experts with the desire to innovate together with bright minds from academia, human therapeutics, software, and consulting.

About the role

We are seeking a Director of Cybersecurity to own the strategy, operation, and governance of information security across Inari, ensuring our data, applications, systems, and infrastructure remain appropriately protected as the business and threat landscape evolve.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain, refine, and evolve a risk-based and data-driven cybersecurity strategy and roadmap aligned to Inari's business priorities
• Direct and contribute to ongoing evaluation, tuning, and optimization of security technologies and controls, including AI-powered security tooling, partnering with IT and Engineering to close gaps and reduce operational overhead
• Maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders and lead ongoing information security risk assessment and risk management processes
• Ensure consistent application of established policies and standards across technology projects, systems, services, and contracts, and update them as the organization and risk landscape change
• Monitor industry trends, emerging threats, and vulnerabilities, including those introduced by AI adoption, keep leadership informed of implications, and recommend proportionate mitigation strategies
• Continuously assess and refresh the security technology stack, retiring tools that no longer earn their keep and adopting solutions, including AI-driven capabilities, that reduce risk or operational burden
• Partner with senior leadership on ongoing risk assessment and risk management processes
• Partner with the business to identify opportunities where security capabilities can add and capture business value, including support for technology monetization efforts
• Serve as a key point of contact for the Board, providing regular reporting and assurance on the state of the cybersecurity program

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive experience in information security, combining risk management, information security, and IT-related responsibilities
• Demonstrated success operating and maturing an established cybersecurity function, including metrics-driven continuous improvement, not just initial build
• Demonstrated success partnering with business functions to deliver security threat analysis and mitigation solutions
• Experience evaluating and securing AI/ML systems and applications, and understanding of AI-specific risk considerations
• Experience with software development and product security best practices
• Experience securing cloud computing and containerized environments
• Hands-on technical experience managing security tools with a deep understanding of networking and technology infrastructure
• Clear understanding of the evolving needs of a mature cybersecurity function and current information security best practices, standards, and frameworks
• Working knowledge of common information security management frameworks such as ISO/IEC 27001 and NIST CSF
• Knowledge of common technologies used to secure back-office environments (IAM, PKI, network controls)
• Bachelor's degree in Information Security, Computer Science, or a related field
• Proven track record maintaining and improving information security policies, procedures, programs, and solutions over time
• Demonstrated leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to build strong relationships across all levels of the organization
• Ability and desire to continue expanding knowledge and skillset to remain knowledgeable of current Cybersecurity challenges
• Professional certification(s) desired (CISSP, CCISO, CISM, CISA, etc.)

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range for this position is $158,000 - $217,000
• Full-time or part-time status with competitive pay including base, short-term incentive, and long-term equity, as well as a one-time new-hire stock option grant
• Preferred Provider Network (PPO) and High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a company-funded Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Vision, dental, and several Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Host of voluntary benefits and a robust wellness program
• 401k plan with company matching
• Flexible paid time off policy

Inari is an equal opportunity employer.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Inari is an equal opportunity employer.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Inari Agriculture provides immigration sponsorship for candidates in certain qualified roles that meet performance criteria. However, the company will not provide sponsorship to H-1B candidates whose employment would require payment of the $100,000 fee mandated by the Presidential Proclamation 'Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers.'

FOR U.S. CANDIDATES: Please note that we use the resume you submit with your application during our background check process. To ensure an efficient and accurate background verification, we kindly ask that you carefully review and accurately represent your work history, education and other relevant information on your resume. Any discrepancies or inaccuracies found during the background check may impact your candidacy for the position.

At Inari, we're driven to help transform the global food system to support the population, the planet and the people who grow our food. We're powered by a strong focus on camaraderie, professional development, and external collaboration with leaders of industry and academia, all of which allow us to forge personal connections that strengthen our teams. Our success is dependent on great minds, collaborating to generate bright ideas and deliver exceptional outcomes. We have 200 employees, with research sites in Cambridge, MA (USA) and Ghent (Belgium), as well as a product development site in West Lafayette, IN (USA). We've deliberately built a team that brings diversity of thought to all aspects of our business, to generate new ideas, approaches, and ways of operating. And we've intentionally combined experience with potential, bringing agriculture industry experts with the desire to innovate together with bright minds from academia, human therapeutics, software, and consulting. If you want to be part of a diverse and inclusive team developing unique solutions to feed the world while protecting our planet’s natural resources, we’d love to hear from you!