Security Engineering Leader — Strategy & Defense

January; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

January is transforming consumer finance with data‑driven, security‑mocused solutions that protect sensitive data and build trust with clients. The Head of Security will shape our proactive defense, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive responsible risk management across the organization.

Reporting to the VP of Engineering, you will lead security strategy, mentor a growing team, and oversee IAM, cloud security, AI risk, and the secure development lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6+ years in security leadership roles.
• Hands-on cloud security, IAM, and monitoring systems experience.
• Experience in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, payments).
• Proven ability to set security strategy and execute at growth-stage companies.
• Strong communicator and cross-functional collaborator.
• Preferred: understanding of AI/ML risks and their impact on security.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the strategy for security engineering and risk priorities.
• Hire, mentor, and grow the security engineering team as the function scales.
• Lead identity and access management across systems.
• Direct security monitoring, detection, and incident response.
• Own security posture for AI in products and internal tools.
• Manage cloud security architecture and data isolation across multi-tenant platform.
• Own end-to-end vulnerability management with Engineering to bake security into lifecycle.
• Partner with Compliance to support SOC2, PCI, and audits.

Skills

Security leadership

Cloud security engineering

Regulated industries experience

Communication & collaboration

AI/ML risk understanding

Job description

January is transforming consumer finance with data‑driven, security‑mocused solutions that protect sensitive data and build trust with clients. The Head of Security will shape our proactive defense, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive responsible risk management across the organization.

Reporting to the VP of Engineering, you will lead security strategy, mentor a growing team, and oversee IAM, cloud security, AI risk, and the secure development lifecycle.