GRC Engineer

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Wilson Sonsini is seeking a mid-level GRC Engineer to join the IT Risk Operations team in Palo Alto. This role emphasizes governance, risk, and compliance with a strong technical focus and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities include framework alignment, control mapping, risk register management, threat analysis, and supporting third‑party risk and awareness programs for client engagements.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in security risk, governance, and compliance (GRC).
• Familiarity with NIST CSF and NIST SP 800-53/30/39.
• Knowledge of IT fundamentals: networking, IAM, and cloud security (Azure).
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to explain risk to technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to implementation and maintenance of NIST CSF program and align with related standards.
• Map security controls to frameworks (e.g., SP 800-53) and perform gap analyses and remediation.
• Manage risk registers, support ServiceNow requirements, testing and workflows.
• Capture risk insights and prepare periodic risk, compliance, and SLA metrics for leadership.
• Administer cybersecurity awareness training and conduct Third-Party Risk analyses.

Skills

NIST CSF

Risk management

GRC tooling

Security operations

Threat analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in information security/IT

Tools

ServiceNow

SIEM

Microsoft Defender

Job description

Wilson Sonsini is the premier legal advisor to technology, life sciences, and other growth enterprises worldwide. We represent companies at every stage of development, from entrepreneurial start-ups to multibillion-dollar global corporations, as well as the venture firms, private equity firms, and investment banks that finance and advise them.

The firm has approximately 1,100 attorneys in 17 offices: 13 in the U.S., two in China, and two in Europe. Our broad spectrum of practices and entrepreneurial spirit allow exceptional opportunities for professional achievement and career growth.

The GRC Engineer a mid-level position the works under the direction of the governance, risk and compliance leadership and reports to the Manager of IT Risk Operations. The position is technical and analytical in nature and requires a self-directed professional who is committed to applying industry best practices in the areas of governance, risk, and compliance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Framework Alignment and Control Mapping

• Contribute to the implementation and maintenance of the client's NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) program, including tracking progress against current and target profiles and supporting assessments against related standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 27001, CIS Controls, SOC 2).
• Map the security controls in the current environment to NIST requirements (e.g., SP 800-53) and other applicable frameworks, perform gap analyses and self-assessments, and identify gaps for remediation.
• Support delivery of the client's current security risk and compliance standards and maintain related documentation.

Risk Management and GRC Tooling

• Record and maintain security risks in the Risk Register, and coordinate with other teams as needed to obtain status and provide insights for remediation of risks.
• Contribute to the ServiceNow implementation (e.g., requirements, testing, and workflow input).
• Identify critical/high-risk systems and processes and document the associated risk profiles.
• Resolve tickets assigned to the governance, risk and compliance team and track them to closure.
• Prepare and deliver periodic risk, compliance, and service-level metrics and reports for the client's program, tailored to leadership and stakeholder audiences.

Threat and Risk Analysis

• Gather and analyze data from various IT systems and security tooling (e.g., SIEM and log sources, unauthorized access attempts, phishing reports) that identify risk, and create reports that provide specific details.
• Use threat, vulnerability, and endpoint/cloud security management systems and tools (e.g., SIEM, vulnerability scanners, Microsoft Defender) to identify critical/high-risk systems, create threat analysis reports, initiate follow-up action, and help reduce risk.
• Partner with security operations and incident response teams to translate incident and vulnerability trends into risk register entries and remediation recommendations, and maintain related standard operating procedures.
• Analyze policies, systems, hardware, software, cloud, and network infrastructure and recommend methods and strategies that reduce risk.

Awareness, Third-Party Risk and Client Assurance

• Administer the cybersecurity awareness training program (e.g., assigning courses, tracking completion, and reporting results).
• Conduct Third-Party Risk Management analysis, including review of vendor security documentation and recording of results.
• Complete security questionnaires and provide supporting documentation within agreed turnaround times.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the client's governance, risk and compliance leadership.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• 3+ years of experience in security risk, governance, and compliance (GRC). Security operations or incident response experience with demonstrated GRC exposure (e.g., control assessments, audits, compliance reporting) will be considered.
• Working knowledge of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and NIST SP 800-53, SP 800-30, and SP 800-39, with an understanding of the cybersecurity risk assessment process.
• Working knowledge of IT fundamentals, including networking, identity and access management (e.g., Active Directory), and cloud security (e.g., Microsoft Azure).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain risk to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure, work independently, and collaborate with diverse teams.
• Sound judgment, high ethical standards, and the discretion to handle confidential client information.
• Ability to respond promptly to unplanned requests within agreed service-level expectations and to accurately estimate time and resources for projects.
• Commitment to continuous learning of new technologies, frameworks, and skills.
• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in information security, information technology, risk management, or a related fiel