Principal Security GRC Manager, Legal Assurance (USA)

GitLab; United States; Remote; USD 203,000 - 285,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Equity Compensation & Employee Stock-P

Growth and Development Fund

Parental Leave

Team Member Resource Groups

Job summary

GitLab, a remote-first security-driven software company in the United States, is seeking a Principal Security GRC Manager, Legal Assurance. You will tackle complex customer security challenges at the intersection of architecture and business needs, guiding security controls and contract terms for enterprise customers.

You’ll collaborate with Legal, Sales, Product, and Procurement to negotiate terms, create security content, and lead assurance efforts.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of information security experience, including customer-facing roles.
• Deep expertise in security frameworks and standards such as SOC 2, ISO 27001/27017/27018/42001, FedRAMP, NIST CSF.
• Expertise in law and regulation such as GDPR, CCPA, DORA, EU AI Act.
• Proven track record of contract negotiation and security/privacy agreement reviews.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with ability to translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences.
• Experience creating security content (blogs, whitepapers, presentations).
• Strong understanding of cloud security, SaaS security models, and DevSecOps practices.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Legal, Product, and Engineering teams.
• Ability to balance security risk with business objectives.
• Certifications such as CISSP, CISA, CISM, CCSP, ISO 27001 Lead Implementer/Auditor, or CIPP/CIPM.

Responsibilities

• Perform contract reviews for customer agreements and vendor relationships.
• Analyze security and compliance clauses in legal documents.
• Provide risk-based remediation guidance for contractual security requirements.
• Partner with Legal, Sales, Product, and Procurement to negotiate security terms.
• Join customer meetings to advise on GitLab’s security practices and controls.
• Build templates, playbooks, and training to accelerate negotiations.
• Support assurance activities through our Service Desk and risk reviews.
• Create security content and participate in thought leadership activities.
• Stay current with regulatory changes and advise on impact to agreements.
• Mentor Security Assurance team members.

Skills

Security governance

Contract reviews

Regulatory knowledge

Cloud security

SaaS security

DevSecOps

Cross-functional collaboration

Security content creation

Communication

Certifications (CISSP/CISA/etc)

Job description

GitLab is the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps. GitLab enables organizations to increase developer productivity, improve operational efficiency, reduce security and compliance risk, and accelerate digital transformation. More than 50 million registered users and more than 50% of the Fortune 100* trust GitLab to ship better, more secure software faster.
The same principles built into our products are reflected in how our team works: we embrace AI as a core productivity multiplier, with all team members expected to incorporate AI into their daily workflows to drive efficiency, innovation, and impact. GitLab is where careers accelerate, innovation flourishes, and every voice is valued. Our high-performance culture is driven by our values and continuous knowledge exchange, enabling our team members to reach their full potential while collaborating with industry leaders to solve complex problems. Co-create the future with us as we build technology that transforms how the world develops software.
*Fortune 500® is a registered trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, used under license. Claim based on GitLab data. Fortune 100 refers to the top 20% ranked companies in the 2025 Fortune 500 list, published in June 2025. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of GitLab.
An overview of the role
GitLab is seeking an experienced Principal Security GRC Manager, Legal Assurance to tackle complex customer security challenges at the intersection of technical architecture and business requirements. In this role, you'll apply deep security expertise to answer technical questions, assess contract requirements, and enable GitLab’s Sales and field organizations to address security problems for enterprise customers. You'll work directly with customers and internal teams to provide technical guidance, create security content, and help customers understand how GitLab's security controls meet their compliance and risk management needs.

What you'll do

Contract & Legal Review
Perform comprehensive contract reviews for both customer agreements and vendor relationships
Analyze security and compliance clauses in legal documents
Provide risk-based recommendations and remediation guidance for contractual security requirements
Partner with Legal, Sales, Product, and Procurement teams to negotiate security-related contract terms. Manage escalations, collaborate across other teams, and develop solutions to enable team and business partners to close deals
Document and track contract-related security obligations
Customer Engagement & Assurance
Join customer and prospect meetings to provide expert guidance on GitLab’s security practices and controls in order to address security, privacy, and compliance requirements
Build and maintain templates, playbooks, fallback positions, and training that simplify and accelerate negotiations
Facilitate customer assurance activities through our Customer Assurance Activities Service Desk
Provide escalation support for complex security questionnaires, RFPs, and risk assessments
Serve as security point of contact for enterprise customer questions, requests, and concerns
Security Evangelism & Thought Leadership
Act as a trusted technical thought leader, developing internal and external security content such as blog posts, whitepapers, technical standards, and field sales enablement training materials
Keep abreast of the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape affecting our agreements. Identify, track, and facilitate solutions for security related customer trends and improvement areas
Build and strengthen GitLab's security brand within the industry
Strategic Initiatives
Maintain and enhance GitLab's Trust Center and self-service security resources
Provide strategic recommendations based on customer security concerns in support of revenue growth
Participate in Quarterly Business Reviews to inform product and security roadmap decisions
Mentor and provide guidance to Security Assurance team members
Drive continuous improvement of Field Security processes and documentation
Design and implement solutions to enable Sales facing teams to successfully discuss security problems and topics with customers

What you'll bring

10+ years of experience in information security, with at least 5 years in customer-facing security roles
Deep expertise in security frameworks and standards such as (SOC 2, ISO 27001/27017/27018/42001, FedRAMP, NIST CSF, etc.)
Expertise in law and regulation such as (GDPR, CCPA, DORA, EU AI Act)
Proven track record of contract negotiation and security/privacy agreement reviews
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with ability to translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences
Experience creating security content (blogs, whitepapers, presentations)
Strong understanding of cloud security, SaaS security models, and DevSecOps practices
Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Legal, Product, and Engineering teams
Ability to balance security risk with business objectives
Experience speaking at conferences is a plus
Preferred: One or more relevant certifications such as CISSP, CISA, CISM, CCSP, ISO 27001 Lead Implementer/Auditor, or CIPP/CIPM. Equivalent demonstrated experience is equally valued.
Due to government requirements, you must be a United States Citizen (defined as any individual who is a citizen of the United States by law, birth, or naturalization) to fill this position.

About the team

The Security Assurance organization helps GitLab build and maintain trust by strengthening how we approach security, compliance, and risk. Security Governance sits within it and owns customer trust, security awareness, policies and standards, and other governance functions. Our counterparts are Security Compliance, Security Risk, and GRC Engineering.
You will join a small team of four direct reports under the Director, where each person has broad scope and visible impact. We work remote-first and asynchronously, and we write things down and share them openly.
The base salary range for this role’s listed level is currently for residents of the United States only. This range is intended to reflect the role's base salary rate in locations throughout the US. Grade level and salary ranges are determined through interviews and a review of education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities of the applicant, equity with other team members, alignment with market data, and geographic location. The base salary range does not include any bonuses, equity, or benefits. See more information on our benefits and equity. Sales roles are also eligible for incentive pay targeted at up to 100% of the offered base salary.
United States Salary Range
$203,200 - $285,000 USD
How GitLab Supports Full-Time Employees
Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being
Flexible Paid Time Off
Team Member Resource Groups
Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Growth and Development Fund
Parental Leave
Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Additionally, studies have shown that people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every single qualification.
Country Hiring Guidelines: GitLab hires new team members in countries around the world. All of our roles are remote, however some roles may carry specific location-based eligibility requirements. Our Talent Acquisition team can help answer any questions about location after starting the recruiting process.
Privacy Policy: Please review our Recruitment Privacy Policy. Your privacy is important to us.
GitLab is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. GitLab’s policies and practices relating to recruitment, employment, career development and advancement, promotion, and retirement are based solely on merit, regardless of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression), national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information (including family medical history), discharge status from the military, protected veteran status (which includes disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, active duty wartime or campaign badge veterans, and Armed Forces service medal veterans), or any other basis protected by law. GitLab will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. See also GitLab’s EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.

What the GitLab application asks

From 15 application forms we checked.

• Are you subject to any employment agreements and/or post-employment restrictions with your current employer or a past employer? asked on 15 of 15 forms
• It is important to us to create an accessible and inclusive interview experience. Please let us know if there are any adjustments we can make to assist you during the hiring and interview process. asked on 15 of 15 forms
• VeteranStatus asked on 14 of 15 forms
• What is your current country of residence? asked on 14 of 15 forms
• What's the name you'd prefer us to use throughout the interview process? asked on 10 of 15 forms
• Contact details: 15 of 15 forms
• Resume or CV: 15 of 15 forms
• Cover letter: 14 of 15 forms
• Visa sponsorship: 15 of 15 forms
• Voluntary self-identification (EEO): 14 of 15 forms

Application facts

Application form From 15 forms we checked, 14 ask for a cover letter; about 6 questions only GitLab asks per form. What it asks

Pay benchmark GitLab postings that list pay show a $187K median (146 postings)

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